Incinerate
by KyuukaKoinu
Summary: Bakugou Katsuki is a workaholic hell bent on never dating because it's too much of a 'distraction'. Enter Midoriya Izuku: A walking contradiction that is giving Katsuki an actual lethal goddamn migraine along with a mysterious set of arson crimes that walked right into town with him. But the most frustrating part is that Katsuki can't seem to get his fucking mind off either.
1. Charcoal

**Full Summary: **

"_Love consumes and destroys us before we even recognize it. And, unfortunately, by the time we do notice...we've already been incinerated down to ashes."_  
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Bakugou Katsuki liked his work. Some people would say...he liked it too much.

He took saving lives and solving crimes very seriously and never missed an oversight on a single case—up until one night his long-term girlfriend broke things off with him in the worst possible way. As a result, a minor slip up ended up costing him severely and after that Bakugou felt himself broken apart in more ways than one. He vowed to shut himself off from seriously dating to spare himself the fucking headache.

Enter Midoriya Izuku.

A walking contradiction that is giving Katsuki is an actual lethal goddamn migraine along with a mysterious set of arsenal crimes that walked right into town with him. But the most frustrating part is that Katsuki can't seem to get his fucking mind off _either._

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**Notes: **

Hello! Officially a second BakuDeku story on the way~!

This was birthed by my love of Brooklyn 99 and angsty men who have traumatic pasts that can equally help each other out. I had this idea while writing 'Kacchan' and I decided to type it out a while ago and I'm gonna just go ahead and post it now :) Enjoy!

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**Chapter one - ****Charcoal**

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"—Get the fuck out of my house right now Bakugou! I fucking mean it this time! I don't want to see you ever again! We're _done_!" The shrill high-pitched voice screeched at him, cutting high enough to break fucking glass.

"Are you serious, Takeyama? You're doing this shit now? On a goddamn Wednesday night?"

Katsuki couldn't believe it...or maybe he could, and he just didn't want to.

He was currently standing in his and his girlfriend's living room in his goddamn heart print boxers and a white t-shirt having all of shit being thrown at him while he was trying to look over an important case for his superior.

"See! There it is again!" The furious blonde woman rounded on him, getting close into his face. "I can't even get a proper break up with you without your goddamn work somehow finding its way into the conversation. That's all you seem to care about! You don't want a relationship you want an all-consuming career."

Katsuki felt himself snarl at the remark and started to avidly collect the papers that were being carelessly blown about by the absolute damn whirlwind the crying woman was making.

"And is that fucking wrong!? Look, can we do this another damn day? I have a big case file I need to look over by Friday and I'm not about to get my ass lit on fire by Toshinori because you want to kick me out in the middle of the fucking night!"

"No. I'm dead ass serious. We're through. _Finished_. Which means you need to pack all of your shit and get the fuck out!" She threw one of his dress shoes at his head and Katsuki barely ducked as the object whizzed past his ear. Red eyes widened at the vicious action and mildly winced at the crashing sound that erupted from behind him.

Concerned red eyes met wet, angry pointed ones and Katsuki felt the seriousness of everything settle in. Sure, Takeyama was a fireball. She was a force of a woman and they would very frequently butt heads, but it never escalated this far. She never actually threw anything at him with intentions of harming him.

The ash blonde tried to carefully approach her in a calm manner when he saw her start to break down in tears more. "...Takeyama, don't do this, you're not thinkin' right—" but that was the wrong choice of words to say. Soon the sobbing stopped, and those eyes were sharp. Cut throat sharp.

"_Oh_? Now, I'm not thinking right?" She hissed at him. "No, Katsuki, I fucking am. This is the one moment in our entire shitty ass four-year relationship that I'm actually thinking straight. I wasn't thinking right when I let you skip our anniversary dinner two years in a row. I wasn't thinking right when I would stay up for you worried and couldn't even get a phone call or a text back from you to at least be considerate and let me know you're okay!"

"I wasn't thinking right when I stayed in this empty ass relationship for four years and actually moved here to Shizuoka with you after college. I wasn't thinking right when I let you just ignore me all the goddamn time for whatever the fuck you do down at that station!"

The blonde bristled at the dismissive statement of his job and felt his anger boil over. She had no fucking right to say something like that.

"I save lives! I'm sorry but my career is demanding! We went over this several times, why are you acting like you didn't know that this was how it was going to be when we moved—where the hell are you going?" He called out loudly following her into the bedroom.

He watched in disbelief as the frazzled blonde-haired woman started aggressively tossing his clothes out of their shared dresser and shoving them into his suitcase. He walked over and tried to stop her, but she shoved his hand away instantly with a force that shocked the blonde male.

"You're taking too long—I mean it. I want you _out_," her words burned into his brain and the blonde felt his chest start to heave at the reality of it. His girlfriend of four years that he was in love with was really actually kicking him out. He loved her, and she was going to throw him out on the damn street in the middle of the fucking night.

"Stop!" He screamed at her, trying to shove his clothes back in but found himself fruitless. The determined female just kept going around on a rampage and putting all his belonging in his bags quicker than he could keep up. Katsuki felt his brain start to rattle with distress and as he tried to keep it together. "Don't fuckin' do this it's 2:00 am—can we just talk!?"

"No! I asked you talk to me for the last two years and you never had any time! So, you can go talk to that damn red head of a new best friend you work with at that station. You can go live there for all I care. I'm going back to Tokyo!" She spat at him in a tone that hurt. It actually _hurt_. The tall blonde furrowed his brows and tried to stop her from taking his coats down from the closet.

"Take—" His voice cracked and as he tried to touch her shoulder. In a split second she turned around and shoved her hand against his hard chest, making him stumble back on his feet. "Don't fucking push me! Just a wait a damn moment!" He screamed but she wasn't listening.

In a flash, before he could recognize what was happening, Katsuki felt the intense pain of a ruthless slap run across his face. It left behind the burn of four years of pain, hurt, and let downs.

"I SAID TO FUCKING LEAVE!"

He said nothing but held his cheek in disbelief. He stared wide eyed down at the person he thought was going always be there.

But he was wrong. He was actually _wrong_.

He was going to be alone.

. . .

A tired fist banged a wooden door with the number '508'. The young adult that was just thrown out of his apartment in the rain at 2:30 am had silently gathered his stuff with a stinging cheek. The pain sunk in and made him feel like a failure—something he always feared being.

Katsuki didn't like being a failure, at anything. Especially in a relationship that he thought he very much gave all he had. But apparently it wasn't enough for the one person who was enough for him the last four years.

So, here he was:

Soaking wet on a Wednesday night, gritting his teeth with all his shit in a ratty suitcase and duffle bag banging on Kirishima Eijiro's door at nearly 3:30 am after making his way across the city. When no one came to the door he banged louder, accidently letting some of his residue anger into the motion and creating a loud sound.

"Coming!" A tired voice called but Katsuki couldn't stop banging. He felt like such a fucking failure. How did he ignore things that goddamn long in his own relationship to the point that they fucking ended that goddamn _sloppy?_

"I said I'm coming just hold on!" The voice all but screamed. "Do you know what time it is!? Who in the fucking worl—" The door flew open and the irritated look the other tall male was wearing sunk quickly at the sight in front of him. "—Bakugou? What are you doing here?"

The disheveled male in question worked his jaw and slowly lowered his hand. Spikey blonde hair was now flat and sticking to his face from rain. The usual pissed off expression was now extremely pissed off mixed with undeniable hurt. Along with that, he sported a wet face that no one could tell was either from the rain or his own tears, and he wasn't going to admit to the latter.

"Can I stay...with you for a while?" He gritted out from between his teeth. The red head quickly nodded and stepped aside. Slowly, each step Katsuki took forward felt like dragging cinder blocks against the wooden floor. _He shouldn't be here_. He should be in bed with Takeyama—but she didn't fucking _want_him. She didn't want him anymore because he failed as a damn boyfriend—

"What happened, man?" Kirishima's worried voice cut off his self-deprecating thoughts. He turned to the friend in question and sighed, throwing his bags to the ground out of frustration.

"Takeyama fucking threw me out. She's moving back to Tokyo and the lease was in her name," he said bitterly. The words were all too heavy against his tongue.

"Kiri? Who was that at the door?" A soft voice called from the back. Dejected, angry red eyes looked up to see his other coworker, Mina, appear from the back. He bit the inside his cheek slightly bitter at the sight. He knew they probably had a thing but now it felt like it was salt in the wounds.

"Omg! Katsuki, you're soaking wet!" The bubble gum pink haired girl exclaimed.

"Yeah...I know," he harshly whispered. Flashes of the angry blonde woman still appeared in his head along said what he felt like were happy memories of them.

"Here, don't think about it anymore. Let's get you fixed up on the couch, okay? Get some sleep we got work in the morning." There was a hand on his back that helped pull him out of his slope of thoughts, but he couldn't help but replay the words of the person he was with for the last four years.

"Right." _Work_. He had to go to work.

Red eyes looked down at his black leather briefcase that was dangled off his shoulder loosely.

. . .

He wanted to leave.

For the first time ever in Bakugou Katsuki's life, he wanted to leave work early because he couldn't fucking focus on any goddamn thing that was placed in front of him.

The tall blonde in question was sitting impatiently at his desk in the police precinct that was right next to the foggy window. It was pouring cats and dogs outside and the sound of the rain did absolutely fucking nothing to help take his mind off of the broken hearted blonde woman. He kept thinking about where he went wrong and where he could possibly have fixed it, to prevent the destructive of the relationship that burned him so sourly.

He took a sharp inhale in and did his best to focus on the files that were in front of him. He had a red pen twirling in his hand and copy of evidence for a recent serial killer case that Police Captain Toshinori had given him directly.

It was extremely important that he figure out where the killer could possibly strike next before more lives were lost and Katsuki was good at problem solving. He always has been. The blonde-haired supervisor that he looked up to so much was counting on him to do this correctly.

At the moment Katsuki was the most successful detective in the Shizuoka area. His marks from the top university in the country, Tokyo University, earned him an accelerate pathway into the force and top recommendations when he started into the academy. At this rate he could be a lieutenant or a sergeant if he kept up the good work but dear fucking _God_it was so hard to do anything at the moment!

Every time he tried to read a sentence he felt the guilt of Takeyama overcome his thoughts. He heard her scream at him how he loved his work too much and Katsuki would be lying to himself if this was the first time the blonde ever said something like this.

She was right. The worst part about all of this is that she was fucking right.

Katsuki had skipped out on dates, forgotten or just didn't care enough to text her back while at work and sometimes he would even sleep at the station if he was up with Mina or Kirishima trying to put together the puzzle pieces on a new case. Or how he would always disappear without a call or text when going undercover on a new case.

He didn't have to...but he did.

Now he lost it all.

He (_ironically_) tried to call the now ex-girlfriend several times and text her to see if they could possibly work things out. However, he soon found he was deleted and blocked from all social media and none of his messages were even answered.

She left him on read.

Every. Fucking. Time.

Too distracted in his own thoughts, Katsuki didn't notice the error he typed up on his laptop pertaining to the case. He had fixed in his head a mist all his racing thoughts where the killer would strike next and typed down the possible location he felt like would be near where the crime would happen next.

He shut down his laptop and for the first time since he arrived in Shizuoka two years ago, left work exactly at 5pm.

. . .

By Friday Katsuki was feeling a little better. Not a lot better...but just a little. Mina, Denki, and Kirishima dragged him out after work on Friday to go to some random ass club with pop music and the ash blonde young adult tried his best to have fun.

He did his best not to scowl at all the women and men who would approach him trying to hit on him because he should be open to a hook up. Nothing better to help fix a broken heart other than getting someone underneath you. But every time a cute guy or cute girl would approach him Katsuki found himself disinterested.

He wasn't as up for it as he thought.

The detective went back to Kirishima's with an empty feeling and did his best to just close his eyes and not listen to anymore suggestions shitty hair threw his way. He would figure out how to cope with this damn broken heart bullshit his own way. Besides, he was sure he would be over it soon. Takeyama was right...their relationship was relatively empty recently.

The last two days without her didn't really feel much different...but that didn't stop it from hurting.

So, he tried his best to suck it up and tell himself it would be over soon. He would just try to focus on his work.

Something he was good at because he was Bakugou fucking Katsuki and if there's anything he was good at it was his work ethic. He _was_a notorious workaholic and perfectionist.

. . .

"This is seriously making me reconsider how high you hold your work standard up to, Bakugou," Toshinori reprimanded him in a dark, stern tone.

"We drove around for _hours_looking for these coordinates until Todoroki pointed out this location doesn't even exist. Did you even cross check what you were putting in? People's lives were at stake! Now we have another ten dead police officers on our hands because you didn't even check to see what you typed in was a real possible address."

The sinking feeling in his check burned. His heart dropped all the way down into the blackest pit of his stomach, setting everything inside of him a flame with shame and guilt.

He was standing with his back straight but his head hanging down low trying his best not to fucking lose it in his commander's office.

"I thought you were better than this. I honestly did. This is...this is _past_disappointing. What you typed in wasn't even close to what the real address was. Todoroki ended up figuring it out after a while on the go and we go there in enough time to arrest the 'Hero Killer' but not enough time to save all those deputies."

"I'm so sorry, sir. My oversight was inexcusable."

"You're damn right it was," the strong man snapped, startling Katsuki in the process. He slapped his hand down on the table with an upset look that the young adult has never seen before. He watched as his superior spoke his next words very precisely and sharp.

"I don't ever—_I mean ever_—want to see something like this happen again. If this does happen again I'm going to genuinely strip you down a rank. From now on I'm going to be keeping a close eye on the work you do because you are clearly slacking. Am I understood?"

Katsuki nodded absently, heavy with remorse. He thought about all those policemen that he failed, all the lives that were lost because of him...all because he was suffering from a goddamn broken _heart_. His mind supplied him the image of a hurt Takeyama and now the ghost visual of ten dead police officers.

He fucked up.

He actually fucked up severely in all aspects of his life and now he took a large loss in both parts. He thought about it bitterly with a sneer on his face and a tightness in his chest.

His fucking emotions got the better of him. In that moment, while he was riding the poisonous wave of self-hatred and doubt, he decided that something like this wouldn't happen again. He wasn't going to lose all these people ever again. He wasn't going to fail Captain Toshinori again.

_No. Not any time soon_. Katsuki said his next words as a vow that would promise to drown him. Whether he knew it or not.

"Understood."

. . .

_4 years later_

"C'mon Katsuki, it's a blind date not the fucking guillotine!" Kirishima groaned out loud to the blonde's office space. The red-haired best friend slammed his hand down on his dark wood desk, his gold engagement ring shining bright.

"I'm not fucking going on a damn date, hair for brains," the angry raspy voice retorted back. The busy body blonde had his nose currently shoved down into a stack of papers with his glasses on. He looked over the dark rims unamused in his white colored decorated shirt. "How many times do I have to tell you and Mina to stop trying to set me up?"

Red eyebrows wiggled at him suggestively and Katsuki groaned before promptly ignoring whatever the fuck was about to come out of the tall sergeant's mouth.

"You can say it all you want but you need to go out on a date or something."

"I went out on a date like four months ago, and you know that," the gruff voice mumbled out, his pen working furiously. A sarcastic blow of air left from his best friend's mouth.

"I hardly call what you did a date, that's called a hook up, Katsuki. Plus, you're twenty-seven now, aren't you tired of doing stuff like that? Don't you want to have kids...and stability?" Red eyes flickered over his friend's engagement ring thoughtfully.

Something inside of him slightly did think about the idea of a partner.

He took a one-night lover every blue moon when he felt his stress pent up too high even for him to control. Not really for any other reason. He was never actually interested in the people he slept with. They were just means to an end and he never let it become a bad habit of sleeping around. Strictly for when his stress was high, not for lust driven reasons.

But...a stable partner sometimes did sound nice since he wasn't really the hook up type deep down.

...then he thought directly back to the last time he had one and how ten people died all because of his mess. The man in glasses quickly sneered to cover up his emotions via his defense mechanism and tossed them behind his well-constructed mask.

"I _do_have stability. And kids are the last thing on my mind. Right now, I'm focused on being your goddamn lieutenant, and last I checked I gave you a case file to read over yet here you are, in my office, fucking around!"

"I'm just saying you need some time to relax for yourself—"

There was a low groan and Katsuki slammed the file he was holding on the table, utterly done with the conversation. "No, I fucking don't! I need time to focus on these damn cases and make sure people are safe and alive!" The blonde male all but yelled at the other.

Pin-dropping silence overcame office room with just the two males. The tall blonde felt himself inwardly wince. He knew he had an issue with lashing out, but it just came out so naturally whenever he was irritated and or annoyed. His ruby eyes wearily looked past Kirishima to his open office door to see several people awkwardly glancing in to see what all the fuss was about...again.

Just then Kirishima sighed and leaned back.

"_That_," the other said in a bored tone with his finger pointed directly at Katsuki's face. "That right there. What you just did. _That_makes me think maybe you need someone to help balance your angry ass out."

"...sorry," he murmured sincerely. He was trying to get better at his outbursts. Really...he was. He was fucking twenty-seven not seventeen anymore. He couldn't keep being a damn hot head all the time like he was in his youth. His mood instantly subdued at the call out of his anger.

"It's cool, no harm no foul man," the other shrugged before taking out his phone. Katsuki eyed the red and black cellular device suspiciously. "But I am just saying...at least give it a try. Wanna at least see the picture?"

There was a moment of silence between the two decorated men. Katsuki rolled his neck and sighed. Obviously, this subject wasn't going to get dropped anytime soon so he might as well fucking roll with it so he could get back to work.

"Sure. Who is it?" He begrudgingly asked.

"One of Mina's cousins. Her name is Mei," Kirishima grinned like a madman. He pulled up a picture of a girl with cherry blossom pink hair and fair skin. Her lips and cheeks were rosy. She was cute. She had a nice body, but...there was something lacking. Like always.

"Pass," Katsuki raised his hand in a dismissive manner and returned his attention to the file in front of him.

The red-haired sergeant gawked at the reaction, mildly offended. "What!? You barely looked at the picture! I didn't even get to tell you her interests!"

"Not everyone is a fan of pink hair like you, Kirishima. Not to say Mina isn't beautiful, but I have a type. I do. And that girl, isn't fucking it."

"You never like anyone I show you! I've shown you guys, and I've shown you girls. I'm starting to think your type doesn't fuckin' exist anymore," the sergeant in blue finally threw his hands up in defeat. "Y'know what? Forget it, man. Can't say I haven't tried."

"Nope. I can actually say the opposite: you tried too damn much. Now, get back to work."

"Will do. But make sure you remember dinner tomorrow, grumpy. We need you go get the charcoal for the grill. Can't start a fire without some charcoal! No being late this time either. I don't wanna have to wait another hour on your workaholic ass to eat like last week."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Make sure to close the door on your way out, dumbass."

And with that his friend left him alone. Red eyes looked up at the door in silence, carefully thinking about what the other just pointed out to him. He looked around his private office space at all the decorated awards, photographs with several mayors, and there was a single photo of him with his colleagues on his desk all gathered around his old '25th' birthday cake.

It felt empty sometimes despite the number of awards that took up all the free space on the white walls.

He stared down at his barren ring hand and then quickly shook his head. _No._He ran a calloused hand through his wild hair to regather himself.

No distractions.

. . .

After work was done, it was officially night time in the beginning of a hot summer in the busy city of Shizuoka. The air had a dewy taste of after rain and there was a light sprinkle of clouds positioned across the dark navy-blue color.

Red eyes watched the sky admirably, as he walked out of the office, overlapping with the night shift people. Like always. He passed the street blue and white signed that read **'Uchimizu Ave.'**that the station was rooted on the corner of. Like always.

He didn't mean to stay late as he did but the case he was currently working on first hand was a triple homicide. They didn't know if it was an isolated incident or another possible serial killer.

He saw the mild hesitation in his captain's face to give it to him despite having redeemed himself the last four years. He worked harder than anyone else to try to regain that trust, which in turn thrusted him quickly into the lieutenant position while everyone in his starting class were sergeants or still detectives.

It hurt his pride a bit. He failed Captain Toshinori and the man was extremely forgiving, but he wasn't one to forget past mistakes for professional reasons.

Captain Toshinori never forgot those ten funerals and neither did Katsuki. They attended each one so that he could understand the weight of his mistakes in full.

And they were heavy as a thousand stones.

So, he paid careful attention to serial murder cases after that. Or anything that could possibly turn into one.

He made his way back to his luxury apartment in downtown Shizuoka city in silence. He put away his glasses that he only used for reading and gripped tightly onto his black leather sling satchel with a heavy mind. He felt a little on edge every time he worked a serial case and usually a drink or two alone helped take off the pressure.

When inside, the male neatly placed his bag on the hook that was position right in the entryway and took off his shoes thoughtfully in the empty apartment.

The apartment itself was on the ninth floor, giving way to a beautiful view of the city and all its colorful lights. He could see the summer fireworks clearly from the windows that mainly composed his living room that was furnished in black leather and light wooden floors.

The exhausted blonde went into his bedroom that was sleek with white sheets, a nightstand a single lamp with a desk that was in the corner directly in front of the window in the room. He changed out of his uniform and put on more comfortable clothes for just going to sit in a bar like his black hoodie, grey t-shirt with a skull on it and black pants.

He grabbed his wallet, cell phone and keys silently and shoved them into his pockets in an orderly fashion before sliding on his white gym shoes.

He headed out thinking about the cases heavy on his mind.

. . .

He got cozy at his usual spot that was called '**Hero's Smash**' which was an upscale-ish bar that had a lot of people coming in and out. Katsuki came here frequently enough though to recognize the business men and women who would idly drop in like regulars.

The establishment had a restaurant section that allowed for people to have a sit-down type of experience if they wanted, or people like a certain stressed out lieutenant who just wanted to sit at the bar and drink alone for a while. The bar counter was a dark wooden surface and there was several flat screen TVs stationed high above the busy bartender's head.

Katsuki watched the news carefully every day, to see if there was any new information or something he could have possibly overlooked. But today, there was nothing novel the news anchors reported. He sighed with an eyeroll and ordered his usual bloody mary.

The bar played a normal pop song in the distance helping with his subdued state of mind.

As he was in his thoughts about the case he looked every now and then to see people walk in and out. It was always the same people, or same type of people. Business people in their after-work clothes, women out with their friends socializing or a family with a kid. People always came in here in pairs or there was the occasional person alone. Like him.

However, after about twenty minutes, in walked someone that looked...different. And he walked in alone.

Giant, innocent green doe eyes glanced around as if he was lost or waiting to be found by someone the second he stepped his red sneaker through the door. The warm breeze of summer and heavy flowery like cologne followed him in. The mixture in the wind carefully graced Katsuki's face and sent a prickle down into his senses.

Quickly the workaholic found himself locked in a peculiar trance studying the young male he's never seen before. Ruby eyes noted the wild messy yet put together head of unruly green curls that perfectly matched his spring colored eyes. He took in the freckles that were spilled onto his face so carefree like stars across the night sky.

The mystery male continued to walk inside the establishment and in that moment, he turned his eyes ever so slightly to meet with Katsuki's. A shot of fire flickered in those eyes dangerously and Katsuki felt himself stir in an unfamiliar manner as the innocence quickly left the other.

The greenette held his eye contact with an unreadable expression as he walked to the other side of the bar and in that moment Katsuki noticed his outfit.

Which was _not_what normal fucking people wore to Hero's Smash.

The young male was wearing a tight white shirt with a navy-blue colored bomber jacket thrown over. The jacket itself was decorated with a giant red rose and petals on the back. Vines branched out from the center and in black kanji '**Fire Rose**' was written down the back of the left sleeve. It also had leather running down the sleeves like race stripes and the greenette was wearing the tightest fucking pair of black ripped jeans Katsuki has ever seen in his damn life.

And his ass and thighs were fucking _stacked_.

Katsuki's mouth watered.

_My type._This guy was _definitely_his fucking type he thought to himself privately as he allowed himself to indulge in staring at the pure muscular thickness of the stranger's legs. He could feel rare green colored eyes watching him do so and when he trailed back up to the beautiful delicate face he saw something close to hunger flare across the young man's features as he studied him right back.

Those innocent yet fucking _not _emerald irises eyed his biceps along with his hard chest and red eyes watched the other bite his rosy colored lip.

...and that was enough to snap Katsuki out of it when he realized what he was doing.

He grabbed his drink and forcefully brought his eyes back forward, breaking himself momentarily from the spell. But curiosity scratched like an annoying cat and his eyes couldn't help but wonder back to the other side of the bar where the guy was now graciously leaned over the counter talking to the brunette bartender.

At this side angle, the blonde could see every fucking sinful curve and tuck the pants left to be seen and _Jesus fucking Christ_it was the most distracting thing he's ever witnessed. He watched how the short male either seemingly knew or didn't know as he shimmed his hips a little, letting his white shirt ride up enough to expose a pale freckled lower back.

He took one long look before urgently ripping his eyes away from the sight.

_No_.

_Whoever the fuck that guy is, he is obviously trouble_. He thought to himself, trying to rationalize his thoughts. He heard a light laughter come from the other side of the bar as the bartender tried to tell a joke to the beautiful male. He groaned inwardly.

Of course, fucking sex on legs would walk right in the moment Katsuki just needed a moment to himself. But the thought threw him off balance for a second. He hadn't found himself this attracted to someone...in a long time.

Which was only more reason to stay the hell away from whatever fucking witchcraft the fucker was pulling with his rosy lips, perfect ass, cute curls and soft voice. He didn't fucking need that type of shit in his life. Nope. He absolutely did not. He liked control. He liked easy things and he didn't like a headache. So, whoever that green irritation was over on the other end of the bar was none of his business.

That guy screamed headache.

After another five minutes passed and the busy police lieutenant finally was able to rid himself of green-like thoughts and get half way to finishing off his drink. He hadn't stolen another look at the guy who he could tell was looking at him occasionally and he was ready to get the fuck out of here before something weird happened.

Unfortunately, he didn't leave fast enough. Soon that a goddamn good smelling, cute, small frame was positioned right by his side, leaned in next to him using the bar counter as support for his arm and held his body in an obvious flirtatious manner.

Katsuki groaned to himself.

_God must fucking be testing me._

"Hey, there handsome," the soft voice of the greenette called to him. "I really like your shirt." Katsuki snorted at the lame pick up line and cut his eye non-too-friendly towards the male who was obviously younger than him.

"Not interested, kid. You got the wrong idea," he grumbled and took another sip of his drink trying to hurry up and finish it, so he could walk home.

"Not a kid. And I think I do have the right idea though." A small innocent smile graced his face and it nearly infuriated the blonde. How did he fucking do that? Keep that fucking naive ass air to him yet say and do...anything _but_naive.

"What brings you here?" The younger male prodded while leaning in more and Katsuki felt himself automatically go on edge and in defensive mode. He didn't fucking want this—or at least that's what he was telling himself when he felt something coil in his stomach.

"Tryin' to catch a wave of peace. Now, fuck off. You're ruining my night for me," he spat out unkindly.

"Ouch, you have some bite to you," the other chuckled before raising his eyebrows suggestively. "I think I like it. Do you like to bite in bed too?"

If Katsuki was anybody else, he would've choked on his spit at the out-rightness of the statement. This was fucking _Japan_. People don't just say shit like that to each other.

"You're trying really hard you know that? Desperation isn't a cute look."

"Neither is stuck up asshole," the tiny voice quipped at him without missing a beat. Red eyes narrowed dangerously at him. "But I'm always willing to make an exception."

And there it was again. That innocent yet dirty look.

Katsuki sneered at him and took another long swing of his red drink. "Do you usually just go around bar to bar just looking for a dick to hop on?"

"Maybe. Do you usually go around bar to bar staring at a guy's ass to the point he can feel you basically eye fucking him?" A smile graced those freckled facial features and a singular arched green eyebrow rose when Katsuki said nothing back. It wasn't like the other...wrong. "I watched you. For a whole fifteen minutes stare directly at my ass. Excuse me if I got the wrong drift of what you wanted."

He took another long sip, trying to finish up this conversation. "Well, I'm clearing it up for you now. I'm not interested in you like that, so go search somewhere else to find your fuck for the night."

"...fair," the curly haired on sighed and then leaned back. Katsuki felt himself relieved by the space because the tightness in his stomach felt like it was going to snap at any mome—"Let me buy you a drink first before I do so."

Katsuki rounded on the other with a pissed off groan. "What the hell did I _just_say you stubborn motherfuc—"

"Relax!" The greenette laughed and put his hands up in a defensive manner. "I'm not buying you one for that reason. Just buying one for your obvious broken heart," Katsuki's face dropped at the comment, completely caught off guard. Green eyes blinked at the sudden pause. "What? Did I hit the nail on the head?"

"I'm going to need you to piss off right now," he hissed lowly and turned back around. He tried to ignore the weird feeling that just settled in his chest. It felt...unusual. He eyed the smaller male next to him in confusion at the sudden switch.

"I guess I did," the delicate voice murmured. Tiny hands reached in the bomber jacket and pulled out cash to give to the bartender and waved to refill the tall blonde's drink. That innocent smile returned back to him with a fair amount of personal space between them now. The bartender handed the short male a glass full of the red liquid and the short male just slid it over to him in a friendly manner.

"Here you go. On me, no questions asked. I'm sorry for whoever broke your heart. No one really deserves to go through heartbreak, y'know? Especially someone with such a nice scowl and pretty eyes like you." A cheeky grin found its way on the cute face and Katsuki found himself confused. Angry, and irritated...but confused as well.

"What, so now you've switched from trying to fuck me to trying to be my therapist?" He asked without saying thank you to the other. He took the free drink because why the fuck not? He was stressed, and this guy wasn't helping anything.

"Nope. Still very much trying to fuck you, but my prospect of it feels low. So, I'm just chatting now." Katsuki groaned out loud and turned around again. "How are my chances looking at the moment?"

"Absolutely not a single goddamn one."

"Sounds good, I can live with that." There was a thick moment of silence as Katsuki drank down the second drink and found himself wondering why he hadn't just left yet. He watched out of the corner of his eye as the curly greenette ordered himself a screwdriver.

"...What was their name?"

Katsuki blinked several times at the shorter one. "Who?"

"The person who broke your heart," the youngest male said while tilting his head to the side. "Everyone has one."

"Why in the living hell would I tell you that at all?"

"I dunno, I'm curious. Just humor me for a while, I like deep conversations." He watched as those rosy lips drink down the orange liquid and then licked up residue taste, making them shine in the yellow bar light. "You'll never have to see me after this so think of it as a free therapy session or something. C'mon, live a little."

"If I say a name will you fuck off?" He said with little resolve. Part of him wanted his conversation to be done, but the other half...the other half wanted something he no longer allowed himself.

"Yeah, I promise. I'll fuck right off to find someone who will _actually_fuck the shit out me against the wall the way I want tonight."

Instantly, a visual of the greenette moaning against the wall getting fucked by some phantom man expanded across his thoughts.

Katsuki almost dropped his goddamn glass straight to the fucking ground at the lewd sounds his mind suddenly made up and now associated with the smaller male. The male, who definitely, made it extremely fucking crystal clear he came here looking for rough sex.

And he waltzed straight up to Katsuki for it.

The warm tightness in his belly felt like it was a millimeter away from snapping and quickly Katsuki decided that this conversation needed to be over with. So, he gave the sinful damn nymph of a man what he wanted to hear.

"...her name was Takeyama," he stated barely above a whisper.

"Ah, that's a pretty name. I can tell that she probably was beautiful with that type of name. No wonder you're over here with the world's worst attitude."

"I'm not fucking hung up on her," he quickly corrected without looking to the other. He thought back to that terrible month and something inside of him sung lowly and vulnerably. "That's not the problem, me and her are way in the past but...that's the start of the issue I guess. My stupid ass broken heart caused a lot of trouble and now I can't reverse the damage it's done."

He finally turned to the side to see a sad look on the other young adult's face. The shimmering emerald eyes studied him in what felt like a new light and Katsuki shifted uncomfortably in his seat. _Why the fuck did I say all of that to him?_He angrily reprimanded himself. Finally, the silence broke when the greenette twirled his drink in his hand and stared down in a dejected manner at the swirling alcohol.

"...hearts are...complicated things...they always make a mess."

"Yeah, no fuckin' kidding," Katsuki stated thinking bitterly about the ten bodies hanging over his head. He took another sip of his drink and enjoyed the sudden silence that swiftly shifted between them. He watched as those eyes didn't lift back up and seemingly drifted off to a faraway place.

Or a faraway memory.

In that moment, Katsuki noticed the white bandage that were covering half of the other's left hand and felt himself curious about the mysterious injury.

"Y'know, it always perplexed me," the gentle voice said so softly that Katsuki almost didn't hear. "How much love consumes and destroys us before we even recognize what's happening. And, unfortunately, by the time we do notice...we've already been incinerated down to ashes by the havoc it's caused."

Ash blonde eyebrows instantly knitted, and he felt his heart squeeze tightly. He stared at the somber figure in front of him in utter silence as the words cut deeply into his memory. The meaning of them burned into his skin and he found himself...speechless.

He was completely taken back by the level of depth that was just shown to him and it almost felt like the other had unwillingly reached down in him to find the exact words on how he felt about love.

An intense moment of silence followed and Katsuki felt his heart continue to clutch to the point he didn't recognize how hard he was looking at the other until those green eyes finally turned back to him, quickly masking whatever the fuck he just let slip out.

"Sorry, that got way too deep for a preppy bar on a Friday night playing nonstop pop music," the light angelic voice muffled with a little laughter.

But Katsuki wasn't fooled. He knew a defense mechanism when he saw one—he was the king of them. But he went along with it and found his thoughts completely hijacked by the man in front of him.

"Do you write poetry or some shit?"

"Hah. Sometimes, why? Would you like for me to read a couple of my own broken-hearted stances for you?" Katsuki gave the man a sad look. "I got a book full of all the times I've been sad basically. If you're into the sad artsy types, then you've hit the jackpot with me."

"You're strange," was all the tallest could say as he studied the person in front of him. Something inside of his heart shifted. He felt those words that were spoken earlier wrapped around his chest like a rope and pulled him down towards the other subconsciously.

"...so I've been told," the greenette whispered before locking eyes with the tall blonde. There was a deep emotion in the emerald eyes that wasn't there earlier and Katsuki felt his heart palpitate at the intense contact.

Slowly, those sinful pink lips leaned in close to his against the bar countertop. He felt himself stiffen, completely frozen as the hypnotizing man almost closed the distance.

Piercing red eyes kept his sights on studying how near those freckles were, how prettily unique they each looked up close. He studied how long, dark elegant eyelash fluttered until there was a half-gazed look of something that made Katsuki's heart race. He memorizes the tiny different shades of green in those speckled emerald eyes and licked his lips without him knowing until those same eyes flickered down to his mouth.

"What are my chances like now?" The soft voice whispered in a sultry voice that should have been fucking _illegal_. An electric wave of heat shot straight down into Katsuki's lower belly when the warm breath of the other ghosted of his mouth.

He found himself utterly frozen looking down at the green haired personification of fucking in disbelief.

When the moment went to a beat too long, the fascinating male leaned back with a sigh. The spell was broken instantly but it didn't stop the lieutenant's heart from racing a mile per minute.

"I guess still zero, huh?" The greenette gave a disappointed look and scratched behind his head. "Well. It was nice chatting with you. I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive yourself one day for whatever happened."

The greenette then gave a soft wave and an innocent smile. The blonde watched as he turned on his heels to walk to the other far side of the bar. Suddenly, Katsuki found himself itching to chase the close feeling of body warmth and the cute little ass that was swaying right out of his life.

Who the fuck _was_this guy?

Why the hell was he so bold and why did he make the lieutenant's heart squeeze so tightly? A feeling he hasn't felt in nearly four goddamn years.

Red eyes watched from his seat at the bar the rest of the night, idly trying to pay attention to the TV but found his eyes kept wandering back over to the unidentified guy in red sneakers and skin-tight jeans.

He stared. He stared _really_fucking hard—harder than he was earlier.

The tall blonde felt something inside of him want to start to stand up and go over there and tell him yeah, his chances were looking real fucking good now.

His palms itched as he thought about those words spoken to him over and over again. He didn't know why, but there was something about the sheer boldness mixed with honesty that got him completely fucking hard and interested in that headache of a man.

He hadn't wanted to fuck someone this bad since college.

Katsuki filled in the blank in his mind. He saw himself pushing inside that tight body and fucking him roughly against whatever damn wall his little pushy ass wanted. He felt himself almost growl at the prospect of destroying that perfectly perky backside without mercy at a brutal pace and fucking such a beautifully smart-ass mouth senseless.

The vision of those wet cherry colored lips flickered in his mind sealing the deal. But as soon the courage in his body built up to stand, another guy walked up the short mystery male.

He watched irritated how terribly the other male flirted with him and how lustful of a look he flashed the green haired beauty. Ash blonde eyebrows furrowed at the sight and it surprised him even more how damn _easy_the strange guy seemed to receive it as if anyone would fucking do. Katsuki gritted his teeth at this goddamn extra trying to shoot his shot with someone who was clearly out of his league.

Katsuki knew whatever his fucking name was wanted to be handled. He wanted to be tossed around and have his brains fucked out until daybreak for whatever damn reason. And that scrawny ass man talking to him right now—wasn't going to cut it. He wasn't going to give him what he needed.

However, Katsuki could. Katsuki _knew_he could. He could fuck him fast and hard just the way he wanted for however goddamn long, keeping him screaming in pleasure.

But the weight of his emotional baggage kept him rooted in his barstool.

He wasn't really he hook up type but seeing this poorly executed flirting happen was driving up a damn wall. It almost felt like an injustice.

The possibly-poet didn't even spare him a second glance, yet here Katsuki was, the most decorated and successful man of his rank in the city...fucking _fuming_over him.

Katsuki didn't notice how he slightly clutched his drink in his hand when the extra whispered into those perfect green curls.

He watched the two leave together with an inkling of jealousy he would never in his damn life admit to feeling.

. . .

The following weekend Katsuki had an all too vivid wet dream of the nameless man who walked out the bar without him. He cursed to himself when he realized that the asshole didn't get into his pants but instead somehow worked his way into his goddamn brain. Something Katsuki has been avoiding having someone do for ages.

But whatever. Like that guy said, he never had to see him again so why the fuck did he care? This city was huge and there was close to a zero percent chance he would ever see the greenette actively looking for a rough fuck ever again in his life.

But...why did he keep seeing those bright green eyes? He's never in his life seen someone with eyes so damn beautiful and in that shade.

It was downright irritating.

When Monday came, he arrived to work early. Captain Toshinori had sent out an email to the entire day-shift Uchimizu Ave. precinct officers saying that he had important news.

"What do you think the news is?" Mina asked as they all gathered around outside in the common office space in the build.

"I dunno, but I secretly hope it's like food or something," Kirishima mumbled with his hands in his uniform pockets. "Gettin' real tired of the fact we only have shitty coffee around here."

"It probably is some type of case," Katsuki interjected. "He hasn't called a meeting this big since that one serial killer called 'Hero killer', Stain." He thought back to how serious the Captain and been and then back to how he fucked up the whole mission.

"Bakugou is probably correct," a new cool voice entered and leaned against the desk with a white mug in his hand. "It's going to a case probably." Katsuki felt himself bristle at the voice. It was sergeant Todoroki and admittedly Katsuki didn't fucking like the smug half and half bastard. He also didn't like the fact that it was him to figure out and fix his mistake four years ago.

It could have been literally anyone fucking else, but it had to be the fucking son of a famous Chief of Police in Shizuoka. Someone who did absolutely everything right and has had everything handed to him in life unlike Katsuki.

The blonde male just scowled at him and turned his attention forward when Captain Toshinori came out of his office and cleared his voice.

"I have a very important announcement to make," the loud voice boomed instantly making everyone's conversation die off.

"We have a new young detective joining us today. He's a transfer from another precinct and I wanted to make it a point that everyone treats him kindly and fairly. He's an important extension of myself because we're from the same home town, so I just wanted to give a proud welcome!"

In that moment Captain Toshinori stepped to the side and Katsuki felt his heart drop to the fucking ground.

Out walked goddamn sex on legs from Friday night looking absolutely perfectly professional and innocent in a plain light blue button up. A shiny Shizuoka Police badge dangled perfectly from around his pale neck by a black string and his pants were still too fucking tight for his legs.

A small cute smile graced those freckled features and green eyes scanned over the large crowd with a gentle shy wave until they stopped on him.

Simultaneously both hearts stopped, and a warning flame sparked between them both at the realization.

"This is Midoriya Izuku. He'll be joining our team! I can't wait to see what wonderful things will come of this year with him on board."

_Fucking A._

* * *

**Notes**:

^_^ lemme know what you think! I love comments/reviews.

This will take off in full swing once _'Kacchan'_ is finished. There's currently only three more chapters of that one left and I'll immediately hop right into writing this one after I wrap up all that needs to be done. Super stoked for this plot because its more a mystery and still has suspense elements that I love.

Thanks for reading~


	2. Gasoline

Stolen from _Treecko360_ (You're hilarious and funny!)

**Izuku: [SEX ON LEGS HAS ENTERED THE CHAT]  
Katsuki: [BIG DICK ENERGY HAS ENTERED THE CHAT]**

Hello all! :) I've been sitting on this for a while and now I'm excited to finally get this ball rolling! :) it's a bit slow in the start, but once it hits...you'll know it. Goes from 0 to 100. Buckle up.

Alrighty, not much else to say but enjoy reading!

* * *

**Chapter 2 - Gasoline **

.

.

.

Red and green eyes quickly became twins tied together by all of the following emotions: absolute shock, a fairly hard to ignore rising heat, but above all, downright disbelief.

Out of all the fucking people in the world, the _one_ person Katsuki had a wet dream about this past weekend was standing in front of him, in his precinct. On top of that, the greenette was being talked about by his commanding officer as if he was a goddamn national treasure.

"Izuku, I'll show you around the entire building directly after this and we'll set you up at the empty desk in the corner," The blonde man beamed and Izuku finally shifted his eyes away from Katsuki with a deep blush across his cheeks. "I can't describe how great it is that you transferred over!"

"Hah, I-I'm so happy to have t-transferred in as well! So nice to meet everyone." The large hand from the canary blonde man patted the young adult's back hard with excitement. Red eyes watched carefully as the new detective blushed and scratched his head, looking down to his black dress shoes.

Katsuki couldn't help but grind his teeth together some more and felt his eyebrow twitch.

_Just fucking great_.

He knew exactly which desk Captain Toshinori was referring to and it was stationed directly in front of his office window—a window Katsuki preferred to keep open so he could make sure all his subordinates weren't slacking off (i.e Kaminari and Kirishima). But now, it was going to be filled with beaut—er...green curls.

_Non-beautiful_ green curls.

"I hope that you can call everyone here at the Uchimizu Ave precinct a family away from home in a couple of months. We tend to just shorten ourselves to 'UA' to keep it short." Everyone smiled and welcomed the newcomer with wide grins and small smiles. "Let me show you the rest of the people working around the building, especially tech support. They're good people to be friends with!"

"Okay, that sounds good. Thank you so much Captain," the gentle voice replied back. It felt foreign to Katsuki to not hear the dangerous amount of sex dripping off of it that he experienced less than a couple days ago. The greenette bowed politely before saying goodbye and allowed himself to be led out elsewhere.

Scarlet eyes trialed from behind him and the blonde bit the inside of his cheek, still completely astonished by the run in that just happened.

As he was staring a little too hard behind a certain detective, particularly assessing how _way_ too tight his pants were for him, his red-haired companion carefully assessed how much unspoken attention was exchanged between the two. He knew his hot heated friend well enough to know that Katsuki didn't give that much attention to assessing new comers, the blonde was always too busy worried about getting back to work than to be bothered with 'extras'. Which meant by some damn miracle—he was interested in the new guy _somewhat_.

Kirishima grinned wide to himself at the realization and Todoroki quirked his eyebrow at the unusual atmosphere.

. . .

Katsuki was beyond relieved when the rest of his day went by as normal without any incidents and green hair was completely out of sight.

He focused on his paperwork, ignoring the new additional officer that was stationed at the desk setting up his stuff. Katsuki easily closed his blinds to keep himself from being distracted. He hadn't been derailed in over four years and he wasn't fucking starting now.

When midday rolled around, and he was looking over small crimes in the area, the ash blonde decided to get coffee to go along with trying to figure out an undercover issue that one of their captains was currently stuck on. He shifted through the file and took note of all the details.

It was a sensitive case one of their best from the UA precinct was working on, Aizawa Shoto. He had volunteered saying that it was something he felt the need to handle and no one questioned his motives because he was a downright badass when need be. Captain Toshinori had given him the nickname 'Easerhead' because he was able to clean up crime without fail...but he hadn't come back from this one yet in the timeline he has specified.

Which made both Katsuki and Captain Toshinori worry slightly.

The ash blonde dressed in a decorative white shirt kept his glasses on and his nose shoved deeply in the manila folder stuffed tightly with paper. He walked without looking up, letting his muscle memory guided him straight to the coffee machine in the break room.

He looked up over his glasses to grab his mug only to see a bright amount of green on tippy toes trying to reach the mugs on the wooden shelf.

His eyes trialed over the backside that was—_yet again_—in his damn line of vision and groaned inwardly.

This was going to be harder than fucking he thought to avoid and maybe they should address the issue in the room, so he can continue on with his damn life.

That's why a sensible adult would do, right? Right.

His mind instantly wondered back to the Friday night at the bar and the image of the wet pink lips that were so close to being on his. Then he thought about the dangerous heat that seared like a flame in his lower stomach as he thought about the tight ass that was currently wiggling in front of him trying his damn best to get that blue mug.

Without thinking, or really knowing why, the workaholic lieutenant reached up easily and pulled down the mug for the other and Izuku's head whipped to the side at him with a bright smile.

"Ah! thank you so m—_o-oh_." The airy voice died off and Katsuki knitted his eyebrows together in confusion at the sudden frown in freckled face. Those green eyes shifted nervously away from him and the new employee visibly stiffened at his presence.

And for reasons he was never going to admit out loud, that irritated Katsuki instantly.

"Oh? What do you mean, oh? I can easily put this back up on the shelf if you don't fuckin' want it," he hissed with his defense mechanism kicking in full swing. His eyes bored down into the smaller male who quickly turned apologetic and lifted up his hands and bowed.

"I-I didn't m-mean it like that, sir!" _Sir_. The authority reference fell into the air and Katsuki was instantly reminded exactly what type of relationship they had.

"J-Just was caught off guard." The greenette's head slowly lifted up to peak weary emerald eyes from underneath the long black eyelashes. There was a clear look of uncomfortableness written across his features.

There was also a stutter that Katsuki was _damn_ sure wasn't present the night of the bar.

"...whatever, just take the mug. You're acting weird." Katsuki grumbled and turned his head away when the other's hands came up to grab the mug. He didn't look back down at green eyes as he grabbed his own personal mug that was bright orange with big black custom text slapped across the front:

'**DON'T TOUCH MY F****** COFFEE MUG'**

The mug itself was a gift from Mina after a particular incident at the UA precinct when Katsuki absolutely needed coffee in that moment but all the mugs were grossly dirtied up in the sink.

Needless to say, hell has no fury like an angry blonde caffeine dependent workaholic who was insanely sleep deprived.

Now not a single soul touches his coffee mug.

The awkwardly acquainted detective and lieutenant prepared their coffee at the station side by side in complete silence while both of their thoughts raced along the same lines.

One was thinking about calling out the newbie for his reckless behavior on Friday and trying to actively fuck him while said new comer was drowning in complete regret from almost fucking his new superior.

They spoke at the same time.

"About Friday—" "I'm so sorry for hitting on you!"

Their voices clashed into the empty break room and red eyes widened when Izuku took a full step back and bowed all the way at the waist continuing muttering his apology.

"I am absolutely so so sorry about how strongly I came off on Friday and it was completely inappropriate behavior of me, especially for someone in my job position and I promise you that I won't ever display that type of behavior towards you ever again just please don't tell anyone, gomenasai! Please don't tell the Captain! It will never happen again!"

Katsuki blinked once. Then he blinked again.

Never in all his twenty-seven years of living has he _ever_ heard any goddam body talk that fucking fast. The male in front of him stayed bowed and Katsuki gave a wince in his face at the intense level of awkwardness that was suffocating in the room. He awkwardly glanced around and saw a couple of extra employees look through the window at the two and he felt himself groan to himself again.

This was downright the most awkward possible situation.

His mind replayed all the words that were spoken, and he found himself relieved that the green haired idiot had enough sense to apologize for his actions and maintain his professionalism.

However, there was a certain sentence tacked to the end of the long string of apology that off set Katsuki ever so slightly.

But he ignored the mild irritation mixed with vague disappointment clawing in the back of his brain from it.

When too much of a pause went by Izuku lifted his head up with a pained expression, worried that he had somehow screwed his first day at work.

Those begging sorry green eyes looked up at Katsuki and the blonde bit the inside of his cheek and looked away when his heart involuntarily sped up. He felt himself become slightly weak and decided to get this shit over with.

"Consider it forgotten, Midoriya. But don't go around doing shit like that again—you have to keep a low profile as a damn officer so just inviting any goddamn body in your bed it absolutely fuckin' ridiculous," the deep voice reprimanded with a tight grip on his coffee.

Too busy turned away he missed the hurt look that briefly flashed across the younger male's face. It was immediately tucked away and Izuku unbent his waist to grab his blue mug of dark liquid. A serious look took control over the once sorry expression.

"Understood but, I'm sorry, with all due respect...my bedroom matters shouldn't be any concern," the voice was soft and non-challenging, but the words were still offended. Katsuki then turned back and looked Izuku in the face with a mild frown.

"They are of concern when you tried to get into my pants?" He replied back like it was a fact and turned away to pour more sugar in his mug. "Look let's just not discuss that. But I'm serious about what I said. You need to reassess that if you're going to take your career seriously. It's not a good look."

"Yes, of course. I understand. Thank you for excusing the _tacky_ behavior."

A blonde eyebrow quirked at the mild tone of resentment in the other's voice. He turned to check if the face matched the slight snarkiness in the vocal cords only to find himself watching the greenette retreat away from him.

There was a visible amount of tenseness in the shoulders that Katsuki wasn't sure was present before and it stuck in his brain for some reason. He couldn't tell if it was something he said, the interaction in general, or if the other was just embarrassed about trying to get into his pants and now having to apologize for it on his first day of work.

Quickly, Katsuki shook his head and rip his gaze off the other.

_Stop fucking thinking about him._ He scolded himself and worked his jaw. He turned his attention back to the thick folder in his hands, it dawned upon him that he had almost forgotten it was there. The realization made him frown.

He 'tch'd to himself.

_I was right. _

_Absolutely a goddamn headache_.

. . .

"Lieutenant Bakugou, Captain Toshinori wants to speak with you! He said to come upstairs and meet him in his office." The bubble brown haired secretary said with a smile. Her large brown eyes peeked into the office space, instantly pulling Katsuki out of his thoughts.

"Thanks, Uraraka," he replied back setting down the folder in his hand. "Tell him I'll be right up in a second." She nodded sweetly at him as an affirmative and went back to her desk across the other side of the floor. The blonde got up from his desk and placed his wire rimmed glasses into his white shirt pocket.

He walked out of the office to see Kaminari and Kirishima laughing and talking to themselves by their desks. The two were looking something up on the computer (he prayed to _God_ that it was something fucking pertaining to their assignments and not any more goddamn memes that they were going to spam his phone with). Mina, Yaoyorozu, and Iida were all deeply engrossed in their work, as usual. The half and half bastard was probably off somewhere on an assignment.

But when red eyes scanned a little bit longer he noticed there was a lack of new green hair. He tried his best not to think about it more than he should. The new recruit was probably off somewhere else getting everything together. It was his first day of work. There was a lot to straighten out. So, no need to think about it.

However, his thoughts kept circling around as he made his way upstairs to his superior's office.

Katsuki was trying his damn _best_ not to let the awkward tension between him and Midoriya get to him. It was thick and suffocating like thick grey smoke, but it shouldn't fucking matter.

Who fucking cared that sex on legs was working with him? Who cares that his pants were at least two sizes too small and that he walked away clearly irritated at him? There was a twinge of guilt as Katsuki rethought what he had said to him. It was slightly rude...but he quickly snapped away his thoughts.

_Nope. _Not Bakugou fucking Katsuki. He didn't care. He refused to acknowledge such an absurd thing. If the small fry was that irritated over a true statement, then he could go to hell.

This would all pass by in a couple of days anyways, it's not like they were working closely together. Midoriya would probably be pawned off on someone like Yaoyorozu, Iida or half and half who were the head sergeants and detectives in the UA precinct. They would train him properly and the newbie would be out of his sight.

Katsuki could forget this easily and go back to do what he did best: focus on saving the lives of people who needed him.

He arrived at a wooden door two flights up from his own office on the 7th floor and heard the cheerfully optimistic voice of his idol on the other side. Katsuki raised a fist to knock on the door before the man on the other side yelled 'come in'.

The blonde walked in, looking around at all the various photos, trophies and decorative medallions the captain had accumulated over the years. Red eyes looked upon in admiration.

He loved this.

Toshinori was easily given the nickname 'Symbol of Peace' for being cheerful, professional, and keeping crime rates down low. It was always Katsuki's dream to be like him ever since he realized he wanted to join the force. It was one of the main reasons he insisted on moving here to Shizuoka City, so he could study under the man and get away from everything about Tokyo that he disliked. Which was a lot.

"Ah, young Bakugou! There you are!" The loud voice boomed, and his grin was bright and happy. "Do you know why I called you up here today?"

"No, sir." Katsuki shook his head and put a small polite smile ever so slightly on his face.

"Please, take a seat! Get comfortable." A large hand gestured to the comfy blue chair in front of the wooden desk that was littered with framed photographs and a golden name tag. Katsuki nodded and sat down like he was told, sinking into the plush as the man in front of him spoke his next words.

"Now...as you know, you are truly one of my favorite officers in the UA precinct. It really means a lot to me to have you on board and I trust you with just about anything."

The workaholic felt his ears twitch at the praise and his heart slightly floated up. He hadn't received a direct complement like this from the other blonde in such a long period of time.

But it didn't go unmissed the careful use of 'just' in the sentence.

"Thank you so much, captain. That really means a lot."

"It's no problem at all! I think your hard work and fierce dedication to the job is completely unmatched. I don't know anyone who is as diligent as you are, especially over the last four years you have absolutely floored me."

Katsuki felt himself swelling with happiness at the praise. _Fucking finally_. He was being recognized for his efforts—

"—Which is why I want you to train Midoriya!"

His train of thought jerked to an immediate stop.

"_What_?" He blinked hard and straightened his back out at the request. There has to be a mistake. Whatever fucking deity up there couldn't hate him _this_ damn much? Right? Right. No. Absolutely _no_ fucking way.

"I said I want you to train Midoriya! I think it'll be a perfect match up." Dark blonde eyebrows furrowed together and Katsuki cleared his throat feeling awkward about the downright happy expression his hero was wearing across his face.

Clearly Toshinori thought this was a damn fabulous idea but he didn't know. He wasn't aware that just last Friday, him and that green nuisance were _both_ very much thinking of fucking like rabbits. Being around that goddamn..._man_ couldn't end well.

"Why me? Why not one of the sergeants? I have enough on my plate, I can't be worried about a rookie...with all due respect."

At this the police captain leaned back in his chair and thoughtfully placed his pointer finger on his chin.

"Well, I had initially asked Kirishima, but he actually insisted that you would like to train Midoriya and that he would get the best possible training underneath someone like yourself who flew through the ranks so quickly! And after talking with him I totally agree."

One could hear a pin drop in the silence that followed that statement.

Slowly, all of Katsuki's anger simmered underneath his skin. He could clearly see in his head hair for brains doing this as another attempt to set him up. A picture of the red hair giving him a thumbs up and a teasing grin flashed clearly.

"...that...damn..._idiot_," Katsuki growled beneath his breath and he tightened his fists in his lap.

"What was that, Bakugou?"

"Nothing, sir." He quickly snapped out of this slow growing anger to re-center himself. He opened his mouth once before closing it. He never in his life disagreed with anything this man said but this was a special case. A case that was the future on whether or not Katsuki's goddamn head was going to explode. So, he swallowed his admiration to speak up.

"I have to say with full respect that I don't fully agree with your stance on this. I think someone with a little bit more free time would be best to train Midoriya."

At that Toshinori visibly frowned.

"Are you questioning my choices?"

"No, sir. I just think—"

"—I heard what you think, Bakugou. Now, I am telling you what is going to happen. I'm sorry, but after giving this some real thought I really do think this is the best route of action." The older man frowned deeper and squinted his eyes slightly at Katsuki. The youngest blonde felt his heart slightly sink at the sudden disappointed look.

_Fuck_.

"I want Midoriya to get the top training and become the best officer he can be. Who best else to get that from other than you?"

Katsuki said nothing more.

He found himself caught between not wanting to be around that man that just waltz straight up to him and hi-jacked his thoughts and his deep seeded complex to please Toshinori.

As the silence trailed on the superior officer did a once over Katsuki's fuming figure when he could sense the twenty-seven-year-old was locked in his thoughts.

"Is that going to be a problem?"

The hardness in the words instantly snapped Katsuki out of his conflict. He couldn't disappoint the captain again—not after finally getting the praise he's been striving for from him after four damn years.

"No. No it isn't, captain. I completely understand where you're coming from and I thank you for thinking so highly of me."

"Wonderful! I'm glad we're on the same page." That award-winning smile was back on the table and Katsuki took a deep breath in letting the reality of everything sink in.

This was a nightmare.

"I really do mean it when I think it's a good match up. Midoriya means a lot to me so please, from here on out he's your responsibility. Make sure everything goes smoothly in his time here...okay?"

There was a pause at the end of the request that made red eyes look carefully onto the other's face in slight confusion. The blue eyes held a heavy hint of seriousness and it made Katsuki falter.

The look put him off, but it wasn't a new look. He's seen the look plenty of times.

It...almost felt like the man was speaking about the greenette like a case versus a new recruit.

He thought back briefly to when they brought Ojiro on board two years ago, and it didn't feel like much of a big deal. Toshinori had just sent out an email and assigned Kaminari to take care of training him. But the longer the red eyes studied the man in front of him the more he felt the silent unspoken plea that was floating in the air.

The lieutenant wondered what exactly was Midoriya's relationship to Toshinori.

Because of this, he took the task bestowed upon him with a little bit more of a serious attitude. He was going to do what was asked of him...was he going to like it? Probably not. But what the fuck can be done at this point.

"Yes of course. I'll do my best to make sure he's taken care of."

Katsuki watched as the shoulders of the man he adored eased ever so slightly and the young officer felt himself almost frown. But he kept his emotions locked tight underneath his mask.

The bright grin was back on the superior's mouth as they both stood up to shake hands.

"Ah, wonderful! Thank you, this is fantastic! So many good things happening today! I'll give you his file and you can look over it." His hand was cusped in between both large hands in a thankful handshake and Katsuki just smiled back hiding the fact that he was thinking about ringing a certain best friend's neck.

When he left out of the office, he heard the door click closed behind him. Katsuki stood there briefly and green curls flashed inside of his head. Then he thought about the undertone of ominousness coming from Toshinori.

His mind slowly wandered back to the words that were spoken to him at the bar by the small greenette.

. . .

Katsuki took a break upstairs in the kitchenette area on the ninth floor privately. He looked over the file of the mysterious newcomer that he was now tasked with training in silence.

He sat down in the corner by the window and crossed his legs, ignoring people that looked at him when they passed by.

A calloused hand slowly opened the folder and was the young lieutenant was met with a small photograph of the new officer giving a giant bright smile into the camera. His chubby cheeks were rosy pink, freckles perfectly spaced out and the unique shade of green eyes shone through brightly, even in the flat picture.

It made Katsuki's heart twist slightly at how happy of an expression was plastered across the baby face.

Curious eyes then shifted to settle on his birthdate. Turns out the greenette was twenty-three years old and his birthday had just recently passed.

_Two years older than I suspected._ Katsuki thought to himself reliving the first moment he saw the smaller male come into the bar setting looking way too young to be there.

He also noted that the young adult had grew up, went to college, and served on the force for a total of a year in the same small coast city where Toshinori was originally from, Yaizu. Just like the captain had said. He stared at the information on the page slightly confused wondering why the sudden move directly after starting a job after college.

The blonde noticed the start and end dates that indicated that it was actually a little under a year the greenette had been at his job before taking a fair amount of break and moving.

That made Katsuki frown.

His eyes shifted over the resume and saw that most of Izuku's experience was via internships.

_So, he barely has experience. Great. Just fucking great. _

. . .

The hothead marched down the stairs and back to the seventh floor with a slight snarl on his face. His thoughts were still trying to wrap around the fact that he was in charge of training someone for the first time in _years_.

What type of fucked up luck was that? And out of all goddamn people it had to be the one person that his interaction with was awkward as shit at the moment.

When he finally got back in his domain, fire eyes clashed with anyone that looked at him too long for his current mood. As soon as he set foot into the main office part of their floor he saw Kirishima and Mina peer over at him both with tell-tale mischievous grins across their faces.

It took all he had not to just give them the middle finger straight out. Instead he gave it with his eyes the best he could, sending heated daggers in the direction of his friends. The red haired sergeant snickered underneath his breath as Mina just smiled. Katsuki frowned deeper.

Well, that confirmed his suspicious on why Kirishima had even opened his goddamn mouth to Toshinori about him training his almost-one-night stand.

_Fucking shitheads._

He then turned his gaze upon the greenette in question who was sitting peacefully at his new desk. The new detective looked as if he was extremely focused on taking notes, and his tongue stuck out ever so slightly.

The sight almost looked...cute.

Katsuki quickly buried the thought and blinked hard.

_Goddamnit, where did that come from?_

Irritated, he walked up to the greenette's desk and glared down at him as he put his hand on the desk trying to ignore the intrusive thought.

"Oi, Midoriya come with me. I'll be training you for the next couple of months." Green eyes looked confused and tilted his head to the side.

"W-What?" There was that damn stutter again.

"You heard me, small fry. Hurry up and come with me into my office."

Before the younger male could ask any further questions Katsuki was walking into his office and taking a seat in his black leather seat begrudgingly. He leaned all the way back and pulled out a stack of papers from the large file he was given by Toshinori and grabbed his red pen.

He watched as Izuku shuffled into his office behind him as if he was walking into a lion's den. Katsuki couldn't help but run his eyes up and down the tentative slender figure that sat down in the plain chair across from him. The hands of the other was pushed down in his lap holding onto a black and white composition notebook and a blue pen looking stiff.

It was then that Katsuki looked up to see Kirishima, Kaminari, and Mina all peeking inside his open door from a distance and the blonde could have just convulsed with annoyance when Kirishima gave that god forsaken signature thumbs up.

"Close the door," he bit out in a growl, glaring at the trio out of the door with his eyebrow twitching. Izuku looked confused at the request but nonetheless stood up and went to close the wooden portal.

Kirishima gave a happy wave to the newcomer when Izuku made eye contact with him and, completely ignorant to what was going on, Izuku gave a friendly wave and smile right back.

The younger male took his seat again this time looking more visibly relaxed as he crossed his legs. He took out his pen and paper, ready to write down whatever the blonde said.

Katsuki looked at him curiously as the other opened his full notebook and flipped nearly to the back. It was then in that moment that the higher up noticed the clear writing across the front cover: 'Police Analysis No. 13'.

Bright, fresh determined green eyes looked up and him and Katsuki felt that damn twist again.

"Alright, Midoriya. Toshinori made you my responsibility for the next couple of months so I'm going to lay out some ground rules and expectations," he started and pulled out a stack of papers on the desk, sliding them over to the greenette.

"You're going to fill out this paper work and return it to me before you leave today. Just as a note I expect nothing but diligence, timeliness, along with you being on your goddamn best behavior at all times and acting your age."

He shot a knowing gaze at Izuku and it didn't go unnoticed how the other slightly grimaced but took the paperwork in his hands.

"Work ethic is extremely important to me so I will never, _ever_, tolerate slacking off. Is that clear?"

Usually when Katsuki gave this speech to people coming in they cowered in fear or resisted the urge to roll their eyes at him with an exhausted look on their face. That was the reaction he was expecting from the short male but instead he got...the complete opposite?

The delicate freckle face lit up as if he won some goddamn prize and nodded furiously in agreeance with Katsuki.

"Clear! I actually love working a lot!" The happy voice perked and leaned forward into the desk a bit and Katsuki blinked at the unexpected reaction. "I take notes on just about everything, so I can make sure that I'm a good well-rounded officer, I won't disappoint you!"

Red eyes blinked once more and then he blinked again confused at the phrase 'take notes'.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, here!" Green eyes sparkled as freckled hands lifted up the 'Police analysis No. 13' notebook and opened up a couple of the pages. "I've been studying various different detectives, sergeants, lieutenants, and captains for years to absorb and understand their techniques."

A bandaged band flipped through the college ruled pages showing off the detective's hard work. Sitting inside were perfectly organized color-coded notes, diagrams and organized paragraphs in alphabetical order on police figures new and old that even Katsuki knew. Even some cases that were well known on the news were broken down and analyzed deeply.

It was actually...really fucking impressive. This level of attention to detail.

And extremely attractive to the workaholic.

Katsuki was about to say something but when he looked down at the notebook and back up to the innocent face he felt that uncomfortable twist in his chest again but this time it was accompanied by a flip.

And it scared him straight out of the compliment he was about to say.

_How is he a damn nerd too_—

"I'm willing to put my best foot forward."

But Katsuki needed to nuke the conversation to spare himself of the all too familiar feeling in his chest that he didn't like.

"This isn't high school, Midoriya." He shot down trying to backlash against the feeling inside of his chest. The bright smile on the other's face slowly died off and finally released that unwanted feeling it was provoking out of him.

"I don't give a shit if you take notes or not. This is real life. I looked over your file and I saw a concerning lack of experience for someone who is twenty-three. Note taking isn't going to change that—practice does."

Red eyes dug into green and Izuku's face sunk immediately as he slowly closed his notebook, fully not expecting to get put down. The tenses in the shoulders came back and Katsuki could tell he was holding back from saying something.

"...sorry, sir." The tone of voice was tight and quick. The green eyes gazed upon him in irritation. "Was there anything else or can I leave?"

"I need to know your measurements, so we can put in to get you your gear." Katsuki said plainly looking down to fill out the pink form in his hands to order new gear.

"Medium sized shirt and jacket, 76 cm waist pants," the tenor voice replied. In this moment the hand of the lieutenant paused writing to give a once over the figure in front of him.

More so he looked at the particularly too tight pants the other was wearing. There was no goddamn way—

"Is something the matter?" Izuku cut off his train of thought. Red eyes looked back up to green and the eldest clicked his tongue and made a slight face.

"...don't you think you need a bigger pants size than that? For mobility reasons." He whispered slightly between them. Because if he was being honest with himself they both knew Katsuki had assessed him well enough to know that wasn't the correct measure for someone so...built in that area.

Suddenly that innocent yet not to naive look was right back on the freckled baby face.

"I like a snug fit, lieutenant. My flexibility won't ever be an issue, I assure you."

Katsuki blinked. Then Izuku blinked and flexed a knowing singular eyebrow.

Katsuki's hand tightened around the pen in his grasp.

_The fuck? Did he just—_

"I hope that isn't a problem, sir."

Scarlet eyes narrowed in disbelief at green, but the new detective didn't back down. There was a small clash between them and a warmness crept under Katsuki's collar as he went to write down the waist size. His mind automatically taking him back to his wet dream that was less than forty-eight hours ago.

_Is that how this little shit wants to play this?_

He watched the other and Izuku watched him right back as his hand moved without looking down. Out of mild spite he wrote down the next size up without saying anything before standing up and towering over the greenette who was staring him down with an unspoken challenge, clearly irritated at the dismissal of his notetaking skills.

"Not a problem at all I suppose. We all have our preferences," he said in a curt tone under his breath and arched a perfect blonde eyebrow right back at Izuku. Katsuki was a lot of things. He was professional, hardworking, but he wasn't one to have his patience tested like that.

Katsuki took the moment to finally release the tight hold on his red pen. He tore his eyes away from provoking green ones and looked ahead to head out to the floor area.

"C'mon, nerd. Let me introduce you to all the idiots you'll be working with."

They walked out of the small office space into the open corridor that held the colorful crew of the UA officers on the seventh floor.

Green eyes widened as he looked at all his new companions. Katsuki watched carefully when the look of excitement leaked on to the baby face before he cleared his throat carefully.

"Alright, on your left, the two guys slacking on their phones looking like ketchup and mustard together are sergeant Kirishima and detective Kaminari respectively. They're pretty good at their job when they're not goofing around." In this moment both men in question looked up at their name being called and waved at the pair. "Get the fuck off your phones!" Then they scrambled.

"The pinkette actually doing work at her desk near them is detective Ashido. She's actually one of the best people in this precinct and an amazing officer. She's somehow engaged to sergeant Kirishima they're getting married soon." Mina waved and smiled at Izuku who smiled and gave a small wave back.

"To your right you have the precinct secretary, Uraraka. She's the glue and keep everything from falling apart here. She's actually your age so there's that, you two would probably get along well."

"Hi there!" The high-pitched friendly voice called out to the new greenette, making the youngest male smile.

"H-Hello!" He replied back, and the slight stutter almost made Katsuki roll his eyes. He knew damn well the other could speak without it and it was weird hearing it.

"Over there are two of our top sergeants Yaoyorozu and Iida," Katsuki said pointing to a male with blue hair and a tall elegant female with stark black hair. Neither of them noticed the introduction happening as they were exchanging information on a case. "I suggest if you want to learn how to get your shit together you watch those two carefully. They're the only ones I have never had to reprimand."

Izuku nodded from beside him and pulled nervously at the hem of his blue dress shirt with a bandaged hand, staring at the two in front of him as if they were demi-gods or something.

Katsuki then looked around for Sero and Todoroki but couldn't find them and huffed a bit.

"Where is that half and half bastard?" He said more to himself than Izuku.

"Half and half bastard?" The small voice questioned from beside him, confused at the identifier. The blonde shrugged his shoulders with little regret on letting Izuku hear the nickname and his mild disdain towards the other officer.

"You'll know 'im when you see him," was the only explanation he gave the smaller male. "Him and detective Sero are probably out on a case. As much as I hate to admit it, half-and-half is also a good sergeant so it'd be good for you shadow under him every now and then if I'm down on time or too busy caught up on paperwork."

"Okay, that sounds good!" Izuku beamed back, loving the idea of possibly learning.

Katsuki looked to his side again and took in the look of excitement on the other's face and the way he was clutching the composition notebook in his hand and then he thought about the snug fit comment.

His mind tried to rattle all the random new facts he was slowly learning about Izuku but a lot of it didn't add up in his head.

The twenty-three-year-old was clearly into hooking up with people, yet he stutters like he's a nervous person. He didn't like being dismissed or being disrespectful, but the snug fit comment showed the other had some nerve. The words that were spoken to him at the bar were emotional and deep, and he said that he was the sad artsy type. So, what was he doing with a job like detective? Sad artsy type people don't want to investigate homicides and robberies.

Lastly, Toshinori clearly cared a lot about him but he's never been mentioned before like his actual son, Mirio.

All the conflicting facts did something to Katsuki that flat out irritated him.

They made him curious.

. . .

"Did you invite Midoriya out to our Monday bar night?" Kirishima brightly grinned, walking into Katsuki's office near the end of the day. "Gotta break the newbie in."

In this moment the best friend reopened the blinds Katsuki had closed earlier to give a perfect view of soft green curls at the desk.

"No, I didn't," Katsuki hissed looking away and back down at the Aizawa case. "Also, why the fuck did you suggest for me to train him to Toshinori? I should strangle you for that. You know I'm too goddamn busy to have someone shadowing me. I swear if this is another attempt to set me up—"

"—It isn't!" A shit eating grin plastered its way across Kirishima's face and Katsuki didn't believe a single damn word that came out of the red head's mouth. "I genuinely think you would be the better person to train him over me! Just giving my best friend all the praise he deserves."

Katsuki felt his eye twitch slightly in irritation. "Why not fucking suggest Todoroki then?"

"Ah, he's too busy." The sergeant waved his hand and poked Katsuki's tanned cheek playfully. "Wouldn't want to bother him with training a new person, y'know?"

"You piece of shi—"

There was a knock on the door and both sets of red eyes looked up to see the exact person being talked about at the door holding a stack of colorful papers and forms.

"I hope I'm not interrupting, but I finished filling out everything," Izuku spoke looking between the currently overly excited expression one male was wearing and a vaguely irritated one the other was. "Where should I put these?"

"Just hand them to me," Katsuki motioned 'come over' with his hand and Izuku walked over to the desk. Kirishima smiled sweetly at the newcomer as the lieutenant placed the forms into his 'take care of later' drawer.

"Do you wanna come out with us after work to an izakaya? There's a really good one like a twenty-minute drive from here!"

Katsuki whipped his head and harshly glared at the red head who was completely ignoring the heated stare.

"Oh, sure. I would love to! Unless it would bother Bakugou that I be there." Those challenging green eyes were on him in a second. Those same eyes that made him infuriating fucking curious and warm. It was _terrible_.

But Katsuki didn't back down from someone testing his patience. If this was how the greenette wanted to go about things, then fucking _fine_.

"It would only bother me if you bothered me...like being too persistent about certain things," he shot back.

They held binding eye contact and the warm feeling underneath Katsuki shirt felt like it intensified more. Izuku then cleared his throat and turned away when Kirishima awkwardly laughed.

If Katsuki didn't know better, he could've sworn he saw the freckled cheeks tint pink slightly.

"Hah! So charming," Kirishima weary said breaking the tension. "Just ignore him. He always has this pissed off expression on his face. Chronic R.B.F, y'know? It's a real tragedy."

"That's not fucking tru—"

"Ah, that's good to know. I was beginning to worry it was just me," Izuku replied with a small smile cutting off the angry blonde. "Glad to know the glare isn't discriminatory."

"Not a single bit!" Kirishima laughed, throwing his arm around a silently fuming blonde. "But we all usually go out on Mondays because it's the only time we can get this one to leave his desk for a short while. It's always a good time! Everyone comes!"

"Well, okay! I would love to!"

"Awesome, we meet out front around 5:15pm," Kirishima informed tightening his arm around Katsuki and the blonde watched as the younger male just chuckled.

As he listened to the unique light laugh Katsuki realized that everything was going to change for him from here on out.

. . .

Katsuki cared about a total of four things other than work.

It was his friends (however annoying they may fucking be), his family, getting to bed at a decent time, and finally: his motorcycle.

It was midnight black with silver and orange trimmings and one of the first things he purchased with his lieutenant's bonus. He always made sure to keep it clean and he kept his helmet that had classy orange fire marks along the side hooked directly to the handle.

Which is why when they all walked out in the late summer air, he nearly had a heart attack the second goddamn sex on legs bee lined straight for his baby.

"Oh my god whose bike is this? I love motorcycles! I used to always ride on the back of one in college. I haven't done it in _so_ long." The greenette said while marveling with wide eyes. He bent down happily to inspect the vehicle closer and touched it ever so lightly with complete admiration. "Ah, you guys are so cool!"

"It's actually Bakugou's," Mina said with a smile on her face and she shot a look Katsuki's way. Izuku's face instantly dropped and he stopped touching the black bike. "He brings it on Mondays when we all go out together because he hates riding in a car with the rest of us. Something about not enjoying Kirishima's singing? Maybe he'll let you ride some time if you ask nicely."

"Not a damn chance. Nobody touches ground zero but me," Katsuki hissed. He walked over to his bike and shooed Izuku away, who gladly backed off. "If the nerd wants to ride with me he'll just have to dream about it like everyone else." Much like the dream he had of Izuku _actually_ riding him.

He couldn't help himself from shooting Izuku a look and the youngest pursed his lips.

"Ah, well another person has a bike in the squad! Maybe you can just ride on his one day." Denki said offhandedly and Katsuki 'tch'd because he knew who he was talking about. Todoroki had gotten a bike right around the same time as him and for some reason it only fueled the blonde's internal rivalry with the bastard.

"Half and Half's bike is barely a bike. It's more like a lame ass moped," his gruff voice undercut as he started to get on his bike and put his motorcycle jacket on. It was black with white stripes, and orange trim with the number '0' on the back in orange lettering.

It didn't go unnoticed to him how closely the new employee was looking at him up and down. Something about it fed into Katsuki's ego. Of course, he didn't want to sleep with the greenette. Especially not now that they…er, worked together but...for some reason seeing those pretty colored eyes stare at him longer than need be did something to his brain.

"Ah, c'mon his is just as cool," Kirishima said, pulling out his own car keys and laughing.

"Naw. It isn't," the blonde replied back with an eye roll. He kicked up his bike stand and turned on his precious mode of transportation.

"What's the difference?" Izuku finally spoke up, his curious eyes still looking at the black bike but more specifically he was looking at the owner who was now fully facing him with sharp red eyes.

The blonde didn't know if it was the tension that had been present all day, his mild disdain for Todoroki or if it was the heat that kept swarming his chest every time those taunting unique green eyes looked at him. But he said his next words after putting on his helmet and revving the engine on ground zero without breaking the spell binding gaze between them.

"Mine's bigger."

Emerald eyes flickered with caution but didn't look away.

. . .

When they finally arrived at their usual spot everything was as it always was on Mondays.

Denki and Mina were laughing about their favorite shows and Kirishima was talking with him about pointless things. Tenya had officially introduced himself to Izuku on the car ride over and he could hear the two chatting behind him with Momo and Ochaco.

The bar they always choose was a small place that welcomed police without an issue. The owner really enjoyed the fact they came once a week because it scared off any possibility of them being robbed. And they came because every now and then they got free food for their line of duty.

The izakaya had red lanterns hanging outside and yellow dim lighting inside that gave a calming atmosphere to the majority wooden structure. Chatter of happy voices could be heard as people enjoyed their Monday after work and ordered drinks and food.

The owner came out to greet them per usual and gave them the large table in the back. When they all sat down, the owner called for a round of complimentary shots of sake for everyone.

"Wow, this is a really cool place," Izuku said happily sitting down next to Tenya and an empty seat.

"Yeah, it's great right? It also has amazing food!" Kirishima beamed brightly and Mina nodded in agreeance and took their alcohol down quickly. "It's definitely a hot find."

"It's one of the few places that we can get someone as picky as Katsuki to eat at," Momo teased and everyone laughed. Izuku smiled at the lightness in the air and how welcoming everyone was.

"Oh, he's picky?" Izuku smiled and turned his eyes to the male in question, who just shrugged.

"Extremely so."

"I would never have guessed," the soft voice joked.

Izuku shot a bright grin towards him making everyone laugh but only the blonde in the group understood the double meaning behind the words.

The tension suddenly felt playful and the workaholic found that he didn't mind the quip when it was accompanied by the freckled smile.

Katsuki's mouth subconsciously twitched into a smirk, making Izuku's grin wider. The blonde was about to continue the light banter when his phone buzzed.

He looked down to see a text from the one person they were all waiting on.

**[S. Todoroki]: Sorry, I'm running late. We got involved in a car chase involving someone robbing a hardware store. Sero ended up just going home, I'll be there in ten minutes, I'm walking there now. **

The blonde read the words before announcing it the whole group. "Half and half is on his way, he'll be here in ten minutes. He was involved in a robbery."

"Ah, okay! I was beginning to worry if something happened to him," Tenya said taking a drink of his water.

The time passed on and the conversation went on in a chaotic fashion. Denki and Kirishima were off telling Izuku embarrassing and funny stories that had happened over the last couple years with them in a squad, making the greenette laugh and gape at certain details. Mainly the one about Denki attempting to prank Kirishima via scaring him but ended up accidently frightening Toshinori instead and was swiftly thrown to the ground.

"That is absolutely insane. I can't imagine being body slammed by Toshinori," Izuku gasped leaning back in disbelief. Denki winced and rubbed behind his neck as if he was deep in a flash back.

"It was terrible. He had back problems for a month afterwards. Word of advice: don't pull any pranks," Kirishima said while patting Denki's shoulder.

"Ha, advice duly noted!" Izuku chuckled and shifted in his blue dress shirt.

It was in that moment that Katsuki noticed the other slightly roll up his sleeves bringing the blonde's attention to the white bandage on his left hand. He had noticed it a couple times throughout the day, but it still made his curiosity blossom.

"Sorry, I'm late everyone," a new deep, even voice entered standing directly behind Izuku.

The greenette craned his neck to look up at the newcomer to be met with mixed matched eyes and a head of hair that was split directly between snow white and fire red.

"Oh! You must be the 'half and half bastard' Bakugou was talking about," the innocent voice informed making everyone automatically dart their eyes to a certain lieutenant.

Momo tilted her head in a silent 'really?' but Katsuki just glared back from above his cup of water.

"What? I ain't wrong," He growled not backing down. Todoroki just shook his head and turned his attention back to the young new employee.

"Ignore him. My real name is Shouto. I don't think we ever got properly introduced," he said and stuck out a welcoming hand for Izuku. Green eyes looked at the hand for a split second before grabbing it and shaking it.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Midoriya Izuku."

And that's when he saw it.

He saw those not so naive green eyes look Icy-Hot up and fucking down as if he liked what he saw. It was the same type of slow assessment just much more discreet that the walking headache had given him on Friday right before he started flirting with him.

Todoroki took the empty seat next to Izuku and the two started talking.

Then Izuku did _exactly_ what Katsuki thought he was going to do.

He leaned in, but only slightly enough for Katsuki to notice and his body language changed from closed to open.

Katsuki told himself he didn't care when the crawling started in the back of his head watching the two laughing about something with Ochaco.

Several minutes passed when the brown-haired waitress came over to take their orders. She had her head down and slicked back, giving herself a professional look in the white apron that was wrapped around her waist.

"What can I get for you all? The usual?" She asked with an open smile looking at everyone and then to Izuku. "Oh, you have someone new here today with you!"

"He's actually a new detective! He'll be joining us on Mondays from now on," Ochaco replied with a bright grin. "What do you want, Midoriya? Everyone usually just gets the house ramen and a drink but if you want something different that's cool."

The greenette just smiled politely and nodded his head at the waitress. "I'll just get the same thing! No worries."

"Ah, wonderful. So That'll be eight usuals. They should be out in thirty minutes or so. Thank you again so much for always dining with us!" She replied with a smile and everyone thanked her back with polite exchanges.

The night went on and it took all Katsuki had to ignore what was happening directly in front of him.

The greenette was leaning in, asking all these personal questions about the fucking stuck up prick and he laughed at absolutely every damn thing the guy said. It was so painfully clear to the ash blonde that the other was flirting because the stoic sergeant was nowhere near that damn funny enough to keep the small male giggling as much as he was.

Then he saw a bandaged hand pushed a gentle green curl behind an ear with a small blush when Todoroki smiled at him.

Katsuki almost lost it.

Was he jealous? No. Absolutely not. He shouldn't care if the greenette was clearly taken with the ice prince asshole. Plenty of people were, with the Todorokis being such a well-known family in the media Shouto was listed as a top 'bachelor'. Sure, Katsuki hated the guy but he could admit someone who was good looking when he saw them. He just fucking hated him. And right now, he hated the fact that Izuku was laughing and talking with him in his face.

"So, what was the robbery about? Did you catch the guy?" Mina asked leaning into the table to look at Todoroki. The flirting spell was broken and Katsuki could've hugged the pinkette right then and there.

"Ah...we actually didn't," The tall sergeant said leaning away from Izuku to turning his attention to everyone. The information that the skilled policeman hadn't got his guy made Katsuki pause. "The whole thing was strange. It was a small group of them and they stole an alarming amount of gasoline."

"Gasoline?" Katsuki muttered. His brain immediately halting at the information. Usually robberies in their city were money based or had something to do with jewels. But gasoline? That was strange and slightly frightening.

"Yeah...like there was four full vans they stocked up and then bailed. They didn't even bother taking any money. It was strange." Todoroki said with a frown, obviously displeased.

"What else did they take?" Tenya asked. "Did they take anything that could be bomb related? Or like matches and lighters?" The dual haired adult just shook his head.

"Nope. Just gallons of gasoline. They were also extremely efficient in getting away, which was...an unfavorable outcome. Mainly why Sero went home. He was tired and a little frustrated."

"That's must be really irritating, Todoroki. I'm sorry," Ochaco said with a sad look on her face for the sergeant.

Katsuki turned his sharp amber eyes back on the pair in front of him but he saw something more off putting than the talk about gasoline.

He saw Izuku's face drop and slowly turn towards the male next to him.

"...Todoroki?" The young detective said quietly, looking at the officer next to him as if he had seen a ghost. It was then that Shouto turned around and gave an ignorant polite smile.

"Ah, yes. My full name is Todoroki Shouto. You might've heard of my father."

"O-Oh! Yes, your father, hah. Wow, that's so surprising. What is that like being such a famous police chief's son?"

Ruby eyes narrowed when Izuku ever so slightly stiffened and his eyes flickered off to the side. Katsuki glanced around to see if anyone else noticed the shift in behavior but everyone was still discussing and stuck on the issue about the gasoline.

"It's not bad. My father is an interesting person—"

"Here is your food!" The waitress announced. She interrupted the moment but Katsuki didn't take his eyes off Izuku, who was now looking off to the side staring hard at Todoroki. But this time there was nothing flirtatious about the look and it made the lieutenant tilt his head wondering why.

All their food was placed in front of them making everyone happy and shifted the conversation quickly to food. Todoroki became to stir his meal with his chopsticks not aware of the weary look doe green eyes gave him.

Izuku studied the burn on the sergeant's face unaware that Katsuki was watching him do so.

The flirting stopped after that.

It didn't go unnoticed to him that Izuku got quiet and only spoke when spoken to.

When the night wrapped up and it came time for them to leave, everyone piled into the same two cars but Izuku hesitated when he noticed the only free seat was in the same one as a certain white and red haired man.

Katsuki was about to ride his bike back to the precinct when he felt a small tap on his shoulder. Piercing red eyes looked over his shoulder at the source to see Izuku standing there uncomfortable, looking off to the side.

"May I ride with you?" The voice was soft, and there was a slight hint of an unknown underlying emotion.

The tone used made Katsuki furrowed his brows from inside his helmet. He then glanced off to the side to everyone inside of the car and then back to the freckled face. He briefly thought about the shift in behavior at the name drop.

_What is up with this guy?_

The large green eyes looked back at him and Katsuki felt something inside of him tangle with curiosity and another emotion he wouldn't dare admit out loud.

"...Get on."

. . .

The pair rode back in complete silence and Katsuki said nothing when the slim arms wrapped around his waist. The other's body was pressed against him without saying a word as they passed by quickly through traffic. He felt Izuku lay his head flat against his back half way through the ride as if he was suddenly tired. It made Katsuki slightly worry more than he wished to.

They arrived back first to the office space and neither said a word as they got off. Katsuki took his helmet off and shook out his blonde locks before turning to the smaller male whose face was painted with blankness. Izuku was clearly lost in his thoughts.

"Well...I hope your first day was okay," he said quietly into the sudden shift in atmosphere unsure of what to say.

The sound of the deep voice reeled the detective back to reality and an automatic smile was placed on the pink lips.

But Katsuki could tell it was fake.

"I had a really good time, sir. Thank you for the lift back." Izuku bowed slightly before preparing to walk away. Red eyes looked at the tense shoulders of the other and then down to his left hand.

The urge to say something dance on the tip of his tongue. But he shouldn't. He really shouldn't. There had been nothing but weird ass tension between them all day and really talking to him was only fueling the burning curiosity he had about the young man.

Katsuki bit the inside of his cheek when Izuku started to walk away quickly.

"Goodnight, Midoriya," he called out. He was unsure why he said the words he said but he felt like he needed to.

The figure in front of him paused and looked over his shoulder. Katsuki was struck by the reflection of the stars in the emerald shaded eyes. It made them shine like silver glitter was carefully placed inside of his irises and it twisted Katsuki's stomach in a knot.

"Goodnight, Lieutenant. I'll see you tomorrow morning." A small smile hiding something graced the delicate face and without any more words, he left around the corner past the blue Uchimizu Ave. street sign.

Katsuki stared after him trying to fit together all the strange puzzle pieces about the newcomer he had collected throughout the long day. He was strange and certain puzzle pieces didn't fit together right. For the workaholic problem solver, this was his damning.

The blonde's phone buzzed as he stayed stuck in his thoughts. He snapped himself out of it, but green curls kept appearing over and over again as he read the text from his best friend.

**[E. Kirishima]: No one rides ground zero huh? ;)**

Katsuki just rolled his eyes and put the phone away. He went back inside to the office and decided that Izuku took enough of his thoughts for one day. He needed his alone time.

So, he stayed late working as he usually did and tried his best not to think too much harder into his actions that happened throughout the day.

. . .

The next morning came and Katsuki felt refreshed. There wasn't a green thought anywhere in his head as he slipped on his morning coffee peacefully in his office.

"Good morning, Lieutenant!"

Until now.

"Good morning, Midoriya," Katsuki sighed, putting his orange coffee mug down. There goes his peace.

He looked up at the green eyes that had 180'd from last night. They were back to that sparkling ready-to-learn shade of green, but it didn't make Katsuki forget about what he saw during dinner.

"What's the report for today?" The perky voice asked him with a smile and Katsuki decided to ignore all the weirdness from yesterday and just focus on the job.

The young adult in front of him was holding that godforsaken notebook and wearing a plaid green button up, a blue hoodie and his badge. Casual wear for detectives on the force. The green was a nice touch Katsuki admitted to himself. He liked that it highlighted his hair and eyes. The lieutenant kept his eyes upwards and didn't dare look down at whatever type of pants the other was wearing.

Nope. Today would not be like yesterday. He wasn't going to get distracted.

"Well, on Tuesdays Kirishima and I are usually on patrol in the eastern part of the city's downtown area. So, you're going to come with us. Have you ever been on patrol before?"

"Yes! I did it a lot while serving in Yaizu."

"Perfect, so that means you won't be complete dead weight," Katsuki mumbled and gulped down the rest of his coffee. Izuku made a face at him but the blonde didn't care.

"C'mon let's go get strapped up. I have your gun for you waiting downstairs."

. . .

"I will never understand why we have to do patrol on Tuesdays, nothing ever happens here on Tuesdays!" Kirishima groaned leaning against their blue and white squad car. His own was parked adjacent to Katsuki's on the street that they just got finished riding through. "Everyone's at work. Especially on Tuesday mornings."

"Crime doesn't stop just because it's a fucking Tuesday, Kiri." Katsuki said kicking his leg up as he leaned against the car with his arms crossed. All three of them had had on their dark navy-blue Shizuoka City Police windbreakers on over their dress shirts.

"I know, but still doesn't make it less boring. Plus, I kind of want to see green bean here in action, hah."

"Green bean?" Izuku laughed at the nickname and he tilted his head to the side. Katsuki wouldn't admit it, but the action was cute to him. But he would never say it. "Where did that come from?"

"Because you're green and so young like a little bean. You make me feel so old," Kirishima exasperated.

"Hey! I'm not that much younger than you guys—" Izuku started but his voice trailed off at the sound of all three of their radios making noise and another voice cut into the conversation.

"All patrol officers, there's a jewelry robbery currently taking place on Tengoku street and 9th Avenue. Perp is currently on foot running in an east direction. He's wearing a black hoodie and has dark black hair. He's working alone."

It took Katsuki a total of three seconds to realize that's the area they were in.

"Alright, here we go. That's us," he said slipping urgency into his voice.

All three faces immediately dipped in seriousness and hopped into their respective squad cars, with Izuku riding with Katsuki.

They put their red siren lights on and sped off towards the destination. Katsuki kept his red eyes focused forward as all the cars in traffic pulled off swiftly to the left to let them through, and he tried his best to keep up with Kirishima's diving as they made it to the east side of the city to see a man in all black fitting the description running full speed down the street.

The area was jam packed with people and stores for the downtown area. All the cars were tightly grid locked together by the colorful stop lights and traffic signs.

The suspect pushed people out of the way fiercely, sparing no one as he plowed through the crowded street. People screamed and yelled out in surprise as he elbowed any pedestrian in his way. The black hoodie was draw tightly on top of his head as his white sneakers became blurry in the crowded street.

"Shit, we're not going to catch him in this," Katsuki cursed. Trying to think of the best route of action. The crowded area traffic was a no go as he watched how Kirishima's car started to slow down when other vehicles couldn't move out of the way correctly due to the high density.

"You could get him on foot, go now. I can drive the car." Izuku spoke up quickly and undid his seatbelt without hesitation. "Keep your radio intercom on and yell out where you're going." Red eyes snapped in the direction of green before grinding his teeth.

The nerd was right. Someone had to catch him on foot and drag the bastard back in handcuffs.

"Don't crash my fucking car, Midoriya," was the only thing he said and quickly undid his own seat belt.

He quickly jerked the car in park making them both to heave forward but neither missed a beat. Katsuki opened the door and slammed it back shut the second Izuku swiftly maneuvered himself over into the driver's seat.

The moment his feet hit the pavement, Katsuki was running at full speed in the direction of the man in the black hoodie.

He ran past people of all different shapes and sizes trying his best to keep up with the person jetting like he had a bullet target on his back. He could see the other had a blue backpack on that was bouncing heavily as he pushed people down in the crowded downtown area.

The unknown criminal looked behind him briefly and a worried expression was clear on the pale features. Katsuki could see the man's head start to look around when the expert hunter of a policeman gained speed and was catching up quickly behind him.

"He's making a turn for the alley right before Getsu street!" He yelled into his black head piece when the white sneakers suddenly turned sharply and disappeared into the grey alleyway.

"Got it!" Kirishima affirmed back into his ear.

The agile officer on foot easily dodged people in his way, doing his best not to add on to the mess that the criminal was making.

He dipped himself in the alleyway without sacrificing his speed and found the other climbing a fence and swiftly hopped over to the other side.

Katsuki gritted his teeth but made no real pause as he flung his body on top of the fence and climbed it quicker than the man with black hair. He threw himself over to land on his feet, his knees bending from the impact, but he was thrown off when he felt a punch uppercut his jaw immediately.

"Fuck!" He yelled out when the stinging punch landed on him, closing his eyes automatically. The rattling from the wire fence echoed in the in the alley as the broad-shouldered male stumbled back from the impact.

_This son of a bitch_. He thought angrily as his eyes snapped back open with fire raging in them. He pushed himself off the fence to run directly close behind the man with the blue backpack.

The white sneakers of the man sped up significantly the closer he got to the alleyway, but the perpetrator found himself stumbling when Kirishima's blue and white squad car blocked the entrance.

Katsuki was expecting the man to fully stop but he was surprised to see the asshole slide across the hood as if he's done this before without an issue.

The man barrel rolled flawlessly, and his hood fell off his head to reveal a young-looking face and black spiky hair. He looked back briefly with a smug expression at Katsuki and the blonde found his patience tested like no other when the criminal ran around the corner.

The lieutenant slide across the car hood without missing a beat and shoved his way down the sidewalk and he could hear Kirishima's car behind him in fall blast.

The man made another turn down an alleyway and Katsuki stayed directly behind him and this time he picked up on the pattern quickly.

He made an 'X' with his arms when he rounded into the alley and was met with a fierce punch he suspected. He dug his feet into the ground to hold his stance when the assault slightly hurt his arms.

"You're making this worse for yourself!" He yelled out when the man started running again towards the open end of the other alley.

The young man turned around again but before either man running could see what happened Katsuki registered a flash of blue and green.

A swift bandaged hand with purpose came from left field out of the opening of the alley and grabbed the man's neck, jerking his whole body to a painful choked stop. A swift foot swiped underneath the white sneakers making him airborne for a single second long enough to be body slammed into the grey pavement.

"You're under arrest!" The stern solid tenor voice shouted.

Katsuki immediately slowed his running confused at what just happened. When his vision was no longer hazy from running he paused and took several deep breaths.

There, in the warm morning light, was Izuku pinning the man down by his wrist with his foot, his arm with his knee and the freckled hands were working to get the handcuffs from around his waist without hesitation.

Red eyes blinked once and then blinked twice, fully not expecting the quick effective action.

He approached slowly with a confused expression gazing down at the asshole who had his eyes closed wincing in pain. As he looked longer at Izuku pinning the man down with just the sheer strength of his muscular legs Katsuki found something inside of him humming slightly in approval.

Izuku had just taken down a man single handedly and now he was pinning him to the ground with the fiercest look he's ever seen on the usually sweet looking face.

It showed the workaholic that not only was the greenette a damn nerd for note taking but he actually had the moves and physical abilities to back it up.

And it was fucking _sexy_.

He couldn't even deny it.

_Goddamn_. His mind instantly gave himself the imagine of being pinned down by those legs. Katsuki tried to scratch the thought immediately but was entirely unsuccessful.

Seeing this side of someone who had a soft air to him was...intriguing.

It was also immensely reassuring to know that the greenette didn't hesitate a bit when thrown into action.

Katsuki saw Kirishima come around the corner with his gun drawn but put it away with a happy face as he got closer to the scene.

"Damn, nice work green bean!" The supportive voice called out and Katsuki almost smirked.

The nerd did have moves. They were good ones too.

A loud groan cut in the air and all eyes set sights on the person that was just caught. The man's eyes blinked open slowly when Izuku shifted to pull him up and handcuff him, but when the brown eyes of the runner met green everything in that moment shifted.

"_Yo_?" "Izuku?"

One could hear the skidding screech of Katsuki's thoughts coming to a halt.

"Oh wow, you really did become an officer. Surprising." There a tiny smirk on the man named Yo lips that made Izuku sneer visibly.

The two stared at each other in disbelief in different ways when Izuku lifted him up all the way.

There was only a moment of hesitation before Izuku shook his head and turned the man around and handcuffed him. A worried expression took over the baby face and Katsuki looked between them carefully.

The man in handcuffs was smiling way more than someone in handcuffs should be.

"Midoriya...do you know this man?" Katsuki asked carefully not liking the way the ravenette was trying to peer over his shoulder at the shorter male behind him.

"We're acquainted from Yaizu," was all Izuku said. He didn't lift his eyes up to meet his superior officer. The vagueness and closed off expression made Katsuki worry but he still stepped in to grab the man that was near his height away from the youngest.

"Aw, Izuku that's so mean. Just 'acquainted'? _Really_?" There was a taunting tone in the voice and the smirk on the man's face was dripping in sarcasm.

Katsuki looked between the two some more and he saw an uncomfortable expression and glare take over Izuku's face.

He quickly decided he didn't like this exchange happening. He gritted his teeth and turned his attention to the man in his grasp.

"You need to stop speaking," he hissed lowly walking the man over to Kirishima's squad car. "Do you have any idea how much time you're possibly in for? Robbery along with assaulting an officer?_ Several times_? I suggest you keep quiet until you have a lawyer present."

The dark-haired man just shrugged and allowed himself to be put in the back of Kirishima's squad car without a fight. Katsuki closed the door in an irritated fashion and glanced back over to Izuku who was staring down at the pavement in thought.

"Well...um, good job, Midoriya! That was actually really impressive. You got a fierce set of legs on you." Kirishima said with a smile on his face and gave his signature thumbs up before turning to Katsuki. "I'll meet you guys at the station?"

"Yeah, sure. That's fine," Katsuki mumbled trying to wrap his head around what just happened.

Another puzzle piece that didn't fucking fit in the picture that is Midoriya Izuku: Why did the greenette know someone who was robbing a damn store?

He looked off to Izuku who was already getting in the passenger seat of his squad car.

. . .

They rode back in relative silence with Katsuki gripping the wheel on and off.

He was trying his best to connect dots like the problem solver he was, but none of them were coming around in a logical manner. He thought about the suggestive drip in the perp's voice and his mind could only supply him the answer of Izuku's possibly hook up habit.

"I know him from college...if that's what's on your mind. His name is Shindo Yo." Izuku said, pulling Katsuki out of his own headspace. Red eyes glanced off to the other next to him who kept his gaze forward. "I haven't spoken to him in years. I had no idea about what he's been doing since."

"Do you have any idea why he'd be robbing a jewelry store in Shizuoka City if he's from Yaizu?" Katsuki bit out, trying to make sense of it.

Izuku was new to the town. The chances of him running into someone he knows should be extremely low.

"No. Really, no clue," At this the eldest watched Izuku's shoulders sag and the greenette threw his head back against the grey seat head. "A lot of people from Yaizu come to Shizuoka City because of the proximity so that's not really surprising. But...truthfully, that was more disappointing than I ever thought it would be. My first arrest here and it had to be something like that."

A small sad frown was on the face and it made Katsuki loosen his grip on the steering wheel. He thought about it more and what the greenette said.

With a sigh the ash blonde decided then to stop reading into too much. Despite it irritating him, it was logical that plenty of people end up knowing someone who diverged off onto a sketchy path.

Katsuki knew some himself, even if he didn't per se arrest them first hand like Izuku had just done.

"Did you ever think he was going to end up doing something like that?"

"No," the voice whispered truthfully making Katsuki feel mild sympathy for him. Maybe he did know the guy well enough to be affected by seeing him end up that way.

"I always knew Shindo wasn't the straightest arrow but...I had no clue he'd fall that deep."

The mood in the car felt thick and solemn making Katsuki feel sympathy for the officer next to him. He glanced once more at the greenette beside him before carefully picking his next words.

"You did a good job overall, despite the run in." Katsuki tried to praise and shift the mood. He saw out the corner of his eye the other turn to him surprised at the compliment. He cleared his throat awkwardly when he felt his face grow hot as he spoke his next words. "It was impressive."

_Past impressive_, his mind supplied for him.

"Really?"

"You heard me, nerd. It was good. You took him down in less than five seconds flat and had him pinned. It was a good job, okay? Shows you're fearless and that's what you need to be." He didn't need to look to know there was a wide grin spreading across freckled cheeks.

"Thank you so much!"

"But don't let it go to your head, small fry. You still have a long way to go." He quickly retracted trying to maintain his authority, but he couldn't help but let it slip slightly.

"Of course. Thank you, sir!"

"Don't mention it. Really. Don't." He turned to smirk at the male in his passenger seat and felt his heart slightly thud when he was greeted with a warm smile.

_That's better_—

"Bakugou," Toshinori's voice cut clear and loud through the radio head making two turn their attention. "Are you there? We have an emergency."

All thoughts ceased at the sound of the Captain's tone of voice. Both sets of eyes locked onto the radio and the white noise that echoed on the other end. Katsuki quickly picked up and spoke into it, pulling the patrol car over to the side of traffic.

"What's the emergency?"

"We have a hostage situation on Kaze Ave at Sekai Bank…and they requested to speak to you."

. . .

Bakugou Katsuki has never dealt with a hostage situation before.

No, not a serious one. He's talked domestic abuse situations down when someone was holding a spouse or child against their will, but never something like a full out hostage situation with over twenty people trapped inside by a stranger.

A stranger that requested to speak to _him_.

It made him nervous, something he usually never felt when working.

His mind was cruel and aligned this event to the issue with ten officers being dead because of him four years ago. He wouldn't fail anyone this time. No. He wouldn't.

He _couldn't_.

But despite trying to talk himself up, it didn't shake the pickle of ominousness that hovered in the air when him and Izuku walked onto the scene. The greenette hovered close to his side confused as well at the massive amount of people on the scene.

There was a long line of squad cars separating the two sides of the situation with the entire building surrounded by men in navy blue. The red lights from the cars were flashing silently giving a glow to each person's face. Everyone was murmuring between themselves with deadly serious expressions on their faces in full out bulletproof gear.

Sekai Bank was an old structure mixed with brick and wooden panels all around inside for the entire three stories. The lettering on top of the building was engraved into the grey stone giving it a more western look as it sat alone on the wide street without any close neighboring buildings in proximity.

"Bakugou, over here." Todoroki's voice cut in and motioned the pair over to their location directly in front of the doors behind the man-made barrier of cars. The dual haired officer was wearing a black bulletproof vest with 'Shizuoka City Police' written in bold white lettering across the wrong with black leather gloves on.

"Todoroki, what are the details?" Katsuki's low voice cut sharp. His mind was racing, and his red eyes were looking intensely at the wooden doors. The doors that twenty innocent people were behind with a singular man holding them against their will.

"There was a call made by one of the hostages saying they were all being held against their will. The person holding everyone captive made the person dial the UA precinct and request for everyone to come over, but when Iida tried to go in and negotiate he was stopped at the door by one of the hostages and asked if he was you."

The information made Katsuki's heart drop down low and Todoroki continued on.

"Iida said no, and the information was relied to whoever was inside...and then the hostage came back and said the man specifically asked for you. Bakugou, for some reason he _only_ wants to speak to you. Do you have any idea why? Was there someone you could've made an enemy with recently?"

"I've arrested a lot of people, but no. I can't think of anyone that would hold a personal vendetta."

"Well, go get suited up. We're going to have to send you in, okay? Be careful. We don't know what he's planning or is trying to do."

The blonde nodded slowly taking in the full situation.

His mind was racing but somehow still blank at the same time.

While suiting up Katsuki tried his best to search his memory for any possible criminals that he could've pissed off within the last year or if there was something that could've linked him back to a criminal.

But he couldn't find one that stood out to him at all. There were too many short ties that he had. He had arrested plenty of people and his face was on the news a lot.

It could anyone.

When his normal gun was taken from him and the vest with the word 'negotiator' was strapped onto his body with a small pistol carefully hidden inside of his waist, Katsuki took one deep breath in and scanned everyone's faces.

Toshinori looked intensely serious standing off to the side with everyone and several officers were gazing at him as if he was walking into a death trap.

It was in this moment that he finally looked at Izuku who had a worried expression on his face that looked the same as everyone else's.

He slowly took a step past the barrier lines walking the barren ground of the street alone. He looked back briefly at green eyes that looked scared for him.

But he shook his head and walked up the stone stairs to the wooden doors. He knocked carefully holding his breath.

There was a creek of the door and a teenage girl with bright blue eyes and brown hair answered. She was wearing a pink sweatshirt with the word 'love' on it in kanji and there was blood dripping down her forehead as if she had been hit in the head with something. The blonde officer felt his stomach churn.

The man assaulted her with something.

"A-Are you B-Bakugou Katsuki?" She asked, small. Her voice shook and Katsuki stared at her intensely nodding. He had to get these people out of here. He had to.

When the young girl saw his head nod affirmatively she stepped inside for him to enter and slowly but carefully Katsuki took several steps until he was inside.

The atmosphere in the bank was thick, and it was dark. All the lights were killed and there were people cowering on the white tile floor. Some were holding each other, others were crying softly curled into their person not looking up.

The energy they gave off was absolutely terrified.

Red eyes scanned the room to find a man in all black sitting crossed legged on the registered counter off to the side with a machine gun in his lap. The sight and registration of the weapon made a shiver involuntarily climb up Katsuki's skin.

The man was flicking on and off a small lighter in his hand without looking at him.

_This is...serious._

Katsuki slowly approach the person who he pinned to be in charge that was turned away from him. He had black sneakers on, with black pants and he was wearing a non-discrete black hoodie that was pulled all the way over his head, showing no hair.

Black gloved hands played with a lighter that was being flicked on and off over and over again, creating the only sound to be heard outside of the small whimpers from the hostages.

When the blonde was fully in front of the man, it was then that the mysterious figure finally turned around in what felt like slow motion.

The man in the black hoodie faced Katsuki head on revealing a face that was entirely covered by a black military gas mask.

The eyes were protected by a black one-way cover screening that gave back the officer's reflection in an eerie sense.

All he saw was his own weary red eyes looking back at him.

"Ah, you finally made it." The distorted deep voice spoke. "Took you awhile."

"I'm sorry about that," he spoke carefully. "Tell me what you want, and we can begin the negotiations."

A sharp, crisp distorted laughter echoed into the air and the flickering flame stopped. The man slowly pushed the large machine gun off to the side to maneuver down from the counter and face the dutiful officer at eye level exactly.

"I don't negotiate. Especially with people like you, _Katsuki_." The voice hissed out with intense hatred. The use of his first name made the blonde frown deeply.

This whole thing suddenly feeling very personal.

The dark figure then moved to the side and circled him slowly like a vulture assessing its already dead prey.

"But I do think you're going to be the person to give me what I want." He stopped full circle back to straight on eye level with the slightly afraid destined negotiator.

"What is it that you want? Tell me what it is, and we can do something to help spare hurting anyone."

"Oh...but lieutenant. What about me? I already am hurting," There was a snarky tone as the man put his hand above his heart in a fake way. It made Katsuki feel sick at how strange the man was acting. "I don't think I care too much about everyone else's hurt at the moment."

"Look, I don't want anyone to get hurt...including you. So, just tell me what it is that you want, and we can move past this quickly."

"Ah. Where's the fun in that?"

The man leaned back against the counter and picked up his lighter again to flick it on.

"You're a smart man, Katsuki...it's why I asked for you specifically. We're two sides of the same coin. We both like problem solving and puzzles. So, I'm giving you one."

_Is this guy fucking for real…? Something's not right._

"Lieutenant at the tender age of twenty-seven, several impressive awards, and you even got recognized in an award ceremony in Tokyo two years ago right alongside the famous police chief Todoroki fucking Enji." The last of the sentence was dripped in just much hate as his name.

Katsuki made the quick connection that the man didn't like cops.

The flickering orange flame went out again right before coming back on. Against the darkness in the room, the dancing orange flame seemed to glow brightly like it was the only light inside of the entire universe.

"Do that shit you do all the time...figure out what I want." The lighter was put away and the gun was picked up. "Tick tock, Katsuki. Before this gets messy...I'm not a patient man."

The masked man gestured his head towards the door for him to leave and red eyes glanced around afraid at the bodies on the ground still crying.

The whimpering sounds bounced off the tiled floors and carefully the blonde backed out of the building with his teeth clenched.

He didn't take his eyes off the man in black and the figure didn't take his eyes off of him right back.

. . .

"Do you know what he wants?" Toshinori asked very serious. They were all standing behind the squad cars that were close to the doors and not a single soul could figure out the mysterious situation in front of them.

"No. He told me I could figure it out because I was a quote 'smart man' unquote. I have no idea what it is that he wants."

Katsuki hated to admit it but he had no clue what this could all be about.

The man obviously knew him. He tracked the blonde's record well enough to know very specific details about him that you can't get just from looking at the UA precinct web page like his age and the fact that he was at the award ceremony with the eldest Todoroki.

"Something's off," Tenya whispered confused staring above his glasses at the windows. "Did he give you any hint of what he could possibly want? Or why he's doing this?"

Katsuki shook his head regretfully. "No...but I can tell that he's not fond of cops. So, there's that. We need to be careful, he's clearly resentful of something."

The blonde leaned against one of the cars next to Izuku who was remaining very quiet trying to figure out what was happening right alongside everyone.

More time went by as all the UA officers tried their best to figure out a way around the situation. Quickly other back up came like the fire department, bomb squad and officers from other precincts.

But when all heads were put together no solution was found.

They all concluded on trying to silently raid the premise and take down the hostile individual inside with as little casualties as possible.

"Do things like this usually happen?" Izuku whispered from beside him when high ranking officers started putting on their black and green raid gear.

Red eyes look over to worried green ones and saw that fearless gaze, but it was coupled with well-earned deep concern.

"No...this is completely out of the ordinary," he whispered harshly looking back to the wooden doors.

He went over the exchange in his head and found his skin crawling from it as he replayed the flickering light in his head over and over again. He saw the teenage girl's face, along with the small trickle of blood that was on her forehead.

The reflection of himself in the dark mask flashed in his head.

Slowly, an underlying smell leaked into the air making Katsuki pause his thoughts.

He took a whiff of the air and rose up from his leaned position to look around. He saw Tenya, Momo, and Todoroki all pause as well when the scent got more potent.

"What's...that smell?" Katsuki's deep voice asked carefully unsure of what was happening. He looked around for the mysterious odor that was quickly filling the space with narrowed scarlet eyes.

"I don't know…" Todoroki said taking a step forward when the rapid oncoming smell got heavier. "It...kind of smells like—"

"—Gasoline," Izuku whispered with a shaky breath.

Katsuki whipped his head down at the male next to him who had wide blown eyes staring at the door.

In a quick second everything fell out of place, turning all the UA officer's lives upside down all at once for the worst.

A violent snap of a large explosion detonated into the air rocking the ground under everyone's feet and Katsuki reached to grab Izuku yelling 'get down!' before his brain could process what was happening. He tossed their bodies on the ground behind the squad car for protection as screams filled the air.

Four more large, unforgiving reverberations went off quaking the ground.

The crumbling of stone could be heard as people scrambled back away from the building trying to take cover. All the squad cars sirens and alarms went off from the loud vibrations that raked throughout everyone's bodies, unwillingly instilling terror inside of each one of them.

Katsuki reached down and wrapped an arm tightly around the smaller body underneath him and placed his forehead low on the ground, squeezing his eyes with a terrified mind that had yet to process what just happened all too quickly.

Several moments passed and the only sound that could be heard were the blaring alarms from cars and the sick crackle of fire.

The air felt intensely warmer and slowly Katsuki lifted his shaking head from off the grey pavement.

When he looked up his heart sunk straight down into the ground.

The old building was up in flames, being engulfed in a hungry manner. The orange fire consumed the entire building quicker than anything Katsuki has ever seen and he could hear screams coming from inside as the building was lost along with all the people inside.

The warmth of the flames against his face felt like a threat, a failure, and deep down inside he knew this was only the beginning.

Staring in utter disbelief, Katsuki glanced around at everyone behind him and saw all faces wearing the exact same horrified expression.

But when he went to make a move to lift up, there was a hand clutching tightly onto his shirt below him stopping him.

Red eyes gazed down finally registering Izuku underneath him. The left bandaged hand of the other was quivering violently as it held onto him for dear life and there was a single tear that escaped past his tightly shut eyes.

But that wasn't what off set Katsuki, no. That wasn't what made his stomach turn sick.

It was the look of absolute petrified terror that was undeniably on Izuku's face as he laid there on the ground frozen, shaking uncontrollably.

* * *

**?: [MYSTERIOUS ARSONIST HAS ENTERED THE CHAT]**

I hope you all liked this! Please let me know what you think below ^_^ I love comments~

See you guys next time!

**Preview of Next Chapter:**  
The sharpness of silence that cut into the conference room was enough to feel like a knife dragging across Katsuki's skin. All the UA officers were speechless sitting side by sit in small blue chair. The blonde lieutenant was currently sitting with his elbow on his spread out knees, hands clasps and slouched forward with his head down staring at the ground. The weight of what he witnessed slammed against his shoulder blades.

Toshinori cleared his voice and red eyes slowly looked up to the captain who was standing in the front of the room. "It looks like for the first time in Shizuoka City history...we have an arsonist on our hands," his voice was low and heavy. "We have to proceed carefully."

Red eyes looked around the room at everyone, Momo, Tenya, Denki, Kirishima, and Mina. Each painted with pain across their face. However when he looked longer he noticed there was something missing. Or specifically someone. Izuku was no where to be seen.


	3. Spark

Hi all! Happy summer solstice :) Hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Warnings: Unbeta'd / another long chapter / sexual tension / romantic fluff**

* * *

**Chapter 3 - Spark**

.

.

.

Everything around them felt like white noise blending together in utter chaos.

Katsuki was trying his best to get a handle on the situation as he watched the fire department charge straight into action. Men in full black fire hazard gear instantly jumped up and knocked down the door of the building, rushing inside without a trace of fear into the all-consuming flames.

The blonde officer tried to make a move again but Izuku was still holding on too tightly, immobilizing him. With his ears ringing he tried to shake Izuku out of it but was only met with more quiet muttering as the new employee kept his eyes screwed shut.

Realizing Izuku wasn't going to snap out of it, Katsuki did the next best thing: he cursed to himself and leaned down to forcefully picked Izuku off the ground. He stood up with his arms tightly wrapped around the greenette's waist and back, stumbling slightly when the terrified man just held on tighter. Izuku clutched his shirt with both bands and buried his freckled face into his chest.

Any other time this would have affected Katsuki in a way that made his heart race, but right now he found it to be the very last thing that needed.

And it infuriated him.

This was not the time to act like some scared untrained teenager. They were policemen who needed to be fearless, and focused. _Not _adding to the massive amount of fear already in the air from the victims.

He opened his mouth to say something when suddenly Toshinori came by in a blur. The tall superior snatched Izuku off of him with a quickness Katsuki has never seen the captain act with before and it stunned him to see.

Izuku's hands were wrenched off his shirt and the large captain turned the twenty three year old around to face him. The Toshinori held him by arm's reach with both hands and carefully shook him by the shoulders.

"You're fine, Izuku! Open your eyes," the stern voice spoke loudly, trying to get into the detective's head.

But he was failing.

Slowly, Katsuki felt his ears stop ringing and all at once muffled noises crashed into him. He heard the crisp crackle of fire, and the loud crumbling building. He heard people crying and shouting. He even heard other officers scrambling but the clearest sound was Izuku's muttering.

"Shit," the deep voice of his captain cursed. He held onto the youngest tightly before looking around and setting his blue gaze on the lieutenant. "Don't just stand there, Bakugou! Get back immediately from this scene and let the fire department handle this!" The voice boomed with authority and the ash blonde realized he had stayed frozen way too long for such a serious situation.

Katsuki nodded and fast paced himself backwards as the sound of fire trucks in the distance blared quickly and closely.

It was then, standing fully back from the chaos, he saw everything for what it was.

The firemen did their best to put out the dangerous flames and get everyone out safely while blaring sirens circled around the area. There were people with burns, coughing violently, and some were still like lifeless dolls. They were each being carried out as water dosed the large flames.

All the policemen stood back watching the flames with a stunned blankness in their face. All but one.

Red eyes finally glanced behind him, to see Toshinori leading Izuku to a squad car that was off to the side. The captain got into the driver seat to ride away after he put the shaking young adult in the backseat.

Time felt like it stood still.

_What…just happened?_

. . .

The sharpness of silence that cut into the conference room was enough to feel like a knife dragging across Katsuki's skin.

All the UA officers were speechless sitting side by side in small blue chairs. The blonde lieutenant was currently positioned with his elbow on his spread-out knees, hands clasped and slouched forward with his head down staring at the ground. The weight of what he witnessed slammed against his shoulder blades unforgivingly.

Toshinori cleared his voice and red eyes slowly looked up to the captain who was standing in front of the room.

"It looks like for the first time in Shizuoka City history...we have an arsonist on our hands," his voice was low and heavy. "We have to proceed extremely carefully."

Red eyes looked around the room at everyone. Momo, Tenya, Denki, Kirishima, and Mina were some of the people he made weary eye contact with. Each person had pain painted across their face. However, when he looked longer he noticed there was something missing. Or specifically someone.

Izuku was nowhere to be seen.

"What happened, was not a failure on anyone. We don't know why the hostile individual asked for Bakugou specifically or what he could have wanted. One thing was clear though, this was a statement. Not a negotiation. He didn't give the police adequate time or information to receive anything, but he wanted Bakugou there to witness the building being burnt down."

What the captain said made sense, but it didn't make him feel any less guilty and like he had failed.

His mind kept supplying him the visual of his own reflection in the gas mask staring straight back at him. He kept seeing his own red eyes in the figure like an ugly mirror forcing him to see an unknown truth about himself.

_"We're two sides of the same coin."_

"I don't want anyone to let this sink their motivation—but let it be clear we will catch this man," The canary blonde man frowned deep with determination. "There was only one casualty out of the twenty people, a sixteen year old girl. Many of the others sustained serious injuries from falling debris or various degrees of burns and are being treated at the hospital. I will be giving a statement to the news outlets down at city hall within the hour about what is going to happen."

_Damn it all._ Katsuki's mind thought of the girl answering the door. He hung his head again and tightened the grip he had on his hands.

The meeting continued on and there was a point where Katsuki admittedly zoned out. He kept replaying the strange issue over and over again in his head. The captain continued his speech and there was a point when he saw Izuku walk in through the back door of the room with his eyes down low.

He narrowed his eyes at the greenette, thinking about the frozen behavior that was not needed in such a crisis situation.

After what felt like another twenty minutes, the meeting was finally dismissed, and everyone filed out one by one in silence.

Katsuki watched how dejected Todoroki and Momo's faces looked and how pensive everyone else's did. He walked out behind Ochaco keeping his head up and staring ahead until a large hand grabbed his shoulder and stopped him in place.

"I actually would like to speak with you for a bit," the captain's voice was dripped in seriousness.

Katsuki nodded for him to continue.

"I know you're probably beating yourself up over this, but I meant what I said about nothing could've prevented what happened back there." He wanted to believe the captain's words were true, but it didn't stop the image of the now dead, terrified girl from flashing in his head.

"...But if I just figured out what he wanted—"

"How, Bakugou?" The voice cut through his own words quickly. "How would you have known what he wanted? There were no clues given to you. Just some murderer in a gas mask who burnt down an entire building in mere minutes. No one could have stopped that. If he asked for Iida, or Todoroki, or Yaoyorozu, the outcome would have been the same."

At this Katsuki looked down and off to the side, but still said nothing.

"I know you, kid...please don't be too harsh on yourself about this."

The guilt-ridden twenty seven year old finally looked back up. Waiting for him were sympathetic blue eyes of the person he admired, and he felt himself calm a bit more.

"Yes. Of course, captain."

His superior was right. What happened was a vicious statement. The sick bastard just wanted an audience to go along with it.

But...he was worried about the open ended situation. They didn't know what he wanted, and he never got anything from them. Something inside of him told him that wouldn't be the last he saw of the masked man and it put him on edge.

"Also, we are going to have a little extra help from the precinct sergeant Monoma is at with this case...is that going to a problem in the future?"

That made Katsuki pause. That made him pause _hard_.

He looked at his superior knowing there was really only one right answer...as a professional. But he knew Toshinori was fully aware that there was obvious tension between him and Monoma. Ever since the Hero Killer issue four years ago, the two of them butted heads regularly. The blue eyed blonde officer was all smiles and charm in front of other people, but the second it came down to Katsuki he showed visible distaste.

He didn't even try to keep it a secret. To put it simply, Monoma was another goddamn thorn in Katsuki's side anytime they had to collaborate with the officers from the Bansai Street precinct.

"No," he eventually said, deciding he was going to show any more weakness today. "I can assure you that sergeant Monoma and I will get along fine."

"Perfect, that's what I like to hear." In that moment Toshinori sighed and gave a weak smile to his subordinate. "But, I do think you need a little headspace. So, I'm going to assign you a very delicate mission with Ashido to go on, okay?"

At that Katsuki perked up his ears. Doing any kind of work made him feel better. "What assignment?"

"As you know, Aizawa still hasn't returned from his undercover operation. He was trying to pinpoint, infiltrate, and take down the source of the drug smugglers over in the inland side of Shizuoka City. I suspect that something must have happened to him." Katsuki nodded with a frown on his face. He had been looking over the file for the past couple of days himself trying to see if there was any possible way to figure out if something could have gone wrong.

"He's never been out this much longer than his intended timeline. I need you to go find out what happened to him. If you do, it's a rescue mission, got it? Get in, get him back here safely, no arrests. If this goes well, send us the location and we can bust them on an ambush, but we first have to secure Aizawa."

He nodded sternly agreeing with the captain. "I can do that without an issue."

"Okay, perfect," a smile graced Toshinori's face and Katsuki found his mood lightening. "Finish up all your stuff for today, and then tomorrow you're going to give Izuku a refreshment on hand to hand combat training, so he can prepare."

Katsuki looked at Toshinori with a confused face. "He's coming with?"

"Yes? In case you forgot you're still training him, and I need him to shadow you."

The small mutterings of Izuku played in his head and it made him irritated to think. Izuku was seemingly capable of handling himself in the midst of action, that was shown when he took down the robber this morning. However, the burning build was a whole new issue.

They were two different sides of someone who needed to be the former at all times.

Bringing someone like that along would just be way to fucking risky, and way too much of a headache to try to look after. Katsuki reasoned this with himself and he looked up with a deep resolve in his mind before speaking.

"I don't think Midoriya would be cut out for something like this. sir. He clammed up severely the second things hit the fan just a couple of hours ago. How will he be well suited for an undercover operation like this?" _I don't need any goddamn deadweight._

"He's been undercover before, Bakugou. On top of that, a lot of people froze when that building went down, you included." The bright smile from his idol was gone and suddenly blue eyes got darker like a warning. The seriousness made Katsuki mildly regret his words. But only mildly.

"You'd be wise not to underestimate him, okay?"

"...yes, sir," he gritted out trying his best to show his displeasure with the circumstances.

"Now, go finish up your day. The three of you will be departing Thursday morning at dawn. I'll leave the folders for you to distribute before I head out to city hall, okay?"

The reluctant lieutenant could do nothing but nod. He kept imagining the worst-case scenario with the greenette freezing in the middle of them trying to rescue Aizawa. Then they would be responsible for dragging two bodies back and doing possible damage control.

He wasn't happy with this.

Not in the slightest.

. . .

When he finally got back on the seventh floor, everyone was positioned like they usually were. All eyes were glued on the flat screens hanging above, looking closely at the news coverage. The building was now in ashes with barely any structure left and everyone was confused at the attack.

There was still a stirring silence in the precinct and it hung in the air above everyone's heads. The blonde officer noticed Izuku standing by Ochaco's desk with a silent look on his face as if he was in deep thought.

For some reason the sight irritated Katsuki.

He walked past the two without saying a word or looking at Izuku in the face.

He could feel those green eyes gaze at him anxiously as if to say something or mention the _new _issue on the table. But Katsuki didn't address him, wanting nothing but space away from the greenette.

Being around Izuku was fucking with his head and after the fire he didn't know what to think anymore.

He rounded to his office to see Kirishima posted at his door as if waiting on him. When he approached, a look of worry was evident and weighed heavy onto furrowed red eyebrows.

"Hey…" Kirishima spoke first, looking at him with concerned red eyes.

Katsuki nodded to acknowledge him and gave a tight smile. "Hey."

"How are you feeling? I heard about what happened."

"I'm feeling as fine as someone can," he sighed out. "There was one casualty, but majority of the victims are in the hospital right now getting treated for burns and injuries. We were lucky the fire department was already on site and could act quickly."

"Yeah, that was lucky. Unfortunate about the casualty though."

"Extremely." He just nodded trying to compartmentalize and focus on wrapping up his day. "Did you bring in that thief? Is he talking or is he demanding to stay quiet until he speaks to a lawyer?"

"Well...not quite." Kirishima gave an awkward smile. "He's not being quiet but he's not saying much about the stolen items. He's actually demanding to speak to Izuku. Or at least see him...but I told him that can't be possible without you present since he's still under training processes for the next three months."

In this moment Katsuki looked over to Izuku who was getting something handed to him by Momo, possibly a case file to look over for her. Katsuki decided that he didn't know exactly why...but he really didn't want to approach Izuku after what occurred.

He tried to tell himself it was because he was irritated with the young detective and not because he felt like the greenette possibly needed a break after having a clear panic attack.

Katsuki briefly considered dismissing Izuku for the rest of the day so the other could properly bounce back from whatever issues had surfaced...but he buried the thought. He hadn't let anyone on his team leave early on general principal since he became their higher up.

"Whatever. I'll go speak with him by myself."

. . .

Katsuki walked into the interrogation room with an authoritative air like he always does.

The room was small, grey, and held a singular metallic table with two black chairs positioned on either side. There was a one-way mirror positioned behind him when he sat down that he knew held Kirishima on the other side.

Red eyes locked onto brown and instantly the young man in handcuff's mood soured.

"Still not the person I wanna see," Yo groaned throwing his head back slightly. "I thought you guys were detectives? You can't figure it out by now? Izuku. I-Z-U-K-U! The pretty boy with curly hair. Get me _him_."

Katsuki said nothing. His eyes narrowed dangerously at the person who was sitting at the grey table looking way to smug. He tried his best to push the events that just occurred in the back of his head and continue on about this like he wasn't on edge.

"Why do you want to speak to him so badly? Just because you're acquainted form college doesn't mean you're going to be exempt from being detained and given time for theft."

"Oh...is that what he told you?" Katsuki paused and rose an eyebrow when a taunting smirk suddenly appeared across the pale male's features "We're way past acquainted, sorry to say. Plus, there's nothing wrong with wanting to see an old fuck buddy before you're put away. Is there?"

"_Excuse me_?" Katsuki sneered in disgust and visibly moved his head back at the information drop. He blinked hard once in shock at the person in front of him. "You need to watch your tongue and how you speak about officers—"

"—But I'm not talking about an officer. I'm talking about reckless Izuku who used to come _crawling _to my door begging me to fuck him silly." The words jarred the blonde enough to stare long and hard at the man across from him. Yo picked up on the hesitation and smirked wider, leaning in closer to Katsuki's space.

"You seem like his type actually. Have you ever seen it up close? How he acts like he so desperately needs it or else he's gonna go crazy?"

That was enough to snap the last of the hot-heated young adult's patience. This piece of shit's holding time was up, today had enough speed bumps in it.

"We're done here, low life. If you're not going to say anything to help your case, then fine. You're going to have a hearing and go to jail immediately." Brown eyes rolled in annoyance at him as if he was saying something that was as casual, and it irritated the shit out of an already irritated Katsuki.

"Yeah, yeah. I already know that, not my first rodeo. I'm well aware how this goes. But give me some time alone with the other _low life _out there that's playing pretend, thinking he can actually be a cop. It's the least you can do for someone like me."

Katsuki gritted his teeth and stood up immediately. "Absolutely fucking not," his voice dropped several octaves, trying not to let the words pierce through his head but he couldn't.

_What the fuck does he mean by other low life?_

Obviously, this guy was trying to fuck with them. Or more specifically he was trying to fuck with Izuku. Katsuki tried to reason he didn't know the real nature of their relationship nor did he know how it ended. The only thing he did know was that this man was handcuffed and had nothing really to lose.

Who would believe the ramblings of a criminal handcuffed in a grey room? He's seen this dozens of times over and over again.

But the words still scratched at the back of his head adding to his already growing curiosity.

"Kirishima, start filing him in the system." He kept his eyes on Yo's in complete disdain. "This is done."

There was a single short, curt laugh that bounced off the walls in the room when Katsuki turned away and walked towards the door. He put his hand on the cold silver handle to leave, but right before he did, he couldn't help but replay what was said to him again.

_Low life._

Katsuki looked back at the young man who was gazing at him in a knowing way.

He unwillingly pictured Izuku with those unique green eyes crawling slowly towards Yo.

. . .

The words kept repeating in his head. _Other low life._

He referred to Izuku as a low life, just like him. A thief and cop assaulter who tried to run away from law enforcement without a second thought.

Izuku: someone that Toshinori clearly cared about more than just another person off the street or someone that was just another low life that they arrested on the regular.

Just fucking great. Another damn contradiction that added to his unneeded headache.

Katsuki kept his eyes focused downwards on the papers in front of him trying to write away his troubling thoughts while he was sitting at his desk. But he kept seeing a vision of Izuku shake. He kept seeing the masked man and his own reflection staring back at him. He gritted his teeth to try to increase his concentration.

"...yo, are you okay, Katsuki?" Kirishima's voice cut through his thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm fuckin' perfect why wouldn't I be?" Katsuki didn't look up as he kept going trying to keep focused on his work. His work that he fucking needed to get through, so he could go home—

"Because you've snapped three pencils in half since I've been in your office with you." Another pencil broke with a loud sound as soon as the sentence finished. Katsuki, with muscle memory, just picked up the next one out of his orange pen holder without missing a beat.

"These pencils are just weak. Whatever grade of wood they've been using to manufacture is shit," he grumbled. The redhead looked off to the side worried and scratched the back of his head.

"Um, I don't really think that's how it works—" but the words died off quickly when Katsuki whipped his head up with a visible look of irritation charged towards Kirishima.

"Did you want something specifically, Kiri? Or are you just here to talk to me about how weak my pencils are?" At that, the best friend put his hands up and shook his head. The sergeant laughed a little to try to break the tension.

"I just wanted to check on you—"

"I'm fine. Really," Katsuki said again, completely lying. He wasn't fine he just wanted to go home but he didn't want to show any weakness and let any of the case files he had planned out to get done today slip through his fingers.

"Here, give these to that damn green haired headache outside of my window to look over and tell him about going on a rescue operative for the Aizawa case bright and early Thursday."

Kirishima's worried eyes glanced out of the shuttered window and back to the blonde who now had his head in his palm, gripping the pencil in his other hand way to hard again.

"You don't want to give these to him yourself?"

"No, I really don't. I need some space, so I can start preparing for this op. An op that's going to be a million times more difficult because Toshinori is making me drag possible deadweight along."

Kirishima put on a pensive face as he studied the tenseness in his friend's shoulders.

Deep down, the best friend wants Katsuki to talk to the greenette more because of what he saw yesterday being so rare but...things were difficult. Everyone was stressed, so he let it go and grabbed the papers.

"Okay, I got it."

. . .

Kirishima did as he was asked and debriefed the new employee with his characteristic smile. However, the greenette himself couldn't help but glance off to the side through the shuttered window at the slouched over blonde-haired man.

Katsuki missed the concerned gaze from Izuku when the lieutenant locked himself in his office for the rest of the day.

. . .

When Katsuki went home to his apartment that night, he told himself he didn't mind the emptiness.

He told himself he didn't mind that the only sound of life outside of his own was the breeze rattling the hinges on his windows. It didn't bother him that he had a terrible day and there was no one there to comfort him or reside his worries with at home.

The blonde kept saying these things to himself and ignored the clear clutching of loneliness in his chest as he took everything on by himself. His bedroom felt unusually cold this night and he tried to ignore it.

Katsuki climbed into bed early with a heavy heart that kept him awake for hours after.

. . .

The next day arrived slowly but when he woke up did what his job required of him: put what happened yesterday in the past.

He needed to focus on the new day ahead without getting distracted.

But on this particular Wednesday, Katsuki found it hard as he thought about the long road ahead. He had to give Izuku a refresher in hand to hand combat and defense. A large part of him didn't want to do it, not liking the idea of having contract that close to the greenette.

The night after the younger one rode back with him on ground zero had left him with ghost touches around his waist. He hated to admit it, but the warmness pressed against him had felt...nice.

But now he had to fucking deal with that shit again and try his best not to be annoyed about bringing the rookie along with him. In all honestly, he thinks Izuku should stay at the damn station but, like always, wasn't really his call. It was Toshinori's and he prayed to fucking Kami that his captain was right.

. . .

He arrived at the U.A precinct and it was surprisingly bubbling with life. Red eyes glanced to the clock to see it was 8:00am sharp and most of everyone was gathered getting their coffee or eating breakfast.

Kirishima, Todoroki, Momo, Mina and Izuku were all sitting at the table talking lightly. When the blonde closed the door behind him, green eyes automatically looked in his direction, glancing over a blue mug.

"Welcome home, Bakugou!" Kirishima grinned brightly at the lieutenant who was wearing his signature scowl.

"It's too early to be this annoying. Wait until after noon at least," Katsuki grumbled, walking straight past the laughing sergeant towards his coffee mug. He could feel those green eyes on his body as he started up the Nespresso machine, putting in one of the highest intensity tablets.

"How are you feeling, Bakugou?" Izuku's voice surprisingly spoke up. "...did you sleep okay?"

This made Katsuki turn around curiously and look at the detective, who was now staring at him with a look close to...caring?

The green eyes were on him and only him with an extremely soft emotion. Something about it made him warm but also confused considering out of the two of them, Izuku was the one who had a panic attack yesterday. Not him.

"I'm fine, and I slept fine," he bit out and turned around away from the feeling that was growing inside of him. He stopped himself from asking if the other was okay. "We're going to start combat training at 9:00 am, so meet me downstairs in the training facilities on the third floor. You too Mina, to moderate and help out."

"O-Oh okay! Sounds good, and I'm glad to hear you slept well," the tenor voice carried back to his ear. Katsuki ground his teeth at the sound of the stutter. _Why is he concerned with how I'm doing? The nerd should be worried about himself._

The workaholic turned around mixing his dark drink from black to cream colored with a wooden stirrer and laid his sights back on Izuku. The other seemed to be watching him carefully. There was a brief moment of eye contact and Katsuki felt his insides twist when green eyes translated nothing but worry for him with a gentle smile.

"Ah, Midoriya you're going to love combat training!" Mina smiled sweetly at the male beside her. "I heard from Kirishima that you took down a guy with one hand the other day. Really impressive!" Those green eyes tore away from him with an ounce of hesitation to give his full attention to Mina.

"That wasn't anything too big of a deal." The freckled man laughed and rubbed behind his neck nervously.

"Don't be so modest green bean," Kirishima joked and gave a hard pat to Izuku's shoulder. "You're a fuckin' beast and you should own up to it." The sound of airy laughter filled the break room, and everyone continued to talk more, continuing on about their conversation.

_Don't think about it. Don't think about it too much. _He reminded himself when he felt his thoughts ponder on the spark of something foreign in green eyes.

. . .

"Again," he spoke sharply to the empty room when Mina pinned Izuku to the padded ground effortlessly with a loud thud. "This lesson will only be complete once you pin Mina five times."

The match score for the pinkette versus greenette was now 5 - 2 in Mina's favor. The blonde gave a small sigh to himself and threw his head back against the wall he was leaning on.

They had spent the first half of the hour going through all the different techniques one by one and now it was the practical part where Izuku had to demonstrate if he could actually pin someone trying to fight him without injuring them.

Needless to say, he was completely displeased with this. He half expected Izuku to at the very minimum pin Mina three times in a row, but he didn't. It honestly seemed like he was struggling.

"Don't you think we've done this enough?" Mina exasperated backing off of Izuku with a tired expression. But Katsuki just 'tch'd.

"No. I fully expect him to demonstrate that he can pull five successful takedowns. I'm the one training him and this is what I need from him."

"Whatever, Bakugou. If you say so. I think three is enough personally."

"He hasn't even made it to three yet either. Now, go again. Just letting you know I'm not happy with what I'm seeing Midoriya."

Izuku gave a small sigh before lifting himself off the ground. He had changed into flexible black police pants and a normal navy-blue long-sleeved shirt that said 'S.C. Police' in white letters. Beads of sweat dripped off of his forehead, trickling past his temple and making his face appear slightly flushed.

"Sorry, I'm just a little rusty," Izuku said catching his breath and fanning himself slightly. He gave a goofy grin to Mina who gave one back, sweating herself in her own matching training outfit.

"It's completely okay! No problem at all." But Katsuki felt anger crawl at the back of his head with that comment.

_It is a fucking problem._ He knew this was how the training was going to go and it was infuriating.

"Okay, I'm ready," Izuku shook himself a bit before taking a wide defensive stance with his hands up in front of him. "Let's go!"

Mina charged at him and instantly Izuku sidestepped out of the way and grabbed her wrist to twist. The pink haired officer then shuffled her expert footing to the side and made a move to cross her arm and grab Izuku's free wrist.

Katsuki groaned to himself in this moment because he knew the second she did it was over. _Again_.

But, Mina didn't.

Or at least not right away. Red eyes watched her pause for two split seconds long enough for Izuku to snap his arm out of reach and twist his body behind hers quickly, successfully holding her arm in a pinned position and forcing the rose haired woman to her knees.

The anger under Katsuki's skin simmered stronger at the sight.

"Don't go fucking easy on him Ashido. I saw that shit." Both heads whipped up surprised at the accusation and Izuku stared down at Mina confused who looked at Katsuki baffled.

"I didn't though—"

"Yes, the fuck you did," the words were hissed with heavy levels of distaste as he stepped forward. "I know you and you don't hesitate. I saw you give him enough time to realize he put his body in a vulnerable position." Mina's gold eyes flickered to ground in a guilt manner and Izuku let her go so she could stand up.

"Do you think some kingpin drug pusher who wants to see us dead is going to go easy on him just because he's new? Or if he's going to have lackies that aren't going to injure us?"

Both got quiet before the sergeant finally replied. "No. I don't."

"Then why the fuck are you trying to give him a pass? You've been holding back this entire time. Stop treating him like he's soft."

Katsuki then laid his angry gaze on Izuku and the greenette mildly flinch at the heated look. The anger simmered more.

"If you're going to go easy on him then step out, Mina." His voice dropped low in a warning as he started unbuttoning his decorative shirt. "Pin me one time, then I'll let you go. If not then you and I are going to have a _real _fucking problem when you come along on this operative, Midoriya."

Both sets of eyes widened at the new declaration.

"W-Wait, What—"

"—Katsuki, that's unnecessary," Mina spoke up but Katsuki didn't really want to hear anything she said after what he saw.

"It's completely necessary. You're going too easy on him and I need to make sure if we're not bringing someone along that's _weak_." He shot a pointed stare at Izuku who's stunned face slowly changed to taken back. "I want to at least know if we're going to have to pull dead weight."

He successfully undid the dress shirt that had several golden pins on the chest to reveal a simple thin white tank top that left his arms bare. The angry twenty seven year old tossed the piece of clothing to the side and stepped out of his shoes. He kept his eyes on Izuku as he rolled his shoulder blades to get warmed up.

"I'm not weak," Izuku challenged back and his dark eyebrows slowly knitted together.

"Prove me wrong then, because based on what I saw, I think that description is accurate." Katsuki cracked his neck and stepped forward in front of the shorter male while Mina nervously glanced between the two of them, moving off to the side completely. "Now get in position."

Izuku's eyes narrowed and backed up on the padding, allowing room for the older man to step inside. Katsuki stood in offensive position while Izuku stood in defensive. At this close of a distance the blonde officer took note of their height difference, standing at least a head above of ruffled curls and a sparking defiance in green eyes.

Katsuki's eyes automatically moved to Izuku's muscles, noting they were fairly well defined in the tight long sleeve shirt he was wearing. Finally, he took in the bandaged left hand that was now clutched in a fist in front of him.

The eldest made the first move rounding quickly on Izuku and letting some of his frustration accidentally slip into the motion. Before Izuku could get a handle on what move Katsuki was going to make, the blonde snatched both of his wrists and moved behind him. A sharp twist shocked through his arm and made the curly hair man forcefully kneel down automatically.

Izuku let out a muffled grunt at the impact on his shins when Katsuki leaned his body weight into him from the back. The trainee felt soft breath tickle the shell of his ear as his higher up spoke in a low raspy whisper.

"You left your back exposed."

Katsuki let Izuku go and the greenette gritted his teeth and stood up again. He turned around wildly to glare at the man who just pinned him down with an intense amount of visible irritation.

Mina's gold eyes nervously shifted feeling the tension in the air slowly change to something else that wasn't quite clear.

The two took their stances once more, and again Katsuki pinned Izuku down but this time face down on the floor with a loud thump and grunt and put his mouth by other's ear.

"Down again, this time it was your arm."

And again.

"This is getting pathetic, Midoriya."

...and again.

The pinkette groaned out loud as she watched Katsuki flip Izuku backwards when the detective had finally got the upper hand to pin him.

The blonde quickly reversed the positions, showing no mercy and knocking the greenette off his feet. He shoved the other down with his arm to the ground with a loud thud and sneered into his eyes. His hand pressed firmly down on Izuku's heaving chest and the youngest flared his nostrils. Their eyes burned into each other with a look of clear irritation but mixed in with something else.

Neither moved, making the electricity in the air nearly tangible and the rose haired woman was almost frightened. She had never seen Katsuki treat someone this harshly in training before, but she's almost never seen him get this close.

She could feel the spark of competition ignite as Izuku's ragged breathing filled the space. Mina then saw the new employee get pushed over the edge of his own annoyance when he tried to get up but was firmly held in place by both Katsuki's strong arm and pissed off gaze.

"Bakugou...ease up a bit on him. You know you have more advanced training."

Izuku finally grabbed the older man's wrist with his hand, using his strength to move it off his out of breath chest. The freckled male slowly sat up to face the angry person above him. There was a singular beat of something heated between them as they got close. Each man could feel a mild temp rise when their faces were inches apart and Izuku didn't let go of Katsuki's wrist.

"No, it's fine. I don't want him to go easy on me," Izuku said lowly not taking his eyes off of the ruby irises boring into him. As he spoke, his breath carried ever so slightly over Katsuki's cheek, snapping the blonde out of the gaze they were locked in. The lieutenant snatched back his hand from Izuku's bandaged one and stood up off the smaller body beneath him.

"Maybe she's right," he grumbled readjusting himself, trying his best to ignore the clear heated tension that was stirring in the air. "You clearly aren't going to be able to do what I asked of you. It's becoming a waste of time. We're stopping." He started to turn away until Izuku rose off the ground and spoke up with a solid force in his tone.

"No, one more time. Again," the tenor voice demanded firmly. There was new a deep resolve laced between the words that made Katsuki turn around with a snarl on his face.

"This is pointless, you're not going to pin me—"

"I said _again_," Izuku cut him off and this time took an offensive stance that almost surprised Katsuki.

The eldest furrowed his eyebrows together and frowned deeply before taking a wide defense accepting the clear challenge.

There was a shift of something new in Izuku that both Mina and Katsuki sensed but the blonde-haired male was far too pissed off with Izuku not meeting his expectations to register it fully.

But Mina did. She stood up straight from her position on the wall and watched Izuku carefully.

"Fine. You asked for it. C'mon."

As soon as the words were spoken Izuku took the offensive move and immediately rounded behind Katsuki and harshly grabbed his wrists to try to twist him behind him. The expert officer then quickly shifted his weight and maneuvered his hands out of Izuku's grasp to turn around and try to grab the greenette. But he was stopped mid motion with a grunt when strong arms tightly encircled his waist. Izuku's knee roughly hit against the backside of his own, forcing him to buckle down.

Katsuki let out a curse and they both went toppling to the ground with the tallest falling in face first. Izuku used all of his muscular body weight to hold him down in place, but the blonde's fierce determination not to lose allowed him to forcefully turn himself in Izuku's arms, making their noses brush.

He tried to flip their position not liking the outcome but was stopped yet again. In a flash of lightning those muscular thighs mounted over his pelvis, pinning him down in place with his knees bent upright and his feet planted flat on the ground.

Katsuki was almost taken back by the force that was weighing down on him. Izuku was _much _heavier than he looked, and he was pressing directly on his crotch. The strain of their bodies together sparked a hard to ignore surge of heat in his chest, but he did his fucking best to push it down.

They tussled back and forth as Izuku almost managed to get control over Katsuki's hands to fully pin him. The friction against eldest's lower half sent multiple flashes of other thoughts through the blonde's head making his face started to flush unwillingly.

Suddenly, something coiled deep inside his chest and he tried his best to ignore the growing tightness in his lower belly.

He wasn't about to fucking lose to this goddamn weak ass nerd, not right _now_.

Katsuki looked up at Izuku being sure to hold his eye contact as he bit his lip and vehemently snapped his hips up to bounce Izuku in his lap. Green eyes widened in surprise and the detective stumbled in his grappling at the powerful rock forwards.

Taking full advantage of this, Katsuki grabbed Izuku's waist and quickly flipped their positions, trying his best to ignore the clear feeling of himself brushing against Izuku's backside and seated between his open legs.

He moved to grab Izuku's hands but got down right flustered when the youngest kept fucking dodging his ministrations with a speedy response. Izuku bucking upwards several times hard, trying his best to rock the person on top of him off while he kept a level handling on making sure he wasn't pinned.

With each buck Izuku gave, Katsuki found his face swell with more and more unwanted warmth until finally his will gave like a weak dam. He harshly ground down into the body underneath him with a full-on snarl, trying to get Izuku to give up.

The motion startled the greenette underneath him and a clear throaty groan shook through the room. The low sound shot something old and familiar all the way Katsuki's spine and his body worked on its own to give another harsh grind while staring directly into the green eyes.

Izuku bit his lip and muffled another keen from escaping as he tried once more to buck upwards and Katsuki just met him back with another powerful snap. Green eyes darkened while glaring into the scarlet gaze above him.

In a motion quick enough to give Katsuki whiplash, Izuku pulled his legs close to his chest on either side of Katsuki's waist, locked the surprised blonde in place and slammed the larger male on his back swiftly with a roll he put his entire body weight into.

When Katsuki regained his bearings, it was too late.

Izuku took his lightning quick hands and encircled Katsuki's wrists. He instantaneously stretched out the higher up's muscular arms above wild messy blonde locks on the ground.

Every figure in the room paused.

Katsuki was officially pinned in place with his hands above his head and Izuku in his lap.

Red eyes met green and the intensity in the room doubled over with hard, heavy breathing.

Katsuki tried his best to catch his breath and he could only listen closely to the panting from above him as Izuku's face was inches away from him. The strong legs pinned down his lower half pressed more into him as if letting him know who was exactly on top.

He wanted to tear his eyes away from the man above him that was searching his face right back like a mirror...but he couldn't.

The scent of that same flowery outdoors like cologne that the greenette wore the first time they met filled his scenes completely. Izuku's outline was encased in soft white fluorescent luminosity shining from behind him. The lieutenant couldn't help but think how this lighting and angle made Izuku look similar to the moon blocking out the light during an eclipse.

And he was _so _close.

This near to the new employee Katsuki noticed speckles of dark green in Izuku's large eyes and how varied in color his freckles were across a now perfectly flushed face. His mouth was slightly open from his ragged breathing and their chests were intimately close enough to feel the Izuku's elevated beating heart.

Katsuki forgot where he was for a moment when his eyes flickered down to pink lips and Izuku watched him do so...but didn't pull away. He just stared right back, looking unquestionably down at Katsuki's mouth pinned beneath him.

They were close. So extremely close enough that if Katsuki just tilted his head and lifted upward he could—

"...round to Izuku," Mina's whispered astonished and just like that, the spell he was buried under dissipated.

Katsuki was ripped out of whatever the fuck he had just got drawn into and was harshly slammed into reality.

He took a look around, glancing to Mina who was staring at him with a gaping expression, trying to register what just happened. What was _still _happening.

Then he took in everything slowly. The tussle between him and Izuku that included, bucking, grinding, and that goddamn _moan_.

_Fuck_.

He instantly recognized their current situation. Both of their..._situations_.

Izuku had pinned him. Fair and square. He pinned someone who was his senior with years more experience on him.

It should have been irritating but majority of him was happy that the damn newbie finally showed some capability. And it was a real fucking turn on.

Katsuki made a move to lift up his arms and get up but the second he lifted off the ground Izuku angrily snapped him right back down stunning both other officers in the room. The blonde's attention was fully back onto the panting mess above him.

Green eyes darkened to something that was beyond flirtatious as he leaned down impossibly closer to Katsuki's face. He pressed farther into the pelvis he was seated on making the oldest inwardly heat up.

Ruby eyes searched deep into the forest green one that were close to his face. While staring he saw someone determined, someone flustered, but above all he saw someone who wasn't going to be pushed around.

An emotion close to satisfaction resonated in Katsuki's body with this realization. The nerd finally stepped up.

"I'm not weak," Izuku hissed in a tone that Katsuki didn't think was possible from someone as seemingly lighthearted as the male on top of him.

If he looked back on it, Katsuki wouldn't have done what he did next. It sparked something dangerous between them that they would never be able to undo. He should've shoved Izuku off of him and pulled himself out of his intoxicating gravity.

But instead he leaned in closer until the green locks were brushing against his own sweaty forehead. The pressure on his wrists tightened and Katsuki fought with slight tension against it. Just enough pressure to flex his arms and see Izuku's eyes flicker to the side and clearly assess his body.

His breath ghosted over Izuku's lips as he gave a sneer of fierceness with his next words.

"_Good_. I don't like weak."

There was a beat of silence making conflict ran across Izuku's pale features and his grip on the other's wrists tightened harder. The same expression of conflict reflected on Katsuki's face when he felt Izuku's breathing become shallow and the smaller male slightly trembled in his lap.

If he didn't know any better, Katsuki could have sworn he heard what sounded like the world's most breathless whine in the world emerge from the detective's lips. It went straight down to Katsuki's groin because it felt like Izuku was...like he—

Mina cleared her throat loudly in the tense room, shaking both men. Then, as quickly as the heat between them came, it left.

Izuku wrenched his body off of him abruptly and Katsuki was left staring at the back of the treating figure. The blonde sat up and without his space being crowded, the air in the room rushed his skin leaving him feeling...

...cold.

Izuku didn't look back as he gathered his belongings and Mina couldn't pull her eyes away from the scene that had just unfolded in front of her.

. . .

Kirishima was sitting at his desk after lunch break part taking in a groundbreaking event.

He watched the timer on his phone intensely as he kept track of the single most important event unfolding at the U.A precinct: Denki balancing a pencil on his nose for now _three _minutes straight.

With Katsuki elsewhere, everyone on the floor was gathered around super intensely. Momo was filming, Ochaco was tweeting about it with pictures, Tenya was kneeled down with one hand on his chin and Todoroki held his fist over his mouth in anticipation.

The red-haired male's phone buzzed and broke his concentration for a split moment when a text from his fiancée rolled in.

"Uh, hold on guys! I got a text from Mina, but the timer is still going! Go DENKI GO!" He encouraged with a clap and everyone cheered.

**[Mina Knows Best]: UMMM? Did Katsuki know Izuku before he joined?**

**[You]: no, not to my knowledge why?**

**[Mina knows best]: I feel like I just witnessed the most insane amount of sexual tension I have ever seen in my life.**

**[Mina knows best]: I was honest to god scared they were going to maul each other and my innocence would be ruined forever ;-;**

**[You]: Wai do you mean? :O**

**[Mina knows best]: There's unresolved sexual tension there. I swear! Izuku PINNED Katsuki! And Katsuki looked like he very much, like *VERY* much liked it.**

**[You]: Ne? No way...No one's pinned Katsuki since...wait who has pinned Katsuki?**

**[Mina knows best]: Not a single damn soul in our department.**

**[Mina knows best]: They either know each other, or I just saw some fatal attraction level type shit**

Kirishima's went sky high in utter bewilderment rereading the texts his fiancée sent him. He was going to make a move to type out his next time when suddenly Katsuki came storming on to the floor.

The higher-ranking officer barged in with a look that could be read as either 'I fucking hate everyone' or 'I am so sexually pent up I could fucking murder someone'.

Everyone instantly scrambled for their desk, Denki's balancing pencil act forgotten as everyone tried their best to not get caught in Katsuki's disdain for people who slacked off at work. All eyes watched nervously as the blonde just…

...walked past them? The high-ranking officer went into his office and closed the wooden door without saying a word.

Kirishima tilted his head at the sight because he could've sworn that Katsuki was blushing—

Directly in that moment, an Izuku who was adjusting his collar walked in wearing a very clear flustered look. He gave a small, weak smile to everyone before hurrying over to his table and hunching over the paperwork that was left for him by Momo. Green eyes stayed glued down and he never looked to his side to glance into the office next to him.

The rest of the day went by without incident and Katsuki barely left his office.

But when he did around 4:40 pm, Kirishima saw his emotionally constipated best friend make strange eye contact with Izuku.

Katsuki gave an awkward nod of acknowledgement to the younger male and his cheeks pinkened. Izuku gave what looked like an embarrassed, small smile back before tucking tail and keeping his head focused down.

Kirishima watched amazed.

_Holy. Shit._

. . .

Katsuki was happy that Izuku was the only person since he joined the U.A office to ever pin him because that meant the rookie was skilled. Izuku had officially gained his respected.

However, Katsuki was _not_happy about the fact the phantom touches from Izuku were still lingering on his skin.

A whole damn day later.

The previous day after the combat training made the air between him and Izuku feel...different.

Izuku shuffled around him, being careful not to get too close but there was something similar to relaxation when they did talk or were in the same space. The cautious distance was something Katsuki was hella fucking thankful for because he didn't understand what type of pull the greenette had on him, but it was strong.

He could admit that to himself. There was something about the other, and he was very much attracted to whatever it was. So, it was good to keep that distance because he didn't really trust himself.

Which brings them to now, finishing checking into the hotel rooms on the inland part of the city beginning their operative.

Mina and Izuku were talking it up being cheerful and Katsuki was his normal silent self, taking in everything about the building. Elevator music idly played as they rode up to their rooms on the top floor.

Personally, the blonde was extremely thankful for this case. He hadn't been undercover in a while and it took his mind off the arsonist who apparently really valued his attention.

The imagine of himself in the mask was still haunting him at night time.

"I'm excited to see you in action, Midoriya!" Mina beamed throwing her right arm around Izuku's shoulders and smiling so brightly at him. The happy detective just smiled right back.

"I can say the same for you! Also, it's okay to call me Izuku, it feels strange to hear people addressing me by my surname all the time." Something on the tip of Katsuki's tongue wanted to test the name out but he didn't entertain the thought too long.

"Well okay, _Izuku_. Call me Mina then!" She giggled and Izuku reeled back surprised with a sideways look.

"B-But I can't, you're a superior officer."

"At least while we're undercover since the three of us are going to be getting fairly close...ne?"

Katsuki side cut his eyes at the woman next to him at the comment when a not so innocent smile graced over her face and those golden irises looked over Izuku's curls straight to him. Katsuki just shook his head with a frown at her and rolled his eyes. The elevator finally dinged and Izuku awkwardly laughed trying his best not to let himself get flustered.

"Ah, heh, yeah! I guess that's true. Okay, I'll call you Mina for now then." The trio stepped off into a narrow hallway with maroon carpeted floors and headed to the right with Katsuki leading them towards the two rooms.

"Yay, perfect! How about you Bakugou? Can we call you Katsuki while we're here?" Mina's voice asked from behind him and the lieutenant tensed his shoulders mildly thinking about Izuku calling him by his first name. His mind supplied the sound of all his first name syllables being perfectly pronounced off Izuku's tongue. Instantly he felt his face start to heat up. Yeah, no. _Nope_.

"Absolutely fucking not. It's Bakugou," his said firmly leaving no room for either to even fathom the idea. "I'm calling you Midoriya and Ashido as well unless we're in public while we're here. Don't even get comfortable with that shit."

"Yeesh. A 'no' would have sufficed. I hope you're not gonna be this uptight at the wedding next month," Mina grumbled and Izuku let out a small laugh.

"Whatever, we're here. Put your bags away and then meet me outside in twenty minutes, okay? We're going to follow in Aizawa's footsteps."

Both officer's faces switched to seriousness at the mention of the real reason they were there.

"I'm sure you two read over the case file so keep sharp. Rikiya Yotsubashi runs an underground drug pin somewhere in this part of the city but he has been slipping past law enforcement for over a decade. Aizawa went undercover because he got a lead that he pulls customers and possible future lackies from a local coffee shop. It seems to be connected for if you ask for a specific drink that's not on the menu, like a code of sorts."

"We're going to go to the shop soon and try to figure out how to get them to sell to us. Then from there, one of us has to act like we want to join in selling with them and find the location of their base."

"Sounds like a good plan," Izuku said with a serious head nod from beside Mina. They stood in front of two white painted doors with the numbers '807' and '808' on it in gold. Katsuki sighed as he pulled out their hotel cards and handed one over to Mina and kept the other for himself and Izuku.

Was he happy about having to share a room with Izuku for the next however many days? He told himself no. He had accepted that while yes, he was fully attracted to Izuku he didn't want to act on it. Him being that damn attracted to the greenette was just more reason to keep away from him. He didn't want to get to close and end up doing something they might regret later.

"Okay, see you boys in twenty!" Mina spoke and swiped into her room, but not before secretly shooting a wink Katsuki's way. The blonde grimaced and looked down at the greenette next to him, who was blissfully unaware of the teasing coming from the sergeant.

He swiped the card a little more aggressively than needed and opened the door for them to walk in together.

_Kami give me strength._

. . .

They arrived in casual clothes at a small non-suspicious coffee shop on the outskirts of a low-income neighborhood. It was near a business district allowing for men and women who needed coffee on their break to walk in and out and keep it bustling while still attracting the laxness of the younger crowd.

A soft indie song played quietly in the background of the setting. There were long wooden tables aligned directly across the white walls and small circle tables placed closely to the front. American vintage Mason jar lights dangled loosely from the ceiling giving of Red eyes scanned the room to check out the two cashiers at the register taking orders.

One was a tall, serious looking female with short curly brown hair and the other was a shy poised male with ginger hair. He then looked up at the chalk style menu above their heads that was littered with tiny drawings off coffee and smiley faces curiously trying to figure out how they were going to go about it.

The undercover trio took a seat by the window gathered around a small round table. Katsuki was wearing a plain orange t-shirt with dark blue shorts and black sneakers to try to relieve himself of the summer heat. Mina was in similar attire with a pink and blue floral top and white shorts. However, it did offset the eldest slightly that Izuku didn't seem to dress appropriately for the weather.

"Why are you wearing long sleeves?" He questioned slightly as he looked at the dark green item of clothing the other was wearing and his long blue jeans. "Aren't you hot?"

"O-Oh, no! I'm fine. I prefer long sleeves," Izuku quickly deflected and pulled at the sleeves of his cotton shirt. Red eyes looked down at the movement and then to Izuku's bandaged hand.

The curiosity scratched again.

Mina spoke up as she assessed the two baristas up and down. "How are we going to approach this?" Katsuki was about to say something, but much to his surprise Izuku voice his opinion first.

"Well, the quickest way to figure out something you want if to try to familiarize yourself with the seller," his voice was quiet as he looked down at his hands. "I think the girl would be the one in charge of selling versus the guy based on her posture and overall attitude."

Katsuki looked at the pair and silently agreed based upon their posture and how the ginger seemed to follow what she was saying when taking orders. "I think you're right. One of us has to go up and order and try to allude to wanting something other than latte or whatever."

"I can do it," Mina said quietly. "The ginger has been tossing looks my way since he walked in. I think he's been low key checking me out." She ran her fingers through her thick hair, and just like she said the red head watched slightly entranced before peeling his eyes away.

"Yeah, he also has been glancing at Bakugou's biceps," Izuku said and the man in question quickly knitted his eyebrows together, confused at the statement. He hadn't noticed that at all. "I think he's either just gotten out of something or he's looking to get in with someone, which makes him a weak link."

Mina smiled deviously before cutting her gaze to the blonde. "You're quite observant, Izuku," she complimented. "Sharp eye. Should we send in Bakugou instead to talk him up?"

Katsuki gritted his teeth annoyed at how they were talking about him but around him at the same time. "You could ask me directly if I want to do that—"

"—You'd be the better flirt, Mina" Izuku grumbled cutting off the fuming blonde. Green eyes rolled slightly before looking back down at the table to be inconspicuous. "I don't think the lieutenant here is particularly skilled in the art of charm." Katsuki reeled his head back, offended. He was a damn good charmer if he tried. He was just picky about who he liked and wanted. Was that really a damn crime?

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? I can flirt when I want to."

"Er...yeah you're right, Izuku." Mina joked and lightly bumped her shoulders with the short greenette. "Maybe you can teach him one day?" Katsuki made a face of extreme disapproval and Izuku winced.

"Fuck no—" "That would be pointless."

Katsuki snapped his eyes on Izuku taken back by the dig and the shorter male just shrugged at him in a silent 'am I really wrong?' type of way. The silent challenge irritated the workaholic making him frown deeper.

"I don't need any pointers from this damn dork on how to flirt." ..._even though he is good at it._ Katsuki automatically gave a compliment in his mind based off the close up display of skills he got not too long ago. "But, back on topic. Mina go find out from that kid whatever the code and see if he'll give you any connection."

He looked back at the sergeant, who was already readjusting her bra and flipping her rose colored hair to the side. "Gotcha, let's do this."

The curvy detective got up and smoothed out the wrinkles on her shirt before putting on her dazzling white smile.

Both men watched her do so and it was like witnessing a mouse get sucked in a trap. The ginger barista's blue eyes lit up at the sight of Mina approaching him to order. Unfortunately, the conversation was lost to both Katsuki's and Izuku's ears as they pretended to be interested in a one on one conversation.

"We gotta look busy, talk to me about something," Katsuki said quietly, being careful to keep his attention focused on the busy people walking outside.

"I'll just draw you instead," Izuku smiled softly as him before reaching down in his black backpack and pulling out a tiny hand size notebook and a green mechanical pencil. "I think it'll look normal, an artist in a coffee shop. I haven't sketched in a while and need to get a quick practice in."

Katsuki tilted his head in interest at the new object that was being flipped open on the table. _He draws…? _His mind was completely focused on how Izuku's hand started moving. Slowly but surely, the pencil worked making deliberate strokes with the grey lines on the egg colored paper. A fully content and relaxed face evolved Izuku and it was...soft.

_He did say he was the sad artsy type._ Finally, one puzzle piece in his head finally fit together about the mystery of a man sitting across from him. _But...why sad?_

Izuku was an artist of sorts. The thought made him feel almost happy. It pleased Katsuki to know the new info, it sorted out some of the jumbled facts about the greenette. However, it only fueled his deep curiosity to learn more about Izuku that he was currently fighting tooth and fucking nail.

He didn't want to be as interested as he felt, but he really fucking _was_. He couldn't even deny it anymore, not after the combat training.

Scarlet eyes watched slightly amazed at how quickly a rough portrait of himself was laid out on the paper. As time passed on, Katsuki bit his lip to stop a laugh when there was an aggressive stroke made to indict him frowning. The stifled sound drew Izuku's attention up to his eyes and the blonde leaned in slightly to stare down at the page on the table.

"I really frown like that?" His voice slightly carried with a rumble of rasp. Izuku grinned before leaning back in his chair and continuing on capturing Katsuki's likeness.

"Yes, you _really _do," the light voice mixed with laughter. Slowly, a tiny smile twitched on the stoic lieutenant's face.

"I guess that isn't all that charming, huh?" He asked. Seeing himself on paper look angry did put a part of him in check with how hot heated he could be. Izuku hummed in response and kept his eyes focused downwards, refining the drawing. There was a pause and Katsuki thought that he wasn't going to get an answer back until the detective spoke again, but much softer.

"It is in its own way," Izuku all but whispered. This made the blonde stare closer at the person across from him at the admission. "I was just teasing you, y'know? Just be yourself. There's no reason to change if that's just you."

Something inside his chest tousled about hearing the compliment. He wanted to call the feeling terrible, but...it wasn't.

Katsuki quickly looked over his shoulder at Mina. The pinkette was in full blown flirt mode off to the side leaning in and batting her eyelashes at the ginger man who was now completely taken. Part of Katsuki was relieved for her being distracted as he turned his attention to the man in front of him.

A question tipped over on his tongue as he thought more about their interactions, and curiosity took the wheel. He shouldn't be doing this. He shouldn't. But the more he watched Izuku in what seemed to be his true element, sketching with his skin appearing a warm tone in the sunlight.

"...do you...find it charming?" He asked in a hushed tone. Katsuki kept his eyes locked forward on the male in front of him, watching the expression shift slowly.

The smile loosened to a blank look and green eyes nervously looked ahead of him for a brief moment. Then, Izuku shyly looked back down to his paper and put his sketchbook in his lap to draw with more privacy.

The greenette tried to shrug nonchalantly before quietly said his next words. "Ah...silly question. I think we both know the answer to that one."

Izuku looked up again from underneath his lashed to give Katsuki a shy smile and the blonde felt his heart nearly skip a beat.

For the first time in his life, he couldn't think of anything to say back. His heart tightened ever so slightly staring into the round freckled face that was giving him what felt like the world's softest expression. Izuku made a move to draw again but his hand stumbled slightly, and his green pencil dropped, rolling by Katsuki's feet.

"Ugh, I'm so clumsy," the detective reprimanded himself. He leaned over to grab the writing tool, but the second he tried Katsuki bent down in a rush to pick it up first. Jade eyes widened at the quickness of the motion when the lieutenant held it out for him across the table.

A hesitant bandaged hand grabbed for the mechanical drawing tool, keeping his eyes on the man in front of him curiously. The eldest didn't know if Izuku did it on purpose or not but as he pulled the pencil away he felt the tips of their fingers brush in a motion that sparked waves in his skin.

"Well, looks like I got all the information on a lead and also a date that I will never be attending," Mina laughed quietly. She brought over three coffees in a cardboard tray for them with a perky smile on her face.

The pinkette walked up behind Katsuki and Izuku quickly shut his sketchbook and shoved it in his bag. Katsuki rose a singular dark blonde eyebrow at this but decided not to say anything. His skin was still tingling with the after feeling of them brushing so he stood up, grabbed the coffee and decided to refocus.

"Alright, perfect let's go back and debrief then," Katsuki said and the trio of officers left out back to the hotel.

. . .

"So, that's the plan?" Izuku said as they sat around eating take out donburi they had grabbed for dinner. They were in Izuku's and Katsuki's shared small hotel room with all of them sitting at the table with the blinds drawn shut.

"Yup, that's it. I hope this doesn't end up with me in the same boat as Aizawa. Please be sure to get in and out quickly so that Toshinori can come take them down fast." Mina sighed and instantly shoveled more food into her mouth. Both Katsuki and Izuku nodded, fully understand the direness in her tone.

After they got back to the hotel, Mina explained that the baristas were pushers for the main kingpin and she had successfully flirted her way into getting a location for where to purchase drugs from the ginger. The trio had driven to the spot with Izuku and Katsuki staking out and watching carefully from a distance and Mina carefully manipulated the man into thinking that she was not only interested in buying, but possibly pushing for them as well.

This part took an extremely long time and it left Katsuki on edge as they watched two more men come out and pat Mina down for safety before taking her privately in the back. She had emerged an hour later with not only a deal to get an 'interview' of sorts with the branch leader but also a full out location.

Which is exactly what they wanted.

"You're in good hands, Mina. Don't worry," Katsuki assured her. "You know I would never let anything happen to one of my own." Which was true. Katsuki would never let anything happen to any of his teammates. As much as they were downright stupid sometimes, he cared for them.

Plus, he needed to get the pinkette back in one piece for the sake of seeing his dumbass best friend possibly trip during a first dance. Along with seeing Mina in the wedding dress she dragged Katsuki around to several different shops for. He put just as much effort into this shit as the two of them at this point.

"Yeah, I know, still nervous. This never gets old or easier," Mina groaned and rolled her neck. "Plus! Always good to know whenever I partner up with you that we'll probably ten times out of ten get the guy. There's a reason they call Bakugou here the image of victory."

"Damn fucking straight," Katsuki mumbled. The blonde took a bite of the chicken in his food and gave a nod of agreeance to the woman across from him. His eyes shifted to Izuku who was now staring at him curiously like he was seeing something on his face. This caused the blonde to quirk an eyebrow at the younger one and Izuku just quickly looked away, with a pink that graced his cheeks.

"Well, I should really be getting to bed. They told me to meet up around 5pm tomorrow at the designed area. So, I just want to prep quietly."

"Okay, goodnight Mina!" Izuku piped up with that award-winning smile. Katsuki nodded to the woman and gave a hand signal.

"See you tomorrow," Katsuki's deep voice rattled out.

There was a click of the door and for the first time since the combat training the two men were left alone. Izuku stood up quietly and made a move for the remote to turn on the news while Katsuki went to change into sweats for comfort.

They awkwardly shuffled around each other in an atmosphere that wasn't uncomfortable, but it wasn't all the way relaxed either. In the end to just avoid it, Katsuki decided to lay down in bed and look over cases. Izuku curled up on his own twin mattress with his sketchbook doodling something that the lieutenant's pride wouldn't let him ask what.

When night time came, Izuku asked if it was okay to play some soft music into the background and the blonde nodded with sure. The melody filled the air along with light hums from the body next to him. With his eyes closed Katsuki silently appreciated the quiet company of Izuku beside him.

Usually he did this at home by himself but the feeling of a body next to him was...nice.

Something he hadn't really allowed himself to experience since Takeyama. There was something about the greenette next to him that felt different whenever he would go under cover with Todoroki, Sero, or Kirishima. It made him wonder why...what was it about Izuku that was so different?

Just when Katsuki felt his eyelids start to weigh heavy he heard the shifting of the blinds and the opening of the screen door. He peaked over to the source to see Izuku stepping outside on the tiny cement balcony of the room and lean again the black railing. The smell of rain snuck into the room and Katsuki sat up right to gaze curiously to Izuku's figure.

He sat up off the bed and wanted to pinch himself not to get close, but Katsuki's feral like need to solve puzzles drove him to walk outside. That's what he was at his core: a problem solver and Izuku felt like a problem. A complicated one.

When outside the world felt bigger. Night spread across the sky like a near blackness. The clouds outside blocked the stars and the light of the moon and the smell of clear oncoming rain was crisp.

"You could've stayed inside," Izuku said surprised, but he didn't move when Katsuki leaned against the balcony with him. "I just like looking around at different places I go."

"I'll do what I want. It's fine." Red eyes cut to the man beside him before looking forward himself. They were high up and everyone on the ground looked so small. The yellow and white lights of people in their houses contrasted brightly with navy blue of the atmosphere. "I have a question to ask you."

"Sure, what is it?" Katsuki nervously shifted on his feet before looking Izuku directly in his face. He licked his lips dryly wondering if he was about to tread on an uncomfortable topic.

"Are you afraid of fire? Be honest." He whispered. Izuku face stalled automatically and the greenette looked away from him. That's a yes. "I just want to know, for...future references. It's good to know these types of things about people on your team in our line of work."

"...I am," the voice was small and barely above a whisper.

"How come?" His eyes flickered down to Izuku's left hand automatically. The greenette's shoulders tensed for several moments before relaxing in a way that confused the eldest. A freckled face turned back towards him sporting the same fake smile he sported after learning Todoroki's surname.

He didn't like it and the non-genuine gesture made him frown.

"It's just a phobia. We're all afraid of something, right?" Izuku smiled tightly at him. "For some people it's heights, or spiders. For some it's even clowns. For me, it's just...fire." Well, Izuku wasn't wrong in his explanation. But Katsuki wasn't stupid—there was some other reason lurking. He was the king of defense mechanisms and he clearly saw Izuku's well-polished one rearing its head in full swing at the moment.

"How about yourself? What are you afraid of?" Izuku whispered and tilted his head at him. He looked down at the shorter male and realized it shouldn't be any of his business. His phobias were his own.

Ruby eyes looked into emerald and Katsuki sighed. The silence of the night time echoed around him and he looked around to the people on the sidewalk going on with their lives.

What _was _he afraid of? He never really thought about but slowly the images of being kicked out four years ago combined with the ten funerals he had attended. The words formed before the lieutenant could even accept them.

"Failure," he said deeply in all honesty. "I'm afraid of failing people." He looked at the couple kissing in the window in the building across from them. Usually in this moment, he would feel bitter at them for not closing their blinds and being private. But this time...he felt longingness.

Izuku didn't say anything back and feeling exposed in his emotions Katsuki looked back over into green eyes in a hesitant manner. "What? Wasn't expecting me to answer?" He smirked when there was a dumbfounded look struck across the freckled face.

"Truthfully, no. I was expecting you to call me a nerd or something close then curse at me," Izuku laughed and scratched behind his head with a genuine smile that made Katsuki return a soft one back. "But...that makes sense. You work yourself really hard."

The blonde just shrugged at this. "I have to. I don't want to let anyone down again."

There was another stretch of silence and Katsuki watched those uniquely colored eyes bore into his own. He could see the gears starting to turn in the younger male's head.

"...again?"

"Long story," the lieutenant said with an exhausted sigh thinking about everything that occurred four years ago. Katsuki turned away from Izuku and pursed his lips.

The air around them felt honest and there was a lot of questions he wanted to ask the greenette and he felt now was the time. Like how did he know Toshinori so well?

He drummed his hands lightly against the railing before attempting to speak up again, but the words died off in his throat when a single raindrop fell on his nose. Then another came, and another until they were pouring down on them in mere seconds.

"Fuck, it's raining," he hissed. He put his arm up to protect his face from the light showers and made an automatic move to go back inside. He fully expected the curly haired male to follow him but was, yet again, baffled when Izuku didn't do what he thought.

"Um, earth to Midoriya? Do you not feel the raindrops?" He called. Katsuki kept his arm up and squinted when Izuku just closed his eyes and smiled. He watched flabbergasted as the other officer just leaned his face up to feel the rain pour down on his face.

"Ah, wait, I love the rain!" The bubbly voice exclaimed suddenly full of life. Red eyes widened in confusion at the declaration and smile that graced across Izuku's face. "C'mon stay outside for just a little bit. The paperwork isn't going to grow legs and run away, Bakugou." Green eyes looked at him and locked him into that gravity.

Yet again.

Katsuki groaned under his breath as he looked over his shoulder to the stack of papers on the bed and then back to Izuku, whose hair was now getting curlier and shinier with the wetness. His face was glistening, and he seemed truly happy with a grin across his face. So completely opposite of that awful fake smile he was giving before.

"...whatever," Katsuki rasped out, deciding on his own that the paper word could wait. It wasn't because Izuku told him to chill out, but really because he knew the cases he brought to look over weren't exactly urgent. He stepped in front of Izuku who was leaning his back against the metallic railing with his head slightly thrown back, fully lost to the moment.

Katsuki tried to enjoy the feeling of the droplets beating against his skin, but he found it incredibly hard to do so. This was something completely out of his field of comfort, yet Izuku looked right at home.

"This is weird."

At that beautiful laughter filled the air and Izuku pulled his head up to look Katsuki in the face with a fully wet figure now.

"It's only weird if you let it be, just relax for a moment. Enjoy the feeling." Red eyes studied how the long dark eyelashes carried water droplets and they almost looked like tiny stars this closely. A smile spread across the lips Katsuki was focused on and he felt himself relax.

"Have you ever danced in the rain before?" ...and now he was unrelaxed.

"The fuck? No, that's absolutely ridiculous." He frowned but Izuku just smiled and carded a hand through his soaked curls.

"Well, try it with me! Right now." Izuku chuckled again and closed his eyes once more.

"E-Eh? The hell are you talking about Midoriya? Was there something in your rice—"

"No," the youngest cut him off sharply and then looked at Katsuki through eyes gleaming with amusement. "There was nothing in my rice. Just try unclenching for like ten minutes and sway a little. Enjoy the feeling of the sky against your skin."

The poetic analogy threw him for a loop and he was reminded of who Izuku exactly was: an enigma.

And it was so...different than anything in his life.

The blonde pushed his now wet bangs out of his face and saw Izuku follow the motion, looking captivated. The feeling of those shimmering jade eyes on him sparked a mild wave of reassurance inside of his chest.

Katsuki tried to move his broad shoulders but instantly in that moment felt downright silly. He stopped and shook his head at Izuku who in turn just continued to encourage him to let loose.

"C'mon! You almost had it," the bright contagious smile was back and Katsuki suppressed a half smile.

"How can I dance with no music? This feels...ridiculous."

"Just imagine a melody in your head. That's what I do, it's always easy when it's raining. The sound makes a tempo when it hits against something."

And with that Izuku close his eyes again and put his hands-on top of his head. Fingers entangled in the thick head of curls as Izuku stayed to move his body ever so gently. Katsuki watched, feeling himself sink deeper and deeper in that strange gravity surrounding them.

The shorter male seemed to be lost in the music in his head and Katsuki looked upon him in a new light.

_He really is the artsy type._

Seeing someone in front of him so loose and relaxed made Katsuki feel his shoulders untense for the first time in four years.

The older man didn't move his own body, but he smiled as he studied the younger one. Katsuki leaned against the railing as Izuku took the tiny balcony as a makeshift stage.

The blonde took the advice he was given and made up a melody slowly in his head. The tune went along with the light laughter in the rain.

Slowly, while watching Izuku he heard it. He heard the strings as the greenette bowed his neck and he heard the tempo when he twirled around in a silly fashion, sprinkling droplets into the pouring rain. He felt the change in beat speed up as Izuku smiled and then he felt it slow down when the greenette so beautifully pushed curls out of his face with his eyes closed.

When the bright grin slipped into a soft smile and the moves of the other began to stop, Katsuki realized it wasn't music he was feeling, but rather his own heart twist and squeeze. The greenette made one last small sway and stopped his foot in front of Katsuki's body.

Then like slow motion, green eyes slowly opened to look up at him and Katsuki felt both the music and his heart stop.

_He's...beautiful._

Katsuki said nothing as the thought resonated throughout his head. And for the first time since he met the greenette, he didn't try to fight it away. He was lost in the moment and now confirmed artist had made him set aside his emotional baggage long enough to be truthful with himself.

"...you're staring," Izuku whispered drawing him out of his trance. Katsuki then fell back into reality but it didn't change much.

He tilted his head looking at the man in front of him who made him feel different. He studied the dark eyelashes, and the wet face trying to understand what about him that was so...Izuku.

"...yeah...I guess I am," Katsuki whispered right back. Those green eyes looked at him with a new emotion and in the light rain they seemed to sparkle.

Red eyes raked over the smaller body in front of him and he saw Izuku shiver slightly from the breeze. The one action was enough to ground him from whatever cloud he had just been floating on. He remembered exactly what they had to do tomorrow, catching a cold wouldn't be ideal.

He sighed out loud, reluctantly pulling himself out the spell. He then gave a half smile to the tiny improvisation dancer in front of him.

"It's starting to get chilly. Let's get to bed," he said and gestured towards the door. Izuku sighed but nodded right back and the two walked back in and Katsuki closed the door with a little sadness that the moment was over.

They showered, got in their separate beds and Katsuki was lulled asleep to the melody in his head that reminded him of Izuku.

. . .

Katsuki was stuck in a vortex of hot and cold.

His senses were tossed back and forth as searing heat touched his skin and then moments later he was left alone by himself to deal with the cutting chill in the air. His dream was surreal and like he was somehow floating and grounded at the same time. He tried to run but found with every step he took he sank further into a wrathful ice-cold ocean that was in flames on the surface. He didn't know which fate was worse.

The flames from beneath his feet slowly started to reach up and grab his legs, sinking into his skin. The fire hands pulled him down trying to drown him. He screamed at the fierce burning contact they grappled him in and struggled against the imprisonment. But his effort were useless. The more he struggled the more he found that he was sinking further and further into the deathly cold water.

Wide, afraid blood red eyes looked down to the water to try to free himself, but he was met only with the watery image of himself that slowly shifted to the man in the mask.

The reflection tilted its head at him and flipped a coin.

. . .

Katsuki woke up in a violent start. His breathing was heavy, and he was trying his best to come off of it.

_Fuck. What was that? _He thought to himself as he rubbed his eyes vigorously. His heart was pounding in his ribcage as he tried to get a handle of his bearings. He realized it was just a dream. A terrible fucking dream but a dream. He wasn't drowning and he wasn't being dragged down by hands made of fire.

He squinted at the clock and noticed it was 3:34 am and he decided immediately that he needed to go splash his face with some cold water to rinse whatever bad mojo that was away.

Too tired and in his sleep haze, Katsuki didn't notice the empty bed next to him. He rubbed his eyes tiredly as he made his way for the bathroom door. He didn't take notice that the light was on as he pushed it open without much thought.

The wooden door immediately hit something solid and Katsuki readjusted his squinting gaze to whatever obstacle standing between him and sink.

But his eyes blew wide with what he saw.

Standing over the sink was Izuku. Bare chested and his arm was completely un-bandaged, like he was in the midst of changing the material.

Ugly burn scars of all degree crawled up his left arm starting at his palm and stretched across pale skin to finish at his shoulder. The scars were old, raised and keloids were littered across in some places. The tissue was pink and in some places purple but the massive amount of surface the burns covered was shocking.

Katsuki opened his mouth to say something but stunned green eyes quickly panicked. The next thing he knew, the door was slammed in his face.

He stood there unsure of what to say as he fully took in what he saw. The image replayed in his head as he finally got another missing puzzling piece of Izuku.

But this time he didn't know if he was exactly happy to know it.

* * *

Let me know what you think below! Love feedback and reviews :) they fuel my inner writer to keep going nom nom. Happy readings I hope you enjoyed!

**Preview of next chapter: **  
Katsuki watched taken back, fully not expecting the energy rolling off of Izuku. The shorter male placed a blank bandana over his mouth and nose carefully, and it seemed almost like he's done it before many times before. Green eyes closed for one moment as Izuku took a deep breath in, and when he opened them it was like a flip was switched. All the innocence and niceness that lingered within the irises of Izuku left, being replaced only by determination.


	4. Flare

Hello All! :D I bring another juicy chapter for you.

Just as a note updates will be getting _mildly_ slower. My class schedule shifted this semester and I reworked out my writing free time. It's shorter than the leeway I had last semester. Gotta prioritize my grad degree ^.^ but I love writing and it's a stress outlet so still be looking out for updates!

Alrighty, let's get started!

**Warnings: denial pining, violence, purely fluff, drama stewing.**

* * *

**Chapter 4 - Flare **

.

.

.

When the bathroom door creaked back open, Izuku quietly walked out. He was fully bandaged again wearing a long sleeve dark green shirt with awkwardness rolling off him in waves.

Katsuki sat on the edge of his bed not knowing what to do other than just study him. Those green eyes were glanced downwards, his shoulders were tense and the shorts he was wearing allowed for Katsuki to see very tiny scars climbing up around his calves.

Izuku walked back over to his bed without saying a word, but that's when Katsuki finally spoke up.

"You lied," he whispered, slowly. "It's more than just a phobia." The oldest gripped his hands together, tensing them. He was trying to make himself less angry about Izuku lying to him, right after he had been so honest. He told Izuku with little hesitation about his biggest fear, and for fucking what? For Izuku to give him more fakeness?

The detective's shoulders stiffened and there was a long pause in the room. The lieutenant waited for the other to say something back but Izuku just started to get back in bed.

The green haired man shifted himself, making sure to keep his eyes down and turned his back towards Katsuki wordlessly.

The action felt cold and distant.

As more time passed, Katsuki realized he wasn't going to get an answer. And the whole situation fucking frustrated him. He didn't want his growing curiosity for Izuku to get out of control but now it was just a matter of what the fuck _happened_ to him?

The oldest got back in his own bed with his back turned to the other in the same fashion. In the darkness of the room he tried his best to sleep but the image of that grotesque burn appeared whenever he closed his eyes. He couldn't help but wonder how in the hell did someone acquire a scar _that_ fucking devastating? It wasn't a normal occurrence.

Katsuki unwilling thought of Izuku screaming and burning...and it was unsettling.

He thought back to how frightened the shorter male was and how he held onto him so tightly. It made a lot of sense now. A whole lot of fucking sense. However, he got that scar Toshinori knew what happened and he knew of Izuku's PTSD attached to it as well.

Katsuki tried his best to stop thinking and closed his eyes, but his ruby irises cracked back open when he heard Izuku's voice, small as ever.

"I'm sorry...I just don't like reliving some things," Izuku whispered into the dark room.

The hushed words struck a chord inside of Katsuki and the feeling of Izuku shaking against him was back. But this time he didn't find himself irritated by it, he found himself disquieted and mildly guilty.

. . .

When the morning came, Izuku acted as if nothing had happened but Katsuki didn't.

The two of them met back up with Mina and the trio went out and about for a while to try to pass the time until the designated drop time. Katsuki put on a casual white shirt t-shirt while Izuku, once again, put on a long-sleeved shirt. This time it was light blue and loose fitting around his torso, but his bandaged hand was still clear.

They were all currently walking down the street during the bustling Friday morning just appreciating the sight and talking strategy. Well, they were supposed to be talking strategy. But somehow Izuku and Mina got side tracked on to the topic of Mina's wedding which somehow led into preparations which gave way to the following:

"Wait—Let me get this straight. Kirishima isn't a natural redhead?"

"Of course not! Look at the color, it's way too bright," Mina laughed pulling out her floral-patterned phone. "Look, Bakugou and I help him dye it sometimes when he's acting like an old man and too lazy to bleach his roots himself."

Her polished finger opened up the camera roll on her phone to show Izuku a silly photo of them all squatting in a bathroom. Everyone was sloppily covered in red hair dye with Katsuki looking the most pissed off, Mina was laughing and Kirishima was giving a double peace sign

"Oh, what!? Bakugou, you're in on this too?" Izuku turned to him amazed at the information and glanced back down to the photo that was on Mina's phone. The greenette was all smiles and giggles while gazing upon the photos of them all covered in red dye.

"As is Denki," Katsuki muttered while shrugging his shoulders. "Kirishima's hair is as black as fucking Sero's. Don't let him fool you." Red eyes looked down to the shorter male next to him to see green eyes looking up at him in amusement and assessing his own hair. Katsuki tilted his head to the side the longer the other stared at him.

"What? What's with that look, nerd?"

"Do you bleach your hair? It is kinda of light," Izuku grinned up at him in pure amusement and Mina choked on her laughter. Katsuki face dropped, fully offended and he made a loud 'tsk' sound into the air.

"Not all of us have to fucking purchase our good looks, I'm a natural ash blonde." Both Mina and Izuku laughed and a bright smile spread across Izuku's face. The red eyed officer studied the expression trying to understand how someone with a scar that bad just...go about his life.

At this point Katsuki looked up to see a running, busy man not paying attention to where he was going. The man was holding three hot coffees in a tray and he was coming straight for Izuku. Specifically, he was coming in on Izuku's left, burned side.

Something inside of Katsuki mildly flared with panic, and before his brain could really process what he was doing, he reached an arm out to pull Izuku in front of him by his waist. The busy man in a rush stumbled by quickly and Izuku looked caught off but the sudden handling on his body.

All undercover officers seemed surprised by quick reaction, silence enveloping them. Mina's golden eyes instantly zeroed in on Katsuki's arm encircling Izuku's waist. Katsuki noticed this quickly along with the pink slowly creeping up on his own face.

...and the irritated expression spreading across Izuku's.

He let go of the other faster than he had grabbed him and scratched behind his head.

"Sorry, it was a reflex. That fucker wasn't, er, paying attention and he almost bumped into you," he grumbled out not looking at either of them as they continued walking.

"It's okay, thank you," Izuku mumbled back softly. There was a shift in the air and Katsuki couldn't help but feel like the thank you was empty. But...he didn't know why. The coldness from Izuku almost made him frown but he resisted the urge and continued walking.

Mina's eyes shifted between them as they continued walking. Izuku shifted the topic to something else, sparing everyone from the awkward moment. They went back to talking about random things like the hair dying process and Izuku insisting Katsuki bleaches his hair slightly—which was not fucking true but the greenette seemed to enjoy teasing him.

They continued about their day and the interactions continued as such. Wherever they would go Katsuki found himself keeping an unintentional (or was it intentional?) eye out for Izuku's left arm.

It's not that he meant to, because he didn't like Izuku that way. No, he didn't. He really fucking didn't. He could admit he was physically attracted to him, yes. But just because he was still processing the burns he saw last night didn't mean he actually cared for Izuku in a way more than that...right? He wasn't actually concerned or worried in a completely different way he had been on Tuesday.

But despite telling himself this, whenever Katsuki saw the greenette reach for a door with his left hand, he swiftly opened it himself without seeming too obvious. The pinkette female in the group made a comment about the 'gentleman like gesture' after about the fifth door opened.

They eventually wandered to the shopping district in the area momentarily because Mina wanted to check out some clothes and Izuku purchased some things himself. Katsuki then found himself grabbing bags for the greenette once his right hand was full.

Now, it wasn't because he was worried about Izuku putting too much stress on an arm that clearly had been through some real fucking trauma that he did that. No, he was doing it because...because…

Katsuki couldn't even find the conclusion himself.

However, it didn't go unnoticed how as he did these things Izuku grew more and more relatively distant for his bubbly personality.

The greenette would slightly grimace every time a door was held open or, if Katsuki would ask him if he needed anything. The blonde didn't really understand why Izuku seemed annoyed, but he also didn't even comprehend his own behavior. All he knew was that every time he looked to Izuku's left arm he saw those...burns.

Which brings them now, they were sitting in a park with the sun beaming down on them. They were all positioned under a tree lazily with Izuku propped up again a tree sketching, Mina laid out at Katsuki's feet looking up at the clouds go by and Katsuki himself laying against the tree as well. The blonde was observing Izuku sketch random people that went by as they waited for time to pass by until later that evening.

"You're a really good artist, Izuku," Mina commented with a smile. "Think you could do a portrait of me and Kiri for the wedding? We'll pay!"

"Hah, sure, that wouldn't be a problem!" Izuku said back and Katsuki continued to watch him draw. He was currently working on drawing this man sitting on a bench slightly adjacent from them and it was coming along very well. The small pencil portrait captured the man's likeness in his dark hair and eyes easily. It was genuinely impressive, and it made Katsuki wonder a lot about Izuku.

Red eyes glanced up once more to compare, but this time he saw the man looking their way. Particularly looking at Izuku.

"I think you've been spotted," Katsuki whispered for Izuku to hear and instantly Izuku's gaze peered up in surprise. Just like the older man had said, the stranger was staring at Izuku curiously. The dark eyes glanced down at the notebook and then back to Izuku's awkward face.

"Oh, no...I hate when this happens. I need to be more discreet." The greenette tried to play it off but the man stood up to approach the trio, and Katsuki took note of how the sharp dark eyes studied all three of them carefully before approaching.

When the man finally got up close Katsuki studied him right back. He was large, fairly buff and he had a scar over his left eye. He was wearing dark colored jeans and t-shirt with a thin silver chain. Once he got closer he gave a pointed look down to the curly haired male of the ground. Katsuki reluctantly felt a vague emotion in his chest flare up.

"Why do you keep looking at me? Didn't your mom tell you it's rude to stare at someone?" The gruff voice accused harshly but there was a hint of mirth in his tone.

Clearly this mother fucker did not like people staring too long at him and it made Katsuki feel mildly suspicious of him. The flare in the blonde's chest got a little stronger and he was about to say something rude right back when Izuku quickly stuttered out a response.

"I-I'm sorry, sir. I just thought you'd be interesting to draw that's all!" Izuku gave a charming smile and turned around his sketchbook to reveal the small piece of art in the black notebook. Instantly, the stranger's face completely shifted in surprise.

Both Katsuki and Mina stayed silently on edge despite the change in behavior. The man looked mildly taken back as his dark eyes darted between Izuku's awkwardly smiling face and back at the notebook.

"...that's actually pretty good."

"Uh, thanks. Sorry for staring so hard. I didn't mean to." Izuku rubbed behind the back of his neck with a half-smile and the stranger then gazed Izuku's figure a full once over.

Irritation gnawed at the back of Katsuki's head at the sight.

"No, it's okay," the deep voice reassured. The man then squatted in front of Izuku, who leaned back a little bit at the sudden closeness in his space. "Could I possibly buy it off of you for 2700 yen?"

It really shouldn't irritate him. _It shouldn't._ The dark-haired man was just wanting to ask about a damn picture of himself, but for some reason it did. The blonde found himself trying to fight down the clear annoyance scratching at the back of his head as those dark eyes looked Izuku up and down—fucking _shamelessly_.

"Sure, that's no problem," Izuku answered back in an innocent manner. He kept his eyes down and neatly tore the white page out of the sketchbook to hand over to the man. The greenette then looked up at the man with the tight, fake smile Katsuki began to recognize. "Here you go."

"Thank you," the deep voice laughed as he took the paper from the freckled hand. He pulled out his wallet in exchange and handed over exactly the amount of cash he said he would trade it for. "Pretty eyes and talented, you're gonna be a hard one to forget. See you around." The man stood up and turned around with a wink.

Katsuki watched unaware that his face was now blown completely in a sneer.

Izuku visibly untensed next to him and threw his head back against the brown bark he was leaning against.

"Well, there goes that," the detective sighed, carding a hand through his hair. He turned to Katsuki, who was still wearing a frown, and offered an apologetic smile. "Sorry...I should stop drawing people in public. It brings attention to us."

"Don't apologize. You didn't know he was gonna waltz his ass over here," Katsuki grumbled and looked down at the now empty page in the sketchbook. "He could've let you keep the damn drawing. He clearly was trying to be discreet about somethin' himself."

"Yeah, Bakugou is right," Mina spoke up and sighed. Her gold eyes glanced up at the clouds above their heads. "He seemed ready to fight when he came over here then suddenly he switched to flirty when he thought you were harmless."

"Fuckin' sceeve," Katsuki hissed quietly under his breath. His fist tightened in his lap and he couldn't stop the urge to roll his eyes. Izuku turned to him with a confused hum.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," The older man quickly rushed out. He cleared his throat and ignored the suspicious look that was being thrown his way by both Mina and Izuku. The blonde stood up quickly and dusted off his pants. "It's getting close to time, let's head back to the hotel."

Izuku looked down at his brown colored watch and nodded in agreeance.

"Okay, let's do this."

. . .

Izuku chuckled all the way to the hotel with Mina. His laughter only faltered whenever a certain lieutenant would open a door for him or when he tried to help him stand up at the park. They split up into their separate rooms and once again Katsuki opened the door and held it out for Izuku to enter before him.

They both walked in the room again, Katsuki keeping his mind completely focused on the operative as he closed the door shut.

He carefully locked the golden bolt on the door and turned around without much thought but was fully caught off guard when Izuku was in his face—and he looked extremely displeased. He actually looked close to pissed off by Katsuki's standards.

"Stop doing that," the tenor voice said steadily. There was a slip of anger that leaked into the demand that made the taller man instantly straighten out his back.

"What?" He tilted his head at the other as his red eyes narrowed.

"Stop with the soft treatment already," Izuku hissed at him and leaned in closer. Katsuki's eyebrows raised slightly at the challenging tone before they creased deeply on his forehead. He opened his mouth to retort but Izuku just continued.

"You didn't treat me like I was fragile for the last week. So, don't start now just because you saw that burn. It's the whole reason why I keep it covered. I respect you because you don't treat me like I was this fragile thing, okay? Don't start now."

But Katsuki just shook his head confused. That wasn't the fucking reason he suddenly felt the urge to hold open doors…was it? He thought about it for a moment and found that he couldn't be fully honest with himself as to why he had spent the entire day going out of his way.

But it wasn't because he thought Izuku was weak. No. The greenette proved he was strong by being the only person he's ever known to pin him in a sparring match. He was just making sure Izuku was...okay.

"That's not why I did it."

"Yes, it is." Green eyes blazed into red. Izuku inched forward slightly and Katsuki only frowned deeper but held his ground. "You saw those scars and now you suddenly went from body slamming me on a training mat to grabbing me, so some guy doesn't bump my shoulder."

Then that's when Katsuki saw it.

He saw something close to hurt flash across the freckled face in front of him. When Izuku spoke his next words, an undertone of the greenette's elusive past trickled in.

"Please...just...stop treating me like I'm broken. It doesn't help anything."

The words were hushed and Katsuki relaxed his body language at the sentence. He saw Izuku relax as well and take a step back. The curly haired male looked him up and down for a moment before turning away with a hurt expression.

_Damn it._ The blonde felt his heart unwillingly twist again.

_Broken_.

Izuku thought he was treating him like he was fucking broken. Red eyes then shifted to the wrapped hand and then to the back that was now facing him.

Izuku kneeled down to their shared suitcase to pull out his gear and gun silently without saying another word. That's when Katsuki stepped forward and bent down beside him quietly. He looked to the other person beside him and that's when green eyes looked back at him.

"Okay. I'll stop," the low voice said in a hushed manner. There was something raw inside of the emerald irises and it made the older man really understand how Izuku felt about himself. How he felt about his burns.

"Also...I don't think of you as broken, just 'cause you have a couple of scars. We all got 'em in different ways."

There was a pause in the room as Izuku seemed to study him in a new light. Green eyes scanned his face as if searching for any hint of him telling a lie. But there was none—because it was nothing short of the truth.

Katsuki thought of Izuku as strong _because_ of his scar. The smaller male had obviously been through something traumatic, yet he possessed the will to be someone who saves lives and wanted to become a fearless officer. That was the definition of strength and, as a twenty-seven-year-old, Katsuki could understand that.

He had just been taking caution because he cared. Deep down, he did.

The memory of Izuku dancing so beautifully in the rain had stuck with him more than Katsuki knew. When the greenette moved his body, the workaholic saw someone with more depth than he's ever known, and he just wanted to protect something so rare. But the way his feelings manifested themselves were just confusing—for both of them.

But the bottom line was Katsuki cared.

Even if it would be months later before the stubborn blonde could ever admit it out loud to himself.

So, instead he accepted the tiny smile Izuku gave him and they suited up for the road ahead.

. . .

The sky shifted from bright blue to a dusk evening swirling with pastel colors of orange and purple. The three officers finally suited up in silence with Katsuki giving a brief over the exact actions they were to make. Each of their faces held a serious expression as Izuku and Katsuki padded themselves with bulletproof gear and adjusted their holsters around their waists.

Mina tossed on her casual clothes with her hair pulled back in a short ponytail while Izuku gave Toshinori the coordinates of the warehouse. Both men dressed in full black attire to stealth. Izuku pulled a black hoodie over his head to match his black joggers and sneakers. In contrast, Katsuki wore a normal light weight long sleeved black shirt and athletic black sweats.

They drove to the location and dropped Mina off at a distance, so she could go walk up without suspicion. Katsuki then parked the car at a safe distance in an alley that they could easily get back to once they extracted Aizawa.

"Remember, don't shoot anyone unless absolutely necessary," Katsuki said while cocking his gun and loading several bullets.

"Got it." Izuku nodded and did the same with his own pistol before tucking it away in his holster. When they got the confirmation from Mina about being inside and seeing Aizawa, Katsuki took a deep breath in.

"Let's fuckin' get this over with."

They got out of the car and slowly crept up on the shady dark alleyway in the midst of a small downtown area. The ground was mildly damp from the brief rainstorm and once again the sky was full of clouds. They were thick and grey, overshadowing the bright light of the moon and giving an eerie setting to the scene.

Katsuki took the lead and kept his back to the stone wall of the building before they both crouched down low to stay out of sight. Red eyes peered around the corner to assess the scene in front of him. He held up one finger for Izuku to count for the singular man guarding door. He then curled that finger to point to the large black dumpster across the way that would obscure them from view.

They both kept low to the ground as they couched their way across the narrow alley and behind the tall dumpster. Katsuki inched up carefully to look over the dumpster and signaled silently for Izuku to rise up as well. Both pair of eyes looked at the metallic door that was being protected by the fairly large man.

In that moment, someone came out and the two men exchanged words. However, when the man turned around to them, a distinct scar on his face made both of the officers' hearts stop.

"Shit," Katsuki whispered for Izuku to hear. The man walking their way was the same goddamn jackass that had been flirting with Izuku earlier and bought his picture. The same, very observant man that told Izuku specifically he would be hard to forget.

And he was walking straight this way.

Katsuki felt like kicking himself because while they were in all black, if the man turned his head, there would be a couple of things he was bound to notice. Specifically, extremely rare green eyes and hair.

Katsuki crouched back down and pulled Izuku with him and he could see the gears in Izuku's head turning as well.

"What should we do?" Izuku whispered harshly, his eyes wide. "He's going to recognize us and that's bound to make Mina's current position seem suspicious if all three of us are here."

"Fuck. Give me a moment," The older man said back, and his eyes locked onto the wall behind Izuku's head.

The footsteps got closer and closer while Katsuki tried to rattle his brain. What _would_ two people be doing in a dark alleyway at nearly 7:00 pm at night—_privately_?

Instantly only one thing popped in his head, but apparently it popped in Izuku's head too. Suddenly both of Izuku's hands were entangled in his hair bringing him down to the greenette's level.

"I'm really sorry for this and I hope this doesn't make anything awkward—again so so so sorry," Izuku muttered quicker than Katsuki could catch the words. Red eyes widened confused and the poor blonde could only manage a 'wait, what?' before soft lips were locked with his own and he was pulled forwards.

The shell-shocked lieutenant was thrown off balance and he quickly caught himself one arm on the brick wall behind Izuku's figure. They stumbled slightly as Izuku tilted his head to seem more realistic, and immediately out of reflex Katsuki used his other arm to catch Izuku's waist.

The smaller male quickly leaned back fully into the shadows, completely blocking himself out of view into the nook between the dumpster and the wall. Katsuki's larger body was hovering over him frozen, brain completely at a halt. Ruby eyes were as wide as the moon while Izuku's were squeezed shut.

Both men found themselves blushing when the footsteps finally walked past the dumpster and stopped.

Instantly, just like both anticipated, the man looked down at their entangled bodies against the wall. There was a short sound of disgust. Even though Katsuki couldn't see the man's face, it didn't take an expert to know the dark-haired male had rolled his eyes.

"Get a fuckin' room," the raspy voice spat out in disgust. "I swear to god, people these days just do it anywhere." Izuku just gave the man a thumbs up as he leaned in closer to Katsuki to fake kiss him.

The footsteps turned away and they slowly faded down the dark alley. The sound should have knocked Katsuki back to reality, but he was trying to process the fact Izuku's lips were as soft as he imagined them to be.

And it was fucking _terrible_.

Izuku continued to fake kiss him with a closed mouth, trying his best to put on a show so the man didn't recognize their faces. But completely unknown to him, every nerve ending in Katsuki's body flared up with heat.

The tiny movement against his lips lit something so heavy and forgotten in the workaholic's chest that it nearly left him stunned.

Izuku was soft. He was so fucking soft it was astonishing. Gentle curly hair brushed lightly against his face, nimble hands were clasped onto his cheeks and the waist in his hold felt so...right.

The lips moved away from his and Katsuki was left nearly dumb stuck. Izuku's face pulled back completely flushed and green eyes glanced up at him hesitantly. Izuku then finally let go of his face and the ghost touch haunted the blonde on the spot.

Subconsciously, Katsuki tightened his grip on Izuku's waist trying to pull him back in but his motion was stopped at the sound of a door opening and closing.

He was snapped back to reality and both of their heads turned at the sound. Katsuki quickly let go of Izuku and Izuku did the same. Both men tried to ignore the blush on their faces and focus back on the job. But Katsuki kept feeling those soft lips against his and it was really fucking distracting.

The lieutenant tried his best to shake his head and remember that it wasn't a real kiss. Izuku had done it for the sake of not blowing their covering and keeping Mina and Aizawa alive. It didn't really mean anything. Just like the pounding in his chest didn't mean a goddamn thing.

Red eyes peered around the corner of the garbage to see the bodyguard leaned back, looking down casually at his phone with one leg kicked up. Katsuki then turned back to Izuku with a serious expression before speaking.

"He's distracted. We need to take him down silently and quickly," The eldest whispered and Izuku nodded.

Katsuki then took a deep breath and gave an 'okay' hand signal before standing up and both of them casually tried their best to walk as if they were just two people who were ravishing each other in the alley privately.

The large body guard glanced at them not saying anything when they passed by and turned his head away to look down at his phone again. Katsuki turned to Izuku and gave him a single head nod who gave a single one back.

Quicker than lightning, Izuku turned around, reached up and choked the man in a sleeper hold with a stone look on his face.

"Fuck!" The deep voice rattled in the alleyway. The large body thrashed and easily swung Izuku around but the greenette tousled him right back. Izuku used all of his body weight to bow the man's back to his height and a choked sound echoed into the alley. The ringed hand of the gangster crawled at Izuku's forearm and steadily the man fell to his knees.

Katsuki watched slightly shocked at the advanced move that he knew damn well isn't taught to first year cops. But he took the skill for what it was and in an instant the man knocked out. Izuku let out of a shaky sigh, with his chest heaving before dragging the large body off to the side behind the dumpster.

The blonde-haired officer smirked slightly when the younger one gave a nod of confirmation that the thug was officially handled.

"Nice move, Midoriya," Katsuki said and Izuku just shrugged before reaching down in his hoodie pocket.

Katsuki looked down to see the greenette pull out two black bandanas and he handed one over to Katsuki. The blonde officer was silently confused by the action but Izuku gestured for him to put it on without so much as looking at him.

"If this guy is as big as his reputation leads him us to believe, it's best to keep our identities concealed. In case things go left or if he wants some sort of revenge," Izuku said quietly. The blonde male had never thought about that before. He usually did his undercover operatives without the use of masks, but now that the smaller male mentioned it made sense.

Then something shifted in the air when Izuku undid the black fabric. A new, colder expression rolled over his freckled features that was completely different. Katsuki watched slightly taken back, fully not expecting the energy rolling off of Izuku.

The shorter male placed the blank bandana over his mouth and nose carefully, and it seemed almost like he's done it before many times before. Green eyes closed for one moment as Izuku took a deep breath in, and when he opened them it was like a flip was switched. All the innocence and niceness that lingered within the irises of Izuku left, replaced only by determination.

Sharp green eyes looked at him expectantly and the older man slowly did the same. He tied the rag around his face tightly and then gave a nod to the detective.

Katsuki opened the door with one hand and the two snuck in slowly to the warehouse.

Immediately, the first room they entered was empty. The ground was grey and concrete and the sound of people talking could be heard around the corner. There were wooden crates littered all over and they both ducked behind the nearest ones at the sound of footsteps entering.

"Take that pretty boy cop back to his room," one gruff voice said.

"I have a name you know," a lazy, drawn out voice answered. "If you're trying to flirt with me you're doing a terrible job. Usually handcuffs come after you take me out to dinner."

Katsuki gritted his teeth when he recognized the voice as Aizawa. All of their suspicions of him being held captive were right. The captain's voice sounded tired, and slightly strained.

"Shut the fuck up you pig," another angry voice answered. The sound of loud hit and Aizawa's grunting echoed into the empty space making Katsuki sneer._ Fucking scum. Always fucking scum._ "You get no name here. You cops always think you're better than us but you're just the same."

The voices slowly trailed off as they could be heard going around the distant corner. Katsuki turned to Izuku on his right and the greenette's face looked just as displeased as his own. Which was exactly what he wanted to see. Izuku cut his eyes at him and gave a head gesture to move and the two silently trailed behind the three bodies.

Katsuki was impressed with Izuku's ability to follow silent commands to duck, move and shuffle whenever they heard footsteps coming in close. They two moved stealthily through the labyrinth of the dark warehouse and it felt as if they had been doing this together for a long time.

Soon, the three bodies rounded around another corner one last time before one of the goons spoke up again.

"Get back in your room, filth," the voice echoed, and both officers could hear a slam of the door. A metallic click followed indicating to both men in black that there was a lock on whatever door they shoved Aizawa in.

"Man, I can't believe we always get stuck with babysitting duty," an annoyed voice rang out. "Why doesn't Yotsubashi just off him already? I would've slit his throat the second he slipped up and we all knew he was a cop."

"Yotsubashi is trying to keep him long enough to make a deal with that crazy ass dude that just came into town. Apparently, the guy is trying to make a statement to the police, so he wants one to burn alive."

"Ugh...now, that guy is seriously off his rocker. He makes my skin crawl every time I look at him. Great criminal, but bat shit insane. What's his real name anyways?"

"Dunno, he refuses to tell anyone. He insists on that fake ass first name and the alias of 'the cremator'. But he has strong underground connections so Yotsubashi wants to make good with him."

Instantly the talk of burning people alive and cremation made both detective's eyes widen. Katsuki looked over to Izuku, who was wearing the same ghost expression as if they connected the dots. His mind flashed the man in the gas mask flicking a lighter in his hand. He fit the description: cop hating, crazy, pyromaniac.

_Fuck_. What kind of psychopath calls himself the fucking _cremator_?

Katsuki's mind was brought back to the vision of large flames burning alive the teenage girl. Immediately, his hate for criminals got stronger and he took a deep breath in. Suddenly, music started playing from one of the thug's phones and both officer's faces twisted in confusion.

Izuku gave him a silent expression that read as 'are they actually playing music on the job?' and Katsuki gave an eyeroll back of 'they're dumbassess what do you expect?'.

When the music was the loudest and the two men's chattering had evened out to a solid conversation Katsuki gave a signal to move in quickly. A sound of surprise from both men bounced off the walls as the two police officers bum rushed them fearlessly.

Katsuki kept his eyes focused on the taller man who quickly grew a gun on him. The expert lieutenant high kicked his leg to disarm the man and the weapon fell to the ground with a loud clack. Loud grunts could be heard as Katsuki wrapped his strong arm around the man's neck and shoved him to the ground face down to put him in sleeper position. The man underneath him struggled to get up but Katsuki kept him down with his large body. The fearless blonde counted in his head of the seconds to release at exactly the right time.

Red eyes briefly peered up at Izuku who was currently tossing the other man off of him. The greenette slammed the large body into the wall with a hard thrust of his legs and a grunt. The thug's head hit the wall with a loud bang, but the man quickly rebounded. He immediately tried to land a punch of Izuku who just caught the fist with his hand, side stepping without an issue.

The detective used his smaller body to redirect the massive body weight of the goon so that he was positioned behind him. Then, without an ounce of empathy on his face, twisted the man's arm back. A loud curse could be heard as Izuku snapped the man's neck back with his forearm and squeezed it tightly in his arm junction.

Soon both men were laid out on the ground unconscious. Katsuki held a finger up to the man's nose to check he was still breathing, and they gave each other a quick affirmative before dragging the large bodies off to the side, hidden.

Katsuki found the key in the jeans of the man he took down and he walked over to the door to unlock it. He cracked open the door to find Aizawa sitting with his head down in between his knees. The blonde-haired lieutenant pulled down the bandana off his face when dark eyes glanced up at him curiously.

Slowly a smirk took over the police captain's face and Katsuki smirked right back.

"We finally came to get you, bastard."

A short-amused laugh carried around the room and slowly Aizawa stood up.

"Took you long enough, I was beginning to worry."

. . .

**NHK WORLD - JAPAN**

Another Win for Victory!

Our very own symbol of victory, Bakugou Katsuki, lead an undercover operative that took down one branch of the largest drug operations in the city. This comes as no surprise due to the ranking officer's undeniable streak of always catching the criminal when he puts his mind to it. Criminals stand no chance when put toe to toe with Bakugou and his fiery determination for justice.

Two lower ranking officers accompanied the young lieutenant on the job and now one of the biggest drug rings officially has a gap in it after many years. After the officers extracted missing police captain, Aizawa Shota, select policeman from the U.A precinct came to bust the scene after being put on standby.

This is a huge win for the city overall. Many people were starting to worry with the mysterious arsenal crime still hanging over everyone's head ...

… **Read more **

. . .

Katsuki sighed as he clicked out of the news application on his phone, turning the red device facedown. It was now Monday morning after the operation and he was sitting on the edge of his bed, slowly waking up.

Usually he was always happy after completing an operative, but this time it felt empty. Not to say he wasn't happy about rescuing Aizawa in time, but a large part of him was still buzzing with what him and Izuku over heard.

_The cremator. _

Well, at least now he had a name to match the lunatic in the gas mask. But the question still stands: what did he want from him? The man was a cop hater. It was clear. He wanted to burn a cop alive just to prove a damn point. If they hadn't begun their operation in time, then Aizawa would've been fucking torched at the hands of some pyro trying to make some weird ass statement to the cops.

When they were riding back in the car to the coast area with Aizawa, the black-haired man had said something very disturbing...and it was still settling in the young blonde's stomach.

"The man, the one they were going to sell me to," he remembers the captain saying with a long sigh. "He's trouble. I didn't see his face, but I overheard them talking outside of the closet they had me locked in. He's plotting something elaborate, but it's unclear what."

"He said he wanted something, do you know what?" Katsuki had asked. He remembers his hands tightly gripping the steering wheel as he kept his eyes focused forward on the dark highway.

Izuku was in the passenger seat, silent, while Aizawa was sprawled out across the backseat. Thick silence over took the car and the next words spoken made the circumstances of what they were dealing with very clear.

And very frightening.

"He said he wants to see the city burn to ashes."

After that, Katsuki was left feeling unsettled. It was only a matter of time before he either saw the man in the mask again and another building or two went up in flames. Or worse, more people would be hurt in the process while he still figured out what the fuck did he _want_.

Which meant he needed to figure out what to do to stop him—_quickly_.

Katsuki remembers glancing off to the side at Izuku who was looking out the window quietly, deep in thought.

Part of the blonde-haired man felt sorry for the greenette. The other man had just recently moved and the one intense phobia he had was going to be in his face all the time now because some crazy arsonist rolled into town as well. Talk about bad fucking luck.

But not only that was on Katsuki's mind when it came to Izuku, which is what frustrates him the most above all. It was large burn marks, the fake-but-yet-still-not-fake kiss they shared along with Izuku drawing him in the coffee shop. The soft smile the curly haired man threw his way coupled with the way he danced so carefree in the rain.

All of these things had imprinted in Katsuki's brain in the one way he didn't want.

There was something mystifying and downright fucking distracting about Izuku that hypnotized him and the feeling of those soft lips against his own lingered for several days. Fucking _days_.

Before Katsuki left to work that Monday morning, he looked at his spare helmet for ground zero in a contemplative manner.

. . .

When the lieutenant walked into the brightly lit office, he saw Izuku perched on Ochaco's desk laughing. In his arms was a pile of paperwork and on his lips, he was a beautiful smile. The detective was wearing a dark blue hoodie over a light pink plaid shirt with his badge dangling from his neck.

The second Katsuki got close, doe green eyes looked at him. A signature soft smile and wave was sent his way and Katsuki gave a small one back.

He was trying his best to act casual and not as though he had been thinking about Izuku all weekend. _Nope_. He didn't weirdly miss being in the same room with him and he most definitely did not feel strangely cold when he went home alone after everything with the drug bust was said and done.

He didn't need to date or think about anyone in a romantic sense. Nor did he want to—being alone was optimal for him.

Especially with some murderous, cop hating pyro on the loose. Izuku should be the very last thing on his mind.

"Hey! Baku-bro!" Kirishima's voice boomed. Katsuki winced when a strong arm was suddenly around his neck and his best friend ruffled his hair playfully. "How's our very own U.A champion doing today?"

"Are you serious Kiri? I just combed my hair—get the fuck off of me!" Katsuki cursed and broke out of the hold.

This only elicited a loud laugh from the red-haired man and Kirishima patted his back hard. Katsuki stumbled forward slightly from the steer force he was hit with and he gritted his teeth.

_It's too damn early for this._ Annoyed red eyes glared over his shoulder, but he faltered for a split second. He could see Izuku in the corner looking at him, trying to cover his laughter with his bandaged hand.

They made brief eye contact, but as soon as they did, Izuku looked away with what Katsuki could've sworn was a blush across his face.

"Wedding is in a month, baby!" Kirishima said. "Sorry, I just can't contain my excitement. I gotta get all this energy out of my body somehow."

"Just fucking save it for the honey moon," Katsuki shot back and tried his best to re-fluff his hair properly while heading to his office.

"Aw, Kat. Don't act like that!" The sergeant grinned and followed him into his office. "I got a pretty little invitation for you. As the best man you gotta be just as excited as me." Katsuki sat down in his leather chair and immediately pulled out the large stack of papers from his brown satchel.

"I am happy for you and Mina, truly I am. But don't fuck up my hair in the name of you two falling in line with social norms," Katsuki spoke, turning his attention to the stack of papers in his hand. He ignored his best friend when the other leaned against the wooden desk, still grinning like he knew some secret.

"Ah, that's not what I'm talking about. I mean you should be excited for the wedding, but more importantly the after dark activities of the wedding." Kirishima wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and Katsuki 'tch'd.

"What? Everyone getting sloppy drunk and dancing to whatever pop songs are in the top forty?"

"No, I'm talking about the all famous wedding hookup. People always hook up at weddings!" Immediately the blonde whipped his head up, frowning at the comment. More so frowning at the fact Kirishima was suggesting he would hook up with someone who was invited to the wedding.

"...I forbid you from finishing that thought. Please, use those last two fucking brain cells to do something useful. Get out of my office and start on your cases for the day." The blonde shooed the other away with his hand but Kirishima just laughed and leaned in more.

"Aw, c'mon Katsuki! I know a certain green-eyed detective has been checking you out. He's so obviously throwing looks your way—"

"—He hasn't been throwing a damn thing my way." Katsuki cut him off quicker than his brain could think. The other set of red eyes squinted at him with playful mischief, suspicious of how quickly Katsuki tried to reject the idea.

"Oh, he definitely has, you just won't catch anything!"

The lieutenant tossed his head back and blew air out of his nose in annoyance. The worst part was that Izuku _had_ very much thrown himself at him before. Pretty damn hard too. There was something heated about knowing that Izuku thought he was attractive enough to try to sleep with.

Thinking about that bar night and how vividly he imagined and dreamt of fucking Izuku against a wall made Katsuki feel heated under his collar as well.

Now, his friend was suggesting hooking up with the greenette as if it wasn't completely inappropriate workplace behavior—e_specially_ with Izuku being his goddamn trainee and being younger. Sure, no one on their team would care but to the outside perspective it would look hella fucking shady on Katsuki's behalf. He wasn't stupid, he knew how news outlets were thirsty for gossip.

"Get back to work, Kirishima, before you catch my fucking hands," he threatened in an empty manner which made the other man just laugh.

"Fine, fine. No need to throw around hands now. Here's the wedding invite. You get a plus one by the way...I haven't invited Midoriya yet just in case you wanted to try to do it yourself."

Kirishima held out a tiny pink slip of paper for the other, while wiggling his eyebrows. Katsuki sighed and took it from his hand reluctantly.

He knew this was Kirishima's slick method of trying to him to bring a damn date. What would really be the difference if he asked Izuku to go or not? Fucking none. The greenette would still go, dance with Mina and Ochaco most likely and then absolutely nothing would happen.

But part of his brain still toyed with the idea of asking Izuku himself.

Because it wouldn't be a date. It would just be U.A plus Kiri and Mina's family. Kirishima wouldn't harass him about it if he did it and he could spare himself a month-long headache. So, really asking Izuku would be technically harmless.

...Right?

"Oh, also Mirio is joining us tonight for dinner! He just texted me. He is gonna be in town for the next week for the police picnic next week and helping Toshinori out with a couple of things."

"Sweet, sounds good."

Katsuki didn't think much of it. He just shrugged and gave a hand signal for the other to leave him be.

Mirio coming to the precinct wasn't anything new. Toshinori always allowed his son to come in and out of the office space without an issue whenever he got time, it's been that way for the last six years.

The blonde-haired male had recently graduated law school in Yaizu and the open space without studies gave him time to come up and visit. He respected Mirio because he was like him, someone who was solely focused on his career at the moment.

Even though there was a point starting three years ago when he started showing up with hickies and randomly started asking Kirishima for dating advice on how to woo a possibly traumatized person.

Whatever Mirio had going on Yaizu, Katsuki deciphered it evened out to nothing more than a possible friends with benefits situation. Mainly because the hickies continued but the blonde made it clear his love interest wasn't ready to date.

Which made sense, if the person Mirio had a thing for really was going through something rough, then it would make it hard to be a relationship. Just sucked because Mirio seemed as though he liked whoever the fuck it was a lot.

So, seeing Mirio would be nice. Plus, then maybe he could ask him slyly about Izuku and how Toshinori knew him. The two young blondes always got along, from one workaholic to another. He was one of the few people besides his team at U.A that Katsuki could tolerate talking too.

He thought these things idly to himself as he shifted through his papers and went about his day. He reminded completely unaware of the several glances Izuku stole through the window while at his desk.

. . .

The end of the day came, and everyone met outside just like they had done last week. But now, there was a slight difference.

The officers were laughing and talking, dividing up into the two cars while Katsuki was awkwardly fiddling with a spare helmet in his hands. He adjusted the collar on his motorcycle jacket in a mild nervous manner and tapped his foot rapidly.

His heart lightly pounded as he watched Izuku walk out with Mina. He wondered if this was a good idea or not. Or if he took the extra precaution for no real damn reason and was about to look real fucking stupid.

Katsuki had noticed that Izuku kept his distance from Todoroki and he still found the behavior strange.

But, as he was learning, that seemed to just be Izuku's fucking M.O. The twenty-three-year-old was the definition of strange. He was an artist, a detective, and apparently on top of that he liked to keep his distance away from Shouto.

The ash blonde figured it might be something up with the eldest Todoroki, who, while a great police officer, had a lot of controversy surrounding him. Katsuki liked the chief of police but only to a certain extent as well. So, he reasoned with himself that was the reason he brought the spare helmet. Just in case a repeat of last week happened. Absolutely not because he wanted Izuku to ride with him.

Everyone piled into the cars and, like he suspected, Izuku hesitated to see which one Shouto got into.

Katsuki cleared his throat, drawing the attention of large green eyes.

The youngest turned around to him and not knowing exactly how to say, 'want to ride with me?', Katsuki just stuck his arm out to hand Izuku the orange helmet with a green X on the back.

Izuku quirked an eyebrow curiously at him before smiling. "You brought a spare helmet?"

"Yeah, I guess a did. Do you want to ride or not?" But as soon as the words left his mouth he could've slapped himself. _Ride with me. Say fucking ride with me next time, dumbass. _

He watched as Izuku sucked in his lips trying to contain a laugh and his cheeks turned pink ever so slightly. And it was cute. Really fucking cute.

Now Katsuki was considering that this was a very bad idea.

"Yeah, I'll ride with you. Thank you for thinking of me and bringing the extra helmet," Izuku laughed. He scratched behind his head and Katsuki found himself turning away quickly to hide his own small smile.

"Just get on, nerd" he mumbled out and put on his own helmet.

When they got situated to ride he felt Izuku's arms encircle his waist and squeeze tight. Katsuki tried to tell himself that the touch didn't make him feel secure.

. . .

They all ate dinner like normal, and Izuku quickly fell into pace with all the madness that is the U.A precinct. The greenette laughed and joked with Ochaco and Iida easily, telling jokes and describing his first undercover experience with glee.

Katsuki idly chatted with Todoroki and Momo, the three of them were trying to think of an appropriate wedding gift to possibly bring and considered pooling their money. Light music played over their heads as the bubbly waitress took their orders like always.

The restaurant itself wasn't too crowded for a Monday night and it made it easy for everyone to hear each other. The door cracked open and, out of habit, Katsuki looked in the direction of the entrance.

Coming through was Mirio, wearing a large bright smile as usual. He was wearing a royal blue shirt, slacks and looked nicer than he usually does when he came to visit. His bright blue eyes were sparkling extra bright and he seemed extremely happy to see everyone.

"Mirio, over here," Katsuki called and motioned the other over with his hand. Blue eyes set on the table of familiar people and the large man walked up the table, taking the open seat next to Izuku.

"Hey, everyone! How are you all doing?" The upbeat voice asked with elation. The lawyer gave everyone a wave and then he shifted his gaze to the small male next to him with a wide grin. It made Katsuki pause for a moment because the look seemed—

Ochaco piped up from the other side of Izuku and made a move to introduce the two. "Mirio, this is—"

"—Izuku!" He spoke with a laugh. Blue eyes stayed steady on the detective and Katsuki watched how Izuku rubbed the back of his neck with an awkward smile. "We know each other already. No need for introduction for a long-term buddy."

"Buddy?" "How do you two know each other?" Ochaco and Iida spoke at the same time and everyone at the table drew their attention to the pair.

But Katsuki's red eyes were focused on how Mirio threw his arm around Izuku's shoulders who in turn seemed to...lean away politely.

"We used to live together for the past couple years until Izuku decided to pack up and come here after getting persuaded by my old man." The other blonde grinned happily and poked Izuku's cheek in a playful manner, making the greenette laugh.

"Holy shit, what?" Mina exclaimed, looking between the two amazed. "Oh my god, Izuku! Is that how you know Toshinori? I've been wanting to ask for the past week, but I didn't want to come across as rude."

Katsuki bit the inside of his cheek and stayed silent, unsure why there was a rustling happening in his chest. Izuku looked so visibly uncomfortable with Mirio's large arm around him, but the smile on his freckled face was hiding it well.

"Heh, kind of?" The greenette shrugged, his eyes darting anywhere but ahead of him at a certain blonde. This didn't go unnoticed to Katsuki. Not a single fucking bit and it made his skin flare. What was he hiding _now_?

"I've known Toshinori for a long time. He was a really good friend to my parents when I was growing up. Mirio and I saw each other anytime they would have dinners or if Toshinori came back into town."

"Ah, that makes sense! Aw, that's neat. So, you've known each other for a while?" Ochaco smiled and both men in question laughed. Red watched as a blush slowly crept up on Mirio's face.

"Yeah, long enough that when Izuku needed a place to stay I just invited him in without question. He was the perfect roomie," he informed everyone. All officers smiled and then Mirio's gaze turned to Izuku. "Still sad about you moving."

"Sorry, but your dad was really persuasive! And it's really great here so far like he said it would be," the youngest laughed.

"I know. Everyone here in the department is great." Mirio then looked across the table to Katsuki, and the ash blonde gave a tight smile. "Especially, Katsuki here. A little rough around the edges and a bit of a workaholic—even more than me—but a really good guy."

Green eyes shifted to look at the lieutenant across from him with a soft smile. "Yeah, he is. I can tell." The gaze was gentle and welcoming. There was even a small spark of something flickering in the emerald colored eyes. "Bakugou is training me and he's a really good instructor so far."

The red eyed man tilted his head without knowing, assessing the curly haired person across from him curiously. Hearing Izuku agree that he was somehow a good guy was strange. Especially after everything and all the awkwardness they were trying their best to navigate.

But despite feeling like this, it didn't stop him from looking right back at the other with a look that was just as curiously soft.

"Thanks, nerd," Katsuki spoke under his breath. A small blush could be seen on Izuku face as he turned eyes away and quickly took a sip of his water.

Mirio instantly noticed this, and Katsuki could've kicked himself for slipping slightly. The lawyer looked between them in an odd way, before his eyes settled on Katsuki. The blue-eyed male was assessing the other blonde in a certain manner that made the lieutenant raise one of his eyebrows at the sudden mood shift.

There was a hint of caution in the look sent his way and it almost came across as...protective.

Then just as quickly as the gaze came it left. No one else at the table seemed to pick up on the quick exchange and Izuku was now engaged in conversation with Ochaco about him and Mirio's life in Yaizu.

"So, did you guys order already? I'm starving!" The canary blonde beamed at everyone. His arm around Izuku's shoulders loosened enough to fall down and rest against the back of the other's chair in a friendly manner.

"Oh yeah, we got the usual, but we put in the same order for you as well," Momo informed and Mirio nodded happily at her.

The night went on as usual and Katsuki tried his best not to think about how much Mirio was leaning in to Izuku and how friendly he was being.

He also tried his best not to think too much about how Izuku didn't seem to mind, as if it wasn't new behavior.

. . .

When dinner was done, Katsuki summed up Mirio and Izuku's relationship up as two people who obviously knew each other well. Even possibly best friends. It was another puzzle piece that fit into the image of Izuku, explaining how he knew Toshinori.

But something else that didn't go unnoticed by the sharp minded police officer was how when their food came, Mirio made an effort to make sure Izuku didn't grab his bowl of ramen himself. The blonde proclaimed quietly that it would be 'too hot' for him to pick up himself.

He also took the extra step to break Izuku's disposable wooden chopsticks for him as if the badass detective couldn't do it himself. Then he again acted like Izuku standing up to go to the bathroom was possibly for the other to hurt himself or some shit.

Seeing the soft treatment irritated the fuck out of Katsuki, and Izuku's face was blank the entire time during the gestures. He tried to tell himself it was because he's seen Izuku knock out two grown ass men and pin _him_ down that it was very obvious the greenette could break his own fucking chopsticks.

He remembers thinking to himself no fucking _wonder_ Izuku had been down right pissed off with him during the undercover operative. Seeing it from an outside perspective was absolutely irritating. Izuku didn't want some glass-like treatment. He didn't want to be treated like he was...broken. And he shouldn't be.

So, that's why when they all said goodbye to the owners of the restaurant Katsuki tried his best to ignore what he just saw.

Whatever was between Izuku and Mirio was between them. Maybe Izuku had informed the other blonde how he didn't like the behavior or maybe he had and Mirio just chose to ignore it. Whichever may be the case, it made Katsuki flare with jealousy that he couldn't even deny.

Which was dangerous.

Katsuki hasn't felt jealousy in nearly six years and for some reason whenever it came to Izuku something inside of him flared up uncontrollably with it. And he shouldn't be, there was no real reason for it. He didn't want to date Izuku. He couldn't. He couldn't fucking date _anyone_ because he...because—

"Hey! Wait for me—" Izuku voice cut through his spiraling thoughts.

The ash blonde was currently walking ahead of the group and heading straight towards his motorcycle. He turned around curiously to see Izuku stepping at a fast pace to catch up with him.

But right behind him was Mirio. The younger blonde put his hand on Izuku's shoulder to stop him and Izuku's eyes looked up at the taller man curiously.

"Ah, sorry, Izuku. Katsuki doesn't let anyone ride ground zero," Mirio laughed out, putting on a friendly smile. "I brought my car though, you can ride with me and I can drop you off at your place. I really want to see your new pad!"

Katsuki watched how in the background Kirishima elbowed Denki and the two shot him a twin set of grins. Katsuki rolled his eyes. _Fucking brainless idiots._

Izuku suddenly looked nervous at the suggestion as he awkwardly shifted his eyes between Mirio and Katsuki.

"O-Oh, well I was going to go back to the office and get some paperwork before going home." The greenette awkwardly, rubbing his neck—a habit that now Katsuki noticed to be a nervous mannerism. "I was just gonna hitch a ride with Bakugou—"

"Ah, well I can drop you off there and then we can go back to your place! I don't mind. I'm sure you need help unpacking anyways." Mirio insisted with a small push in his voice.

It almost made Katsuki frown, but this was his friend. He considered Mirio a friend and he knew the other blonde had no malicious intent in anything he did. Katsuki has just never seen him...act this over gentlemanly.

"Thank you for the offer, but that sounds really far out the way for you, Mirio. I don't want to cause you all that trouble." But the lawyer didn't really seem to hear it, trying his best to fulfill the kind gesture.

"Really, I don't mind, Izuku."

"B-But—" Finally Katsuki sighed, over the interaction. Izuku was almost a pink color and it bothered him to see the canary blonde trying so fucking hard.

"It's okay, Mirio. I'm headin' back to the office anyways. I'll let Izuku ride me—er, I mean ride _with_ me." The second the fumbled words left his mouth, his eyes simultaneously with the other two sets.

_Shit, what did I just say—fuck fuck fuck—_

"Ride _with_ me. Izuku can ride _with_...me." The lieutenant corrected again. He cleared his throat and tried his damn best not to look either of them in their face as he kicked himself mentally over and over again.

_What the fuck was that?_

There was an uncomfortable pause in the air as Katsuki's face flushed an uncharacteristic pink with a characteristic scowl, Izuku's green eyes were blown wide at the stumble of words and finally Mirio's face was looking at him without a single shred of amusement.

The shortest male awkwardly laughed into the tense atmosphere, but Mirio's eyes were studying the other tall blonde. Blue eyes bore into Katsuki's face as the greenette tried his best to diffuse whatever had just overtook the trio.

"Y-Yeah that'll be the better opinion! I don't want to inconvenience you." Izuku placed a gentle hand on Mirio's shoulder, drawing the lawyer's attention back down to him. Instantly the blue-eyed male's mood shifted when looking at Izuku. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

There was a sympathetic look on Izuku's face that seemed to soften Mirio. This finally allowed the other to let the subject go as he looked at his long-term friend with a bright expression.

"Okay...sounds like a plan," Mirio said slowly but then put a bubbly pep in his words, his mood switching quickly. "See you guys."

He gave Izuku a tight hug and Izuku gave him one back. Seeing the exchange made it clear Mirio cared for Izuku. In what manner? That was still up in the air. The group said goodbye and Katsuki perched himself on ground zero and Izuku followed suit.

The lean muscular arms were around him again and the new simmer underneath his skin was back.

. . .

They arrived back at the precinct and Katsuki admittedly flipped a switch back into work mode. He checked his black digital watch and notice the time was nearly 7:00 pm, which left plenty of time for him to work into the evening like he usually does.

Izuku released his waist and shook his bouncy curls as he removed the orange helmet. The young detective gave him another one of those captivating smiles and Katsuki nearly found himself stuck again.

"Thanks for the ride," the greenette said. "I really appreciate it." Katsuki nodded back at him as he locked down his bike and took off his own helmet, raking his hand through his blonde spikes.

"Don't mention it. What files were you going to look over?" He asked. They walked back inside together, Katsuki slowly removing his jacket to toss in his arms.

"Ah, Yaoyorozu has been giving me the easier cases to file and look into between the cases you give me. I just wanted to grab them from my desk before going home."

"Well, that sounds like a good plan," Katsuki said as he flipped back on his office light. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then, Midoriya. Have a good night." He tried his best to keep his tone short as he walked into the small room decorated with all his achievements.

The large building was quiet and empty. Completely opposite of what it was like this morning but that's what Katsuki liked and sometimes looked forward to. The quietness of just working without distraction allowed him to blank all his thoughts and not think too much.

He heard Izuku shift around at his desk and grab a handful of papers that he put into his bag. Katsuki expected Izuku to leave out immediately as soon as he got what he needed. So, the lieutenant started to log on to his own desktop computer. However, instead of going, Izuku timidly walked up to his office opening.

Red eyes glanced up curiously at the younger male who was leaning against the door frame with his eyes shifted downwards.

"...what are you about to do?" Izuku said quietly in a tone that almost seemed...shy? Katsuki decided not to read into it and readjusted his eyes to the computer screen in front of him.

"I have a couple of small court cases to look over and then I wanted to research more into that arsonist that popped up," he said back. Izuku hummed and nodded his head. The greenette lightly kicked his foot against the tiled floor before looking up to the older man.

"Are you going to do work here? It's getting late."

Katsuki finally looked back at him with a singular eyebrow quirked as if the question was dumb. "Yes. Where else would I do it?" Izuku shrugged his shoulders and shifted his weight slightly.

"Home? Possibly. Y'know, somewhere comfortable. This building is kinda creepy without anyone in it." Both men took a look around the empty office in that moment.

Admittedly, the U.A precinct this late at night wasn't the most welcoming, but Katsuki didn't like being at his apartment unless it was to sleep. So, he 'tch'd and blew off the observation like it was nothing.

"Yeah, to you maybe. There's no difference to me staying late here versus stayin' up late at home." Izuku hummed again before sighing. Katsuki watched as the younger one rubbed behind his neck per his nervous habit and it made Katsuki squint his eyes at him slightly.

"...why don't you come over to my place?" Katsuki cut his eyes at the younger one at the inappropriate suggestion and turned up his nose quickly.

"_Excuse me_? What the fuck, Midoriya—"

"—W-We could just do work together!" Izuku quickly elaborated shaking his hands in front of him to calm down the explosive blonde. "I'm making some dessert and meal prepping for the rest of the week." Despite the full explanation it didn't make Katsuki's frown disappear and Izuku started to nervously laugh.

"Dessert? Ain't it a little late to be making dessert?" The greenette shrugged and place a small smile on his face. Katsuki watched how the freckles on his cheek bent around the new creases and something inside of him flared again.

"Some would say the same about doing work. So, why not combine both?" At the suggestion Katsuki tapped his finger against the wood surface of his desk. He was still trying to comprehend why the fuck did Izuku think this would be a good idea between them?

"I promise I won't bother you...plus I'm making namagashi."

At the mention of the small sugary treat Katsuki paused.

"...you know how to make namagashi?" His mind flashed him the image of the last time he ate one, and it was at his parents' house when they were having tea. He secretly loved sugary foods even though he liked to limit himself on the uptake. He needed to be mindful of his body's health.

"Mhm! I do. I'm really good at it too." Izuku nodded eagerly, pushing himself off the door frame. "Plus, I'm making tantanmen for lunch tomorrow."

Then, slowly Katsuki's thoughts dissolved solely into thinking about possible warm food. He usually only packed sandwiches for himself during the week, not being much of a cook except on the weekends. It's not that he didn't like cooking, he did. He just hadn't done it too much since the whole Hero Killer issue. After that, the young blonde gave majority of his free time outside of work to...work.

He tilted his head at Izuku as if seeing him differently. Undeniable flare guns went off in his head that this was a bad idea. Extremely. He shouldn't go over someone's place that he felt such a strong draw to...but fucking tantanmen was his goddamn favorite.

"You don't seem like the spicy food type," he said in a cautious raspy tone.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm not but I like trying out new things every now and then," Izuku smiled at him and the lieutenant nearly felt his heart flipped. From what? He wasn't sure if it was because of the innocent looking freckled face or the idea of getting his favorite dessert plus his favorite fucking meal.

What the fuck was Izuku _doing_ to him?

"You come across like the type of person who only eats spicy food. I noticed it when we were undercover." Katsuki turned away from the bright smile and the jade colored eyes looking at him in a weirdly adoring way.

"Heh, you got that right, dork. I am. Spicy food is my favorite."

"Well, can I bribe you then? I can give you some tantanmen for lunch tomorrow if you come over to my place, finish your work while at least having some dessert? Be the better option over just staying here in this dusty old office. My good Samaritan side won't let me leave you here alone."

_That is a terrible idea. An absolutely terrible idea. _He thought to himself over and over but...that didn't stop him from thinking about the possible difference.

He could be somewhere with food, his two favorite fucking foods, while looking over the cases in a much cozier environment or he could stay here. Ruby red eyes scanned the barren dark, grey office that he's come to know as a second home (really a first home). Something inside of him panged emptily.

Katsuki then finally looked up at Izuku's face that was the complete opposite of the space they were in: his expression was extremely warm and welcoming.

Katsuki sighed and turned back to his computer and started shutting it down.

"...fine, but only for the tantanmen. No fucking funny business from you either," he grumbled. Izuku's face lit up excitedly. The greenette gave a grin that stretched across his rosy cheeks.

"Of course not."

. . .

When they arrived at Izuku's apartment complex, the blonde was surprised to find that he lived fairly far out. He thought about how Izuku would walk home and realized the greenette traveled a generously large distance to and from work.

The neighborhood they arrived at was small and quiet. It was middle class and the tall white apartment building was majority windows. Against the late summer sky, it reflected all the colors of orange and blue that swirled around the clouds, making it look like it was a part of the atmosphere above them.

They chatted idly as they made their way up to Izuku's place on the eleventh floor after parking ground zero outside. The oldest male noticed how weirdly happy and content the greenette looked to have company over and something inside of Katsuki felt...okay with it as well.

The pair walked up to the wooden door with the numbers '1106' in neat gold letters and Izuku pushed in his silver key in the lock. Immediately the fluorescent lights were turned on and Katsuki was surprised by what he saw the first moment he stepped in.

"Go ahead and make yourself at home! Ignore the mess, I'm still unpacking everything. I figured we can do work on the couch area since I have a small table there. Perfect place for paperwork and desserts." Izuku called out as he walked into and past the living room.

The apartment itself was small. It had wooden flooring, white walls that were completely bare but there was an intense amount of white light flooding the small space from the black ceiling fan and lamps placed throughout. The living room was directly next to a giant window that gave way to an entire beautiful nighttime view of Shizuoka City.

But what caught the blonde's attention the most wasn't the stunning view. Not at all. It wasn't even the high number of boxes and clutter that signaled someone just moved in. It was the corner right next to the window that was littered in paintings, drawings and had a tall wooden easel perched to the side with an incompletely piece on top of it.

The blonde walked forward slowly after locking the door behind him. His feet moved like magnetism as he fully took in the art in front of him. He knew Izuku was talented, but this—this was a whole new level. An impressive level.

Each painting looked as though it captured a different emotion, or just surrealism with vibrant colors. But one painting in particular caught Katsuki attention. It was tossed slightly against the window carelessly, but it was a portrait of Izuku himself.

His eyes were glanced downwards, and the background was dark with colors of black and purple. The blackness seeped onto Izuku's skin like vines, making it seem like he was captured in endless black foliage. But the most interesting part of the painting was how Izuku painted his heart. It was simple, deep red and three bright orange flames were encircling it.

The longer the young adult stared at the expression on the painted Izuku's face the more he felt a particular emotion evoked out of him. A familiar, consuming one like the painting depicted.

It felt like...loss.

"Did you...paint all of these?" He whispered into the apartment. Red eyes scanned over all the other paintings in deep thought. He couldn't even really process what he was looking at, or what he was feeling.

Izuku was really something.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I paint a lot whenever I get the urge," the light tenor voice replied from the kitchen. "It helps keep my mind clear and detours me from other not so savory habits."

If Katsuki wasn't as amazed with what he saw, he would've found that comment a little bit suspicious. But right now, he was stuck on how downright fucking talented Izuku's hands were.

"These are amazing," The raspy voice called out back. There was light rustling in the kitchen indicating that the youngest was doing something to start up cooking. "Have you ever considered havin' a gallery opening? Or a possible art show in Shizuoka?"

"I have thought about it! I did a couple in college in Yaizu and was gonna do more but things just...didn't work out that way."

Ruby eyes then landed on a small black notebook that was positioned on the floor by the easel looking like it had been tossed down without much thought. The blonde looked over his shoulder to Izuku, who was already completely engrossed into making the tiny desserts. The greenette was moving his hips slightly to the beat of the song he was playing.

With the detective's back turned, the older man followed the flare of curiosity inside of him and bent down to grab the black book. When he stood up again, he opened it and flipped slowly through the pages.

The notebook was the opposite of all the colorful large paintings, being only composed of black and white graphite images. Majority of them were portrait pictures of people and a couple were landscapes or cityscapes.

As he continued to flip he stopped on a well rendered portrait of a male. It was soft and looked as it was done with great care. The young male in the picture had smooth skin and was smiling brightly. His head was tilted with a flirty smile and he had what looked to be light colored eyes and medium toned hair.

Katsuki tilted his head to the side in the same way when he noticed that it strangely resembled him. The mystery man's hair was slightly spiked like his own, or like that asshole, Shindo Yo, just not as dark as the criminal's.

But when red eyes moved downwards on the page his heart skipped a beat.

The indicated date on the portrait was old. Four years old to be exact, but it was a date Katsuki would never let himself forget. It was the same day he had broken up with Takeyama and the mess of the Hero Killer ensured.

In this moment Izuku looked over his shoulder to see why the lieutenant had grown so quiet. Green eyes instantly widened when he saw the blonde staring down at the notebook. Izuku quickly cleared his throat, breaking the spell the drawings had over Katsuki.

"Please don't go through that. I'm sorry, but a lot of that sketchbook is personal." Izuku said in an apologetic manner. Red eyes finally tore away from the drawing of the young adult to close it respectfully.

"Ah, my bad," the rough voice replied. Katsuki then finally put the booklet back down to where he found it and stepped away from the artsy corner. He walked over to the kitchen area and leaned against the counter watching Izuku move his hands to prepare the small dessert. "You're honestly really talented."

"Aw, thank you, Bakugou. That's really sweet coming from you," Izuku turned his head and smiled at him and that flare in the taller man's chest was back. Katsuki smiled back before leaning in with a small smirk.

"...my only critique is your signature sucks."

"Eh?" Izuku blinked rapidly and his hands instantly stopped mixing the batter in the bowl. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Your fuckin' chicken scratch looks like you wrote 'Deku' instead of 'Izuku'." The oldest laughed more. The smirk on his face only grew wider and wider when Izuku's face grew shocked and playfully offended. "I've been meaning to tell you that when I looked over your paperwork. You needa fuckin' fix that."

"Wah?!" The green-eyed male laughed. The artist furrowed his dark brows and shook his finger jokingly at the other. "Oi, no teasing when it comes to my art!"

"But I'm not teasing your art. I'm telling you to practice your goddamn penmanship." Katsuki took a large step forward following the playful mischievous pull that was suddenly growing inside his chest. "You don't wanna get branded as fucking Deku do you, _Izuku_?"

The name rolled off the tip of his tongue like sweet water and suddenly the ash blonde realized what he'd done. Izuku's name in his mouth sounded good to his ears—too good. But apparently, judging by the heavy blush on Izuku's face it sounded good to him too.

"...N-No I don't!" The curly haired artist all but squeaked out. His voice was abnormally high pitched, and he quickly turned away from the man that had just spoken his first name. "B-But, um, you can set up either at the dining table or the couch, I'm gonna start cooking before I sit down."

"Alrighty, I'll be waiting. Your namagashi better be good, otherwise I drove all the way out here for nothin'," Katsuki drawled out while walking away. He could feel something inside of him grow hot and decided it was a good idea to just do what he came here to do and not get distracted.

"Heh, I'm sure it's better than anything you could do. Now, get to work. I'll be in the kitchen."

"Alright, alright, nerd. Have fun slaving over a hot stove for me."

Izuku's breathy laugh echoed in the small apartment at the comment, and Katsuki shifted himself to get comfortable on the couch. He took out his paperwork and glasses while curiously eyeing the self portrait of Izuku that was off to the side. The greenette played relaxing music as the night went on.

Katsuki fell into an easy work mode spiral that was only mildly interrupted whenever Izuku came over to sit next to him on the couch and look over his own work in the waiting periods for the food he was preparing.

As more time passed on, slowly but surely the spicy smell of his favorite ramen dish filled the air and the board shoulder lieutenant found himself relaxing more into the plain beige couch.

This felt...nice. That much he could admit out loud to himself. The sound of music along with the smell of food in the air while he was working enveloped Katsuki in a solid secure feeling that allowed him to feel even more inclined to do work. More so than when he was at the office.

He felt comfortable.

He looked off to the side at the greenette who entered the living room once more from the kitchen, but this time he held a plate full of colorful sweets with two sets of chopsticks. They came in different shapes and sizes such as sakura flowers, koi fish, and roses.

Red eyes immediately perked up as the plate of treats was set in front of him. He shifted all the papers and laptop off his lap and off to the side and quickly moved to grab the eating utensils.

Slowly, he picked up the small sakura one with the given black chopsticks and placed it in his mouth. The sugary taste melted against his tongue and Katsuki almost damn near moaned at how good it tasted. He hadn't had food this good in so long.

"This is really fucking good," he exclaimed out giving Izuku a nod of approval. He looked to the side at the greenette who was practically glowing from the praise. "Damn, who would've thought. Talented in art and in sugary treats. How is that fuckin' fair?"

"The universe made me overpowered, obviously. I am a man of many talents," Izuku laughed, picking up the fish shaped treat and eating it. Katsuki quirked an eyebrow at the younger one before going in for the kill on another treat.

"Oh? What other talents would that be?" His mind briefly considered _other_ things. Wondering if Izuku's mouth was as talented as it was soft. But the male in question with soft lips just chuckled and shrugged.

"One would be looking like I'm still sixteen, apparently. I get carded wherever I go. I went to my local grocery store and the woman was not convinced I was old enough to purchase alcohol when I was checking out."

Katsuki then leaned back while chewing to look Izuku up and down.

Truthfully, he wouldn't think Izuku was a day over twenty-one. Hence why he thought the greenette was way too young for him initially when they met. But he looked closer and he could see age in his eyes. As if they've seen things and have matured because of it. Katsuki tilted his head to the side to consider a couple of things about the smaller male.

"You probably wouldn't have that problem if you fixed your hair and wore better clothes," he finally decided on.

"Hah? What's wrong with my hair? First my signature and now my hair? You're just being mean tonight."

"A lot is fuckin' wrong with your hair," Katsuki mumbled, shoving another sugar delight in his mouth. Green eyes flickered down to this mouth in an unmistakable motion but the eldest tried his best to ignore it. "Your bangs look like you just rolled out of bed, something a teenager would very much do. Doesn't exactly scream 'I'm nearing my mid-twenties and I'm a professional police officer.'"

Izuku groaned and then basically pouted. Fucking _pouted_. And it nearly killed Katsuki on the spot. He's never seen the other do that before. A grown man, who helped take down a drug heist was here with him...pouting over his hair.

Why the fuck was it so damn adorable?

"What should I do to my hair then?" Izuku asked finally running his hand through the thick green locks. "Give me your stylish advice, lieutenant."

"Fuckin' part your bang or something, nerd," Katsuki motioned with his chopsticks to his own unparted hair lining as if to show Izuku where to part his. "Like just comb it to the left or whatever."

The artist hummed and tried to card his hand through his curls, brushing them sloppily all the way to the left side. When he was done he gave a goofy grin and Katsuki frowned deeply.

"Like this?"

"No, not like that. I mean like majority of it to the left not all of it to the left," he pointed with his chopsticks again more aggressively, hoping Izuku would get the hint. However, it didn't seem like he was going to. Izuku just kept styling his hair wrong, over and over, making the already unruly head of hair unrulier. "Fucking Kami you're dense. What the fuck? Maybe you should be called Deku."

Another goofy grin was tossed his way and Izuku tried one more time to mess with his hair. "How about now?" Katsuki groaned and slammed his chopsticks down on the wooden table in front of him before turning back around.

"No, you dumbass. I said majority—" Izuku messed up his hair some more and Katsuki grabbed his hands to stop him. "Fuck it, sit still. I'll do it for you, idiot."

Izuku laughed at the aggressive exclamation and let himself be grabbed by Katsuki's larger hands. Emerald eyes watched carefully the scowl on the other man's face as his superior got closer to him to entangle his fingers in his hair. The large hands worked against the thick hair parting it ever so slightly and brushing majority of Izuku's bangs off to the side. The youngest closed his eyes enjoying the feeling and then slowly he felt the motions slow down.

When green eyes reopened, Katsuki felt his heart thump in a deadly manner. He slowly brushed the last piece of soft hair behind the other's ear and out of his freckled face. Ruby eyes were completely lost in the constellation of freckled dots facing him as he was sucked into that familiar gravity.

"There...like this," his raspy voice whispered.

He pulled his hand back and admired the new style on the greenette. It looked...incredibly nice on him. The new shift in hair framed his baby face in a way that made it appear less circular and more heart shaped. It made Katsuki's own heart skip an alarming beat.

_Fuck_.

There was a long pause as Katsuki studied the other in front of him, trying to assess the twist in his chest.

"You're staring again," the youngest pointed out quietly. "How do I look?" Red eyes studied him and deep down he knew there was only one word that would really capture Izuku as a whole.

_...breathtaking,_ is what his mind said, and what he meant to say. But Katsuki knew he couldn't afford to say that because...he just _couldn't_. His heart twisted thinking about the implications.

"...like a Deku. You look like a Deku," he spoke solidly, letting his defense mechanisms take hold. He shoved down his real opinions of the beautiful greenette in front of him.

The other detective reeled his head back at the comment, fully not expecting that to be the answer but slowly a bright smile overtook the round face.

"Hey, that's mean," Izuku protested with a small laugh and brushed a piece of hair behind his ear shyly. "I just made you food and this is the thanks I get?"

"Just because you can cook doesn't make you any less of a Deku if you don't fix that signature of yours." Katsuki smirked and leaned back, resting against the arm of the couch. He grabbed his laptop and papers again, fully prepared to run away from his racing heart.

"Heh, wow. Thank you so much for the feedback." Izuku chuckled and grabbed his own laptop, leaning back to the other side of the couch.

"You're completely welcome, nerd." Katsuki scoffed and cut his eyes off to the side at the greenette, who was now wearing a gentle part in his hair. "Now, seriously. Get back to work and let me focus for a while."

"Okay! No issue, lieutenant," the younger one smiled and Katsuki resisted all urges to smile back.

The dusk turned to night fully and the two found themselves silently working next to each other. Both quietly devoured the colorful tea treats Izuku had made until eventually time was lost.

The youngest had eventually run out of steam and put on a movie from NeckFlex that he watched while Katsuki was still well into his work zone.

By the time the ash blonde looked up it was nearly 10:00 pm and Izuku had fallen asleep.

The greenette's head was tilted to the side and he was awkwardly holding a brown file in his hand, completely knocked out.

_I should go home._ Katsuki thought to himself emptily. He stared down at the freckled face next to him and studied the long dark eyelashes.

He made a move to shift his laptop off to the side and then reached over to carefully grab Izuku's folder out of his hands.

The sleeping policeman is mumbled slightly when the files were taken out of his grasp and Katsuki leaned over to place them on the table.

He jumped immediately when suddenly there was a heavy weight slumped against him. Red eyes looked back to see Izuku leaning all the way on his shoulder and Katsuki froze.

The other was so close again and this time the blonde didn't know what to do with the sleeping figure.

Izuku looked...peaceful.

He groaned to himself as he tried his best not to move and disturb the sleeping one. He leaned back all the way, holding out his hand to be careful not to let Izuku fall in his lap by accident.

_Just fucking great_. He sighed internally.

He looked back down to the round face and could've kicked himself. There was no way he could bring himself to wake Izuku up now. Especially when he seemed so sound asleep.

So Katsuki didn't.

He reached slowly for the papers to the side of him, deciding that a little bit more work time couldn't hurt.

...Right?

He pushed his glasses up on his face and tried his best to focus on the small case in front of him, and not the fact there was a warm body pressed against him.

Katsuki drowned in his work for another night, trying his best to distract himself from thinking about beautiful green hair.

He glanced down at the man next to him and then back to the self-portrait that was across the room. He finally concluded something about the younger male that made him feel different about everything he had learned thus far.

Izuku really was a puzzle.

He was complicated, distracting but...maybe he was in a good way.

* * *

Thank you so much for reading as always! Be sure to check out the songs linked and let me know what you think below. I really love reviews ^_^

**Preview of next chapter:**  
"Of course this mess would be connected back to you in some way though," Monoma sneered, looking down at Katsuki. The ash blonde straightened his back out when a clash of electricity clearly struck between them. This fucker was _always_ pushing his buttons.

"...and just the hell is that supposed to mean?" He challenged back, fully glaring at the other. But his usual glare was ineffective to the other angry lieutenant.

"You and I both know what it means," Monoma took a step forward, turning up his nose. "It seems like anytime there's a large incident of serve deaths or injuries you're right in the middle of it." The suggestion caused Katsuki to transport directly back to four years ago. He tried his best to stop the guilt from seeping in but was unsuccessful.


	5. Burnout

Hi all! I'm back from midterms! Sorry for the disappearance. Schoolwork caught up to me and then I took some more time off to just reset, relax and take a break so I can avoid getting burn out (much like Katsuki in this chapter). Now I'm back full force and excited to present you this monster chapter.

Before we get started, special thank you and shoutout to my lovely friend nmatthews (on A03 she doesn't have a fanfic account) for BETAing, being an awesome soundboard and just a great person all around. She's wonderful and if you haven't read her works on A03 yet, I highly suggest it!

Okay, buckle up! :D Enjoy reading!

* * *

**Chapter 5 - Burnout**

.

.

.

Katsuki was first woken up by sunlight.

The warm rays hit his face as he slowly fluttered open his eyes.

Once awake, Katsuki immediately noticed a couple of very important things.

The first being that he was not in his apartment. The second was the soft comforter pulled over him and how he was neatly tucked in with a plush pillow underneath his head. Lastly, the hands on the black clock on the wall read close to 7:00 am.

Katsuki did a double take.

_Seven fucking_—

Seeing the time instantly cured the blonde of all the grogginess in his body, making him shoot up from the couch. He sat up quickly in his clothes from the previous day when it dawned on him that he fell asleep while working.

_Fuck. How did I do that? _

He cursed himself again and again while starting to slowly panic. His hair was wild, blonde spikes flew in every direction and the bags under his eyes felt heavy. The sleepy man frantically searched for his belongings, but he kept cursing himself when he couldn't find them above or below the covers. He last remembered them being in his fucking lap? What in the hell happened—

Then all of his racing thoughts paused when he finally looked ahead of him.

There, sitting neatly on the small wooden table, was all his stuff. Files were neatly tucked away in their respective folders, his laptop was placed off to the side with the charger wrapped carefully, and his favorite red pen was capped and set down next to everything.

He stared confused for a moment, not understanding why all of his belongings were handled with such...care.

Katsuki felt his ear slightly twitch when a melodic soft hum and gentle music floated to his ears. Then slowly, a mixture of delicious savory smells filled his senses, drawing his attention towards the kitchen area.

The man with wild bed-hair could hear Izuku's voice carry through the apartment and curiosity pulled him to walk up and out of the living room.

_Is he...cooking? _The blonde tilted his head to the side as he wandered into the small kitchenette. When he carefully rounded the corner, Katsuki felt his breath almost hitch at the sight.

Izuku was standing over the stove with his back turned, sporting an obviously tight pair of green joggers, a comfy white crew neck sweater and he was swaying somewhat to the music. The curly greenette seemed lost in his own world as he cooked, keeping his hands busy.

The sudden domestic feeling of everything made Katsuki feel like cursing out loud.

He fell asleep on his trainee's couch and now the damn dork was cooking breakfast for him? He sniffed the air again lightly. A _good _smelling breaking on top of it.

His gaze then shifted to the garnet counter to see two light blue bento lunch boxes wrapped up in a bag. Then red eyes glanced to the wooden kitchen table off to the side and noticed two cups and two plates neatly set up across from each other.

"Ah! You're finally awake," Izuku called. Katsuki turned back around to see a bright smile looking at him happily. "Sorry, I hope you don't mind that you slept over. I woke up around three in the morning, but I didn't want to just kick you out."

"Naw, you're fine." Katsuki waved his hands and he walked up next to Izuku to fully inspect the lunch boxes and the food that was being made. "Thanks for cooking and packing lunch, nerd. Didn't know you cared so much."

"It's no problem at all," Izuku laughed lightheartedly. "I promised you tantanmen if you came over and I like to keep my promises."

"You didn't have to make breakfast though," Katsuki hummed. "I feel like I'm robbing you of your food supply."

"Hah! Really, it's not an issue. I like cooking, so this is fine. Don't worry about it, okay?" Izuku poked the taller man's cheek and the action felt extremely friendly and playful. Before he could catch himself, Katsuki laughed and smiled back, adjusting himself against the garnet counter.

"Okay, okay, fine. Thanks again."

Truthfully, he was thankful as fuck with how great the food looked and smelled. Izuku was cooking a mixture of colorful vegetables with a sunny side up egg and toast. Looking at the mixture sizzle made his stomach undeniably audibly growl.

However, there was a part of him that panged lowly thinking about the last time someone cooked for him. Takeyama used to cook for him a lot up until they moved from Tokyo and then from there they became increasingly distant.

It had even been a while since Katsuki really made breakfast for himself or didn't substitute coffee for it. He usually just grabbed something small from the cafe at the bottom of his building on the go, but this was...nice.

He looked at Izuku's freckles under the morning light in a thoughtful sense.

"Did you need a spare shirt to wear? We can try to leave soon so you can go run by your place," Izuku asked without looking up at him.

"I have spare clothes at the station, so no worries. I'll just change there." At this Izuku paused ever so slightly and looked at him out the corner of his eye.

"You keep spare clothes at work?"

"Yeah." Katsuki shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "Sometimes. Just whenever there's an increase in crime that calls for me to sleep over at the station. Nothin' new. I started just leaving clothes there to make it easier for myself."

Izuku clicked his tongue and cut his eye back away from the blonde-haired man. The sudden shift in mood made the lieutenant frown. What did he say wrong?

"...you work yourself really hard," Izuku whispered in a small voice. At this, Katsuki realized that the other sounded kind of concerned. But Katsuki didn't need people concerned over him. It was pointless, he's handled himself well for years on his own.

"You've said that before."

"I know but," Izuku sighed. A long pause occurred as the greenette finished cooking and slid the mix of vegetables and egg off the fryer. "I guess never mind. To each their own, right?"

A tight, fake smile was given to him and it made Katsuki look at Izuku strangely.

"Yeah...right."

The greenette was acting displeased to hear Katsuki worked as hard as he did, and it was abnormal to the lieutenant.

Sure, all his friends always poked fun at how much of a workaholic he was, but none of them seemed flat out overly concerned about it. Katsuki got his work done, he took care of his body and allowed himself some fun time every now and then.

Just...not a lot of it.

"Alright! Food is done. Let's eat so you can hurry up and get showered," Izuku beamed as he brought the food over to the small table. Katsuki followed behind him, his eyes occasionally glancing down to Izuku's lower half.

He bit the inside of his cheek watching the other's hips sway in the hip-hugging joggers.

. . .

The breakfast was quick, fairly quiet and enjoyable, even though Katsuki wouldn't admit it out loud.

Talking to Izuku came with ease as they discussed the plan for today. Izuku confessed to wanting to learn more advanced combat techniques and go on more patrols.

So Katsuki said he'd think about it and would talk to Toshinori about having Izuku out in the field more. It seemed the greenette enjoyed being in the midst of action versus doing deskwork.

When they walked outside, Katsuki found himself strangely happy. His stomach was full, he was freshly showered and now his favorite spicy ramen was packed for lunch.

It all felt weirdly well put together for a Tuesday.

Something inside of him felt like it might actually be a decent day when Izuku's bright smile was tossed his way.

. . .

They walked into the station with a light air around them and Izuku cheerfully complimenting ground zero.

"I mean it! It's so cool how you know how to ride. I always wanted to learn how since college."

"Sign up for classes or somethin'. Not that hard." Katsuki mumbled, trying to ignore the damn near cute expression on Izuku's excited face.

"Or you could teach me? Maybe? I always did well with private lessons." A mirthful smile landed on pink lips and Katsuki quickly looked away.

"That's pushing it, short stuff."

Izuku laughed at the response and kept his pace next to him as they headed into the elevator together.

As they were riding up together, Izuku kept smiling. Smiling a lot. There was something different in the vibe about the detective and Katsuki couldn't figure out what it was. The greenette was acting way friendlier with him than before. He was conversing like he would with Ochaco or Mina, or even Mirio from what he saw at dinner yesterday.

He was treating Katsuki like a friend.

The elevator dinged, and the pair stepped off still talking about motorcycles. They didn't pay too much attention to the atmosphere in the room until Katsuki looked up and saw people gathered around the flat screens.

Everyone's expressions were tense, and all eyes with glued forward.

"What's going on?" Izuku said, hushed. Katsuki looked at him confused as well, unsure.

They got closer and pushed through the thick crowd of the U.A. officers. The lieutenant could see Toshinori leaned again Ochaco's desk with his hands in his lap and eyes up on the screen. It was then that Katsuki finally lifted up his red eyes to the screen.

His stomach turned sick.

On the bright screen were several homes in full blaze. The orange fire flickered and swallowed three houses whole. Fire trunks were gathered around trying to put out the large flame with water, but it felt useless. Thick, grey smoke clouded the sky above the burning homes, completely blocking out the sun.

Katsuki glanced downwards to the bottom of the screen to read the headline.

"_Attack on residential homes in Atsui district: _

_Three killed, and four injured. The start of a serial arsonist?"_

His fingers subconsciously tightened around his motorcycle helmet and he turned away from the TV screen.

Toshinori stood up fully with a very serious expression etched into his face. It was then that the young lieutenant noticed an envelope clutched between his calloused fingers.

Slowly, the white note was handed over to him and Toshinori started to walk away.

"Call Monoma now. The investigation to get to the bottom of this begins as soon as possible," his superior called. The large man shuffled through the sea of officers with tense shoulders.

Katsuki frowned deeply before looked back down at the already-opened envelope in his hands. He pulled out the slip inside to reveal a postcard with a picture of an old looking town. The photograph was washed out and looked oddly colored and it only confused Katsuki more. At the bottom it read 'Welcome to Chicago'.

Quickly, he flipped the other side and his stomach twisted in knots while reading the cursive handwriting.

"**I told you I don't have the best of patience, Katsuki. Don't start getting distracted on me."**

"Why send a picture of this town?" Katsuki said, looking intensely at the slip in his hand. He could feel all eyes turn towards him as if waiting for the answer as well.

"It's an old picture of Chicago, in America," Izuku stated, sounding distant. Katsuki then turned his attention to the shorter male to see all the color drained from his freckled face. "The great Chicago fire was a big thing in America history...a lot of people died."

The words burned into his skin deeply.

Katsuki resisted the urge to crumple the paper in his hand.

. . .

The rest of the week went by without incident. Or at least by Katsuki's standards.

He called Monoma, much to his fucking displeasure. The uncooperative blondes agreed to meet briefly today, Saturday morning right before the Shizuoka City police picnic.

Todoroki put the mysterious postcard through forensics, but it came back with nothing but trace amounts of gasoline stained on the card.

There wasn't a single fucking fingerprint or sign of DNA.

The lack of leads only added to Katsuki's stress. _Tremendously_. There was now a total of four dead people at the hands of this man…or was it multiple suspects? He had no idea about anything other than this pyro had it out for him and he was a mad man. A severely pissed off, impatient, mad man that somehow knew how to create large fires within a matter of minutes.

Worst possible combination in the fucking world.

It was a frightening fact to everyone at the UA precinct. But an even more frightening fact to Katsuki was how he couldn't figure out for the life of him what the fuck did this man want—

"Bakugou?" Izuku interjected in his thoughts. The young adult in question glanced up from his desk to see the shorter male standing at his door frame looking nervous. "Monoma is here."

_Ah, right. _Red eyes looked up at the clock and sighed. It was exactly 10:00 am, the time they agreed to.

"Tell him to bring his ass in," Katsuki drawled out, unamused. Izuku fidgeted for a moment, looking as if he was going to say something, but then he just left out to go retrieve the other blonde lieutenant.

Katsuki made sure he didn't look directly into Izuku's green eyes.

After the residential homes burned down on Tuesday morning, Katsuki had started to try to distance himself from the smaller male. Being around Izuku made him forget easily about work and ultimately all the stress he had.

It was fucking distracting. Izuku really was a damn distraction and with the issue of this pyromaniac—he couldn't afford such a thing. The asshole torching the city basically said so himself.

So, he tried his best to ignore all the smiles and small touches. They made him feel comfortable and it was confusing all of his already jumbled thoughts.

But above all, it was tampering with his well-constructed emotional walls.

On Wednesday Katsuki had forgotten to pack his lunch, being so scattered brained about all the cases he was working. He didn't mean to, he just had forgotten it when he left out. However, when it came time for lunch hours, Izuku ended up insisting that he eat some of his left-over spicy ramen from Tuesday.

The action was friendly, caring, and Katsuki really did appreciate it. He ate it in silence then went directly back to his office. The following rest of the week the small greenette brought in sugary namagashi for the entire precinct but Katsuki couldn't help but squint his eyes at the gesture.

He did this because Izuku had set a small plate on his desk when he wasn't looking—_just for him._

There was another knock on his door that made the lieutenant to look up and fully exit his thoughts.

This time in the place of Izuku was Monoma, in all his pretentious glory. Katsuki sighed and finally took off his glasses and put away the files on his desk.

"Good evening, thanks for getting back to my call," Katsuki said in an empty tone. He motioned for the other to take a seat and slowly observed the other man that was clearly studying him.

Monoma was wearing his white lieutenant shirt, a rank he managed to make not too long ago because he had the same fiery motivation as Katsuki. His dark blonde hair was swept to the side in a neat fashion and the man crossed his legs neatly once he took a seat.

Dark blue eyes glazed around the office space with a slight sneer. Katsuki had to resist groaning out loud. He could already _feel _where this was going.

"I didn't answer the call for you. I did it for the city."

And there it was fucking was.

"...I'm well aware, but I can still say thank you," Katsuki tried his best to say with a polite tone out of his grinding teeth. "Please, take the damn thank you."

"Still as charming as ever," the dark blonde shrugged and leaned back into the chair. The gesture only irritated Katsuki further.

"Did you want to discuss the case or not? We have to get to the event soon."

"I did," Monoma replied steadily, without looking at him. "I heard that you and Aizawa understand a little bit more about the arsonist that you let get away last week. What were those details? If we start making a map now, hopefully we can start to see a pattern."

Monoma took out his black booklet to start taking down notes and Katsuki felt himself slightly relax as they got past the obvious tension between them.

"Well, first thing's first, the guy calls himself the cremator. The man doesn't like cops. In fact, I'm sure he hates them which makes me believe that there's something...he's pissed off about. Probably something to do with me since he specifically asked to speak with me right before he blew the Sakai bank up."

At this, sharp blue eyes looked up at him suspiciously but Katsuki continued without wavering, ignoring the rising feeling of heat coming from Monoma.

"He engulfed the old Sokai bank on Kaze avenue in flames in less than five minutes flat which makes me think he either had help or it was premeditated. And as you know, three houses in the Atsui district on Ichirizuka street were set on fire on Tuesday," Katsuki sighed and rubbed his temple.

Saying all of this out loud was re-grounding him in how serious everything was.

"Then lastly, Aizawa overheard him saying that he wants to see the city burn, and that he wanted him to burn a cop alive to make a statement or some shit. So...there's possibly more to come."

Katsuki finished and the air in the office was thick. Monoma looked at him with several mixed emotions before speaking.

"That's...alarming," the other lieutenant said slowly. Katsuki nodded in agreeance.

"Extremely."

It was then that the other stood up and put away his notepad. Katsuki looked up at the man to see the expression fully shifted from mixed emotions to pure disdain.

"But of course, this mess would be connected back to you in some way though," Monoma sneered, looking down at Katsuki. The ash blonde straightened his back out when a clash of electricity clearly struck between them. This fucker was _always _pushing his buttons.

"...and just what the hell is that supposed to mean?" He challenged back, fully glaring at the other. But his usual glare was ineffective to the other angry lieutenant.

"You and I both know what it means," Monoma took a step forward, turning up his nose. "It seems like anytime there's a large incident of deaths or injuries you're right in the middle of it." The suggestion caused Katsuki to transport directly back to four years ago. He tried his best to stop the guilt from seeping in but was unsuccessful.

"That's not true—"

"—It is and you know it, Bakugou." Sharp eyes cut harder than the guilt slowly sinking in his skin. "This is probably going to end up being another mess that was caused by an oversight you had because your nose is too far up your own ass."

Katsuki frowned deeply, several wrinkles showing his age finding their way onto his face. This asshole didn't have to do this everything single fucking time they were together. He really didn't.

"Do you want to work together on this or not?"

"We have no choice. If I have to work with someone like you then fine," Monoma said reluctantly. "In the name of saving lives that you might possibly fail to, I will do so."

"Can you stop taking jabs at me? I'm trying to be professional."

"That still doesn't bring them back," Monoma bit out unkindly, and Katsuki stiffened, knowing where this was going. He really wished it wasn't going to go that route, but it always did.

"You being professional doesn't bring my teammates back, Bakugou. You can pretend to repent all you want, but if you really did care about keeping people safe you wouldn't have made the slip up you did so long along that left me _squadless_."

Hearing it out loud again and looking at the person in front of him that was affected the most made Katsuki nearly drown alive in his own remorse. He never was able to make peace with the man in front of him, but when he heard the reasoning...it only amplified their issues. And it hurt.

It actually...hurt.

"...I'm sorry, Monoma. Really, I am. It wasn't...it wasn't like that. There's not a day that I don't wish I could go back and be more attentive. How many times can I say fucking sorry?" Red eyes held contact with blue, silently begging for some inkling of forgiveness. Even though he knew such a thing would never be a possibility between them.

"There's not enough 'sorrys' in the world to make me care about your remorse."

"Well then, what the fuck do you want from me?"

"I want to see you _fail_, Bakugou," Monoma spat venomously. "I want the world to see the failure of a man that I know so well. For you to be stripped of the title 'Symbol of Victory' because you and I both know you don't deserve it."

The words dropped like a bomb, stunning Katsuki completely by their impact.

In the last four years, yes, Monoma had been a dick to him, but never had he crossed the line this far. To hear that the other lieutenant wanted to see Katsuki fail sent a strange chill into his bones.

They stared at each other in silence because Katsuki didn't know what the fuck to say to that. He didn't even know what to do.

His thoughts started to spiral without knowing as the ash blonde internally reprimanded himself over and over again.

Katsuki found himself stuck in the past, unwillingly thinking about his past failures. He recounted the people he failed, the feeling of the rain ghosted over his skin as he reimagined himself at the funerals—Monoma's teammates' funerals. His heart clutched, and the memories blended together with his failed relationship that he thought was going to be his last.

The room felt tight and it felt like his one biggest fear was catching back up to him. It nearly made Katsuki sick to think about.

A quick knock broke through the workaholic's wall of thoughts, drawing both pairs of eyes turned to look at the door.

There, as bright as the sun, was Izuku smiling warmly in the entrance. Katsuki quirked an eyebrow confused as to why the dork was suddenly back at his office.

"Hi, excuse me?" Izuku asked politely. "May I have a moment with my superior alone, please? I have some paperwork I need him to look over."

"Who are you again?" Monoma asked in a scrutinizing manner.

"Midoriya Izuku. I'm a new detective, just started three weeks ago," Izuku beamed in a happy manner, lips taut. It made Katsuki squint his eyes slightly because he could recognize the expression as that fake ass tight smile he's learned to distinguish on the spot.

"You're fairly young to be a detective," Monoma said, still looking at Izuku strangely. He stayed studying Izuku like he didn't belong, and the youngest was clearly nervous but trying to mask it.

However, the longer the blue eyes stayed criticizing Izuku the longer it irritated Katsuki.

Truthfully, he didn't give a fuck about getting shit from Monoma. It was routine for their dynamic but for some reason, he wasn't too keen on the idea of the asshole crossing the line to Izuku.

It wasn't the greenette's battle to fight—it was Katsuki's alone that he had earned from his own mistakes

The dark blonde turned to Katsuki with an antagonizing smirk.

"Is U.A. hiring just anyone now? Standards getting so low you're taking them fresh out of college?" And there it fucking was.

"No. He was hired 'cause he's smart," Katsuki quipped, shooting a pissed off look for Monoma to back off. "I was the same age when I became a detective. It's a rare occurrence but it ain't impossible. Not all of us had to retake the exam and wait several years."

Instantly, Monoma's face fell at the callout and he cut his eyes to Izuku, who just looked down, trying to stifle a smile.

"And he's _my _trainee so it makes fuckin' sense. Next time I fully prefer if you keep your insults directed at me and not him. Otherwise we're gonna have a rough next couple of months getting along even _slightly_."

The dirty blonde looked between Izuku and Katsuki with an analyzing gaze before settling on the other blonde.

"Fine." The tone was short and sharp. Blue eyes grew darker as Monoma turned around for the exit. "I'll see you around, Bakugou. I'll talk to the fire department and see if there's any pattern or a lead."

"Sounds good. Enjoy the rest of your fuckin' day at the picnic." Katsuki waved his hand dismissively.

Monoma exited, but not before looking Izuku up and down with a cautious gaze. An undeniable protective surge rolled over Katsuki, waiting for the man his age to do something out of line so he could pounce. But luckily for everyone in the room, nothing happened.

Izuku kept his head down out of respect and when the door closed behind him the greenette visibly relaxed, as did Katsuki. Red eyes watched how the smaller male walked up to his desk shaking his head, clearly irritated.

"That guy was an ass," Izuku said in a huff. The youngest crossed his arms and pursed his lips. "He took things too far.".

"Were you eavesdropping?" Katsuki tilted his head and raised an eyebrow at the other male.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to," the greenette whispered. "When I first saw him he seemed...like he didn't want to be here and I just got concerned." At the mention of concern, Katsuki felt himself grow with familiar irritation.

Why was Izuku suddenly so damn concerned about him?

"There's nothing to be concerned about. Monoma and I are both adults who can handle working with someone we don't like. The tension between us will probably never go away, it's been like that for ages."

"Yeah, I know, but still. He shouldn't be so hateful. It helps nothing."

Green eyes looked into his face and instantly Katsuki felt that gravity start to pull like it always did. The eyes of the detective in front of him held worry and something close to caring.

It made Katsuki feel...something he didn't like to feel.

He looked away and cleared his throat.

"Not wrong there," the ash blonde grumbled under his breath. He sighed before changing the subject, wanting nothing more than to move back into normality. "What was the paperwork you wanted me to look over?"

"Oh," Izuku awkwardly laughed, making the lieutenant look back up. Katsuki frowned at him when there was an unmistakable pink tinge across Izuku's cheeks and he was rubbing his neck shyly.

"There actually...was none? I just felt the need to step in and stop the exchange."

Katsuki exhaled audibly and pressed his lips in a thin line, looking at Izuku very displeased. But the younger officer just shrugged his shoulders with an apologetic grin. It took everything the blonde-haired man had not to smile because Izuku looked damn adorable, but he was honestly pissed about the so-called rescue.

Or at least he wanted to be.

Being around Monoma was hard for him and he usually just took the digs the best he could because he truthfully thought he deserved them after everything. He doesn't fully blame the other man for hating him.

If the roles were reversed and Katsuki found out Monoma's careless mistake was responsible for the death of his teammates...well...he probably would be forever resentful as well.

Katsuki did want to mend the bridge and move forward but the other blonde had zero intentions of letting that happen. It was a painful reminder over Katsuki's head every time they interacted. A pain Izuku had just lessened by intervening and stopping Katsuki from spiraling too far into it.

After thinking about this, he reluctantly gave a small, grateful smile and nodded his head.

"Thanks," he decided on, making emerald eyes light up slightly. "Well. If that's it, let's get changed and go to the picnic."

"Alright!"

. . .

When they were outside, the pair casually talked into the summer air. Other U.A. officers and Mirio shuffled outside as well and Katsuki couldn't help but look at the profile of Izuku's smiling face. He felt himself untense and slowly come off the edge Monoma had been inching him towards.

It was strange to him that Izuku had been the one to pull him back.

But, truthfully, it did irritate him how the other felt the need to step in between him and Monoma but...there was something else it made him feel. To know Izuku cared about him like that made his heart twist and knot.

Even now, while chatting with him casually, Katsuki found that he did actually enjoy conversations with him. It was...nice. He could finally admit it was nice to have another person he could talk to other than Mina and Kirishima.

Maybe he was wrong to try to distance himself from Izuku?

He toyed briefly with the idea the more the soft laughter hit his ears.

Everyone piled into the usual cars of Kirishima and Momo while he and Izuku headed towards his black and orange motorcycle. The lieutenant hopped on and didn't really think twice when handing over the spare helmet.

But as he did so, he saw Mirio look at Izuku with a face close to disappointment.

It threw Katsuki off for a split second. Then as quickly as it came, it left. The lawyer went into the car with Kirishima laughing with Denki and Ochaco, while Izuku joined him on the back of ground zero. He stared after the car as it drove off and tried to tell himself it was nothing.

Instead he tried to focus on the fact he could feel himself slowly heat up when lean arms wrapped around his waist. Katsuki pushed down the feeling when Izuku pushed his chest against his back and told himself he was just doing this out of courtesy for Izuku's weird habit of avoiding Shouto.

Right before putting on his helmet something small fluttered into his vision making the blonde reel his head back surprised. He blinked rapidly and focused his eyesight to find a blue and black butterfly that twirled around right before landing on his nose.

Katsuki crossed his eyes confused, the sensation mildly tickling. But he nearly flinched when Izuku squeezed him tighter and laughed, leaning all the way into him.

"Aw, it likes you," Izuku spoke very close to his ear. "That means you have a kind spirit."

"Keep your nerdy spiritual stuff to yourself," Katsuki said without much real bite. The butterfly flew away, and both sets of eyes couldn't help but look up as it gracefully lifted itself into the blue sky.

While his eyes were up, Katsuki didn't see how green eyes looked at him, but he felt the other's arms squeeze his waist slightly.

. . .

They arrived at the giant park about thirty minutes north, close to the shore line. It was large with green trees and turf everywhere for activities. The wind was blowing, slightly rustling the trees and set a calming atmosphere into the air. As they parked their vehicles loud music from the outdoor speakers could be heard along with the loud chatter of people.

The police of the city did this every year midsummer to provide all the officers a break and a chance to get to know everyone. There was always a fair amount of new hires, or people who retired so they did field activities to break the ice and relax. It was one of the few times per year that Katsuki actually relaxed and enjoyed some time off.

But this year he found it kind of difficult.

Why? Well, he had a lot to think about: a pyro, other police work, and now fucking working with Monoma.

Not to mention a certain greenette was clouding up his thoughts. He had to somehow push Izuku out of his mind because he couldn't afford to think about the man _this _much.

While, yes, he had decided that Izuku was a decent person and he may or may not like being around him, he couldn't cross that line.

...No matter how frequently he thought about the softness of his lips or how unique his personality was. Especially his personality. Out of everything, that was what drew him in the most and it made Katsuki want to bang his head.

The blonde admittedly thought way too frequently about the emotionally charged self-portrait and what the three flames could mean. He wondered if it was connected to the scar that engulfed Izuku's left arm. So much so, that there had been a couple nights this past week Katsuki googled fire symbolism in art.

A lot of the results were either death or passion, sometimes a combination of both. Immediately his mind filled in the blanks with Izuku on fire and Katsuki would quickly click out from his phone's browser.

Pondering this much about Izuku was dangerous territory for someone like him, who always felt attracted to someone's personality.

So that's why when they were all mingling in the park for several moments, Katsuki tried his best to ignore how Mirio whisked Izuku away to the other side of the field with a polite smile.

"Bakubro! Which activity are you most excited about?" Kirishima asked while they were seated by the picnic tables. Katsuki shrugged, taking off his leather jacket to reveal a black muscle tank with the word 'beast' written across it in white kanji on his chest.

"Probably the race," he said back. "I always win that one. Nobody can catch my ass."

"Eh, I dunno about that this year Kat," Mina said with a wide grin. "Izuku might outrun you. He has those legs. They look like they could outrun a cheetah."

"Honestly, true that. Short stuff got the legs of a damn demigod," Kirishima agreed giving Katsuki a goofy grin and eyebrow wiggle. "You just _know _he doubles up on leg day. I wonder why he needs all that leg muscle, don't you?" Katsuki glared at his friend for the suggestive remark.

"I'm taking bets on who'll win each thing!" Denki spoke up in a high tone, unaware of the exchange. "I say Mirio's got the strong man, Izuku has the sprint, Katsuki has the obstacle course, and I will take the hot dog eating competition!" Everyone at the table erupted in laughter, including Katsuki who motioned for his electric blonde friend to calm down.

"Chill, Denki. It's not a competition, no need for that," Katsuki said with a smirk. But he knew his friend was probably right. Usually someone like Toshinori or Mirio won the strong man by lifting one of the heavier or more unique things they could find and Katsuki always took the sprint. But this year he had to admit, Izuku's legs...might give him some trouble.

"Oh, Katsuki, don't act like you're not competitive," The redhead teased from across the wooden table. "You try every year to outdo and show off to everyone—why else is your ass wearing a damn muscle tank this year?"

"Because it's fuckin' hot. And you're wearing one too! What do you mean!?"

"Yeah, but it's different when I do it. This is the first year you've ever worn a tank," the smug redhead pointed out and all pairs of eyes looked at him.

"Okay sure, it's the first year I've worn one but it's also an unnaturally hot fucking summer," the ash blonde growled out, trying to defend his fashion choice. He looked down at himself in white sneakers and black joggers. Okay...he did notice that it kind of come across like he was trying to look like that sporty douche.

"I think you're trying to show off your arm day efforts. Advertising how great of a hugger you'd be to—"

"—don't finish that fuckin' sentence." Red eyes were as sharp as daggers as they cut into his chuckling best friend.

"What? Does Bakugou have his eye on someone?" Shouto interjected, astonished. At this, Katsuki nearly groaned when his half and half rival had a small smirk across his lips. "Has hell finally froze over?"

"No. I don't and hell is still burning hot. I only have my eyes on the prize."

Kirishima snickered and lightly elbowed his giggling fiancé next to him. "Yeah, if that prize was you know who's ass—"

"Hey guys!" Izuku piped up from behind and Katsuki winced. Of course—speak of the devil and they shall appear. He wondered briefly if that was a sign from whatever universal being was up there.

"They're about to start the strong man competition! Are you gonna join?" Izuku smiled at everyone, but particularly he was looking down at a certain ash blonde. Katsuki didn't really think much about this and waved his hand at the question posed.

"Naw, not this one. I never stand a chance against Mirio and Toshinori. Gonna save myself some embarrassment year."

"But he still gets pretty close every time he tries," Kirishima suggested with a knowing smirk. "I mean just look at those biceps." He pointed to Katsuki's crossed arms and the blonde could have just strangled him.

Red eyes nervously glanced to Izuku and found the greenette tilting his head, assessing him. Izuku gave a small, innocent smile and then turned back to Kirishima.

"Heh, yeah I can see that—"

"—There you are!" A loud booming new voice entered, jolting the whole table. Mirio gave a happy smile to everyone and Katsuki couldn't help but notice how blue eyes looked the freckled man up and down as well. The gnawing in Katsuki's head started again.

"Izuku, I need you for the strong man," the canary blonde said with a charming smile and Izuku immediately looked just as confused as everyone at the table.

"O-Oh, what? I'm not participating—Ah!" Before the greenette could finish his sentence, Mirio squatted quicker than anything Katsuki's ever seen and tossed Izuku over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, stunning everyone.

The greenette blushed heavily, looking like this was a normal occurrence between them and Katsuki was straight up shell shocked.

All eyes watched as Mirio gave a polite 'catch you guys later!' and patted Izuku on the small of his back earning a surprised sound from the detective.

The large blonde turned around to head off to the opening where everyone was gathering and Izuku gave an apologetic smile as he was carried off.

"A-Alright. This is fine...I guess. See you guys later!" He called out and waved goodbye. Katsuki could see a visibly irritated expression overcome the youngest's face as he puffed out his cheeks in annoyance.

Izuku looked away and something inside of Katsuki wanted to speak up and say something. He wanted to tell Mirio Izuku didn't _like _being fucking handled and treated delicately like that but...that wasn't his place. Right? They clearly know each other well so why was Mirio still doing this?

"Wow," Mina said looking at the two now on the other side of the field. She blinked a couple of times in disbelief. "They must be really close."

"Yeah, I guess," Katsuki grumbled. He turned back to face forward, not caring to keep looking at the scene that was unfolding behind him.

Katsuki noticed how Shouto keep his head turned, still staring after the pair. The sergeant turned around with a thoughtful expression before leaning in slightly to the table.

"Hey, I know this is an odd question, but does Midoriya seem familiar to anyone else?" He whispered with curious eyes, searching everyone's face. "Or is it just me?"

Immediately all their faces scrunched up with confusion at the comment. All but Katsuki's. The lieutenant's jealousy slowly disappeared as he turned towards Shouto.

Kirishima shrugged and scratched behind his head. He looked around to all the other faces at the table who all seemed to just shake their head 'no' and shrug as well.

"Uh, just you, I guess. I think I would've recognized that much green if it ever rolled into my life."

"What do you mean familiar?" The ash blonde asked, staring curiously at the other male. Shouto put his finger on his chin and opened his mouth hesitantly. Slowly, Katsuki started to think about Izuku's subtly skittish behavior around the half redhead.

"I feel like...I've seen him somewhere before. Like Kirishima said, green eyes are really rare and I can't help but feel a little déjà vu. I got it when I first met him and he introduced himself. I think I heard his name before? If that makes sense."

"Ah, have you tried googling him? Maybe you saw an article or something," Denki tried to offer but Shouto just shook his head.

"I did." The tall man leaned back and sighed. "Not much outside of private social media accounts come up. But maybe I'm just overthinking it."

"Yeah, maybe! I mean his hair is basically almost black. You could be possibly mistaking him?" Mina suggested, and the other sergeant finally let the topic go.

"You're right. I'm probably just mistaking him."

Their conversation went on like usual and the cheering crowd from behind them could be heard. Everyone at the table laughed and talked about random things like specific cases or funny operatives they had been sent on once upon a time. Kirishima and Mina were smiling brightly while Todoroki was scrolling nonchalantly on his phone.

Katsuki couldn't help but think about how much of a weird occurrence it was though.

Izuku made a fairly discreet but clear effort to put distance between him and Shouto after finding out his surname. Now, Shouto himself was saying that he found Izuku familiar.

All the chatter around him suddenly felt like white noise as he tried his best to write it off. Izuku was caring, and seemingly kind of sweet. It couldn't be anything that bad...right? Maybe they met in passing.

A large part of him hoped it didn't connect with the obvious after work activities he knew Izuku participated in.

"Hey, Bakugou?" Shouto spoke in a whisper from beside him. The sergeant held up his phone for the lieutenant to view. "...I think you should see this."

Red eyes readjusted to look down to the screen full of black and white text.

. . .

**NHK WORLD - JAPAN**

'Hero Killer' case reopened under new investigation

According to private sources, the 'Hero Killer' investigation was reopened this past week in the midst of other investigations. There's apparently new evidence pertaining to possible involvement of another person helping in the killing of police officers that devastated the city so long ago.

As of now no other information has been given and it is not said who reopened the case…

**...Read More...**

. . .

For nearly the fourth time this month, Katsuki was left speechless.

He tried to register the words over and over again not liking the sentence that was put together in the title. He reread it again and again and Shouto's mixed matched eyes wearily looked at the growing frown on his face.

"...What the fuck? There was no other person involved," Katsuki said quietly, finally finding his words. "We took care of that down to the last strain of evidence. He was working alone. He was definitely working alone."

"I know. It's weird right? I can't tell if everything is related or if its separate but just...keep a mindful watch on everything."

"For sure. Thanks, Todoroki." Katsuki gave a long, exhausted sigh.

_Just fucking great. Another shady fuckin' thing. _He couldn't help but wonder why were things suddenly becoming a mess now? He so desperately wanted to stop thinking about all of this and enjoy the picnic the best he could. So, he decided to change the subject, something he was good at.

"How have you been doing?" The ash blonde asked in a low raspy tone.

"I've been fine. My dad is coming into the downtown area at some point, but I don't know when. Apparently, a lot of people are upstreaming the arsenal issue to him after the four casualties."

_Ah. Enji. _Katsuki nodded thoughtfully thinking about the last time he really saw the eldest Todoroki and how bad of a spat he and Shouto got into. Things between them never have been the best. But...after a couple years ago they were downright impossible.

"That makes sense. Have things between you two gotten any better?" He asked out pure concern for a comrade. Shouto just shrugged in response, rightfully so. If there was anyone who overpowered Katsuki's fiery personality it was Todoroki fucking Enji.

Idol, hero, and...problematic. He saw this first hand at his internship several years back.

Shouto stretched and looked behind him casually when there was a loud eruption of applause. "Eh, things are as good as they can be. He's still kind of an asshole and he avoids talking about what...happened?…oh—wow."

Katsuki looked up confused at the sudden pause to see this friend making a face of astonishment.

"Well then." Shouto blinked a couple more times and Katsuki scrunched his face.

"What?" The blonde tilted his head.

"Mirio is...bench pressing Izuku."

"He's doing fucking _what_?"

Fast enough to give him whiplash for a week, the blonde male twisted around with his eyes searching for the ridiculous image that was described to him.

And like his comrade said, there was Mirio on the ground bench-pressing a giggling Izuku. The greenette had his arms crossed, a smile was clearly painted across his face along with a blush and Mirio's hands positioned very intimately on his body.

People were gathered around cheering him on and Toshinori looked like he was witnessing a damn dream come true.

Suddenly Katsuki felt very on edge because of an emotion he couldn't place. Or didn't want to place.

In all the years Mirio has come to the picnic, he's _never _taken the liberty to bench another person. What was the need to show off now? There was none...not unless—

"Winner is Mirio!"

Everyone cheered and all of the officers sitting at his table clapped at the announcement. The strong blonde put Izuku down gently and stood up. The canary blonde waved and politely thanked everyone then whispered something into Izuku's ear.

The subtle blush on Izuku's face got deeper as did Katsuki's frown. The short greenette walked away awkwardly laughing in the direction of the bathrooms and ruby eyes followed him. He noted how Izuku's shoulders were tense but not enough that he looked completely uncomfortable.

When Katsuki turned back to look at Mirio, he was surprised to see blue eyes looking directly back at him.

It made Katsuki pause, fully not expecting the eye contact. But what made Katsuki even more confused was the tight-lipped smile and the challenging eyebrow quirk Mirio gave him.

The other blonde made sure to hold his eye contact for several more seconds then he followed loyally behind Izuku like nothing happened.

_Did he just fucking_—the ash blonde quickly looked around to see if anyone else noticed the exchange, but it seemed like no one else did.

Katsuki starred after the two completely confused.

. . .

Throughout the next couple of hours, the comment Shouto made was in the back of his mind. However, what _was _in the forefront of his mind was how goddamn thirsty Mirio was acting.

The canary blonde had been all over Izuku and kept glancing in Katsuki's direction as if to make sure he saw.

And he fucking saw all of it.

He saw how Mirio chose the greenette for the three-legged race, and how he kept his hand positioned on the small of Izuku's back the entire time.

He saw how when Izuku accidentally fell on his left side during flag football Mirio instantly ran over and helped him up. Even though Izuku didn't seem fully appreciative.

He saw how during lunch Mirio walked up extremely close behind Izuku to say something. His size nearly making Izuku look dwarfed.

Then finally, during lunch, he saw how Mirio pulled Izuku closer by the waist in the middle of everyone laughing, thinking no one would notice. But Katsuki did—he fucking noticed.

But he also noticed how Izuku scooted away politely.

There was not a single doubt in his mind that Mirio had a thing for Izuku by the time the all police race came around. Sometimes the overbearing actions came across protective and brotherly. But whatever Mirio felt towards Izuku, it was clear he wasn't keen on letting Izuku talk to him.

This was made painfully clear when the greenette tried to compliment him on winning the obstacle course and began to start a conversation with Katsuki.

But before they could even really start talking, Mirio came over.

This happened again and again, then soon the other blonde somehow always found a way to interject or insert himself between him and Izuku.

Without. Fucking. Fail.

It made something inside of Katsuki undeniably irritated.

Yes, he didn't want to get too close to Izuku, but he still had the right to fucking talk to the detective if he wanted to. He liked talking to Izuku, and someone who he considered his (sort of) friend was acting as if it was a game of fucking hot potato to keep the sunshiney ball of green away from the hot-headed blonde.

He liked Mirio, really, he did. But there was something down right annoying about getting his conversations with Izuku cut off before they could even really start. _Repeatedly_.

So, that's why when it came time for the race, Katsuki silently did his stretches. His mind was fully focused on winning and leaving everyone in the dust behind him—something he was good at. The ash blonde would never admit it out loud, but he now wanted to win for more than just good ol' friendly competition reasons.

Kirishima was right, he was a competitive ass person when it boiled down to it.

Katsuki tried his best to ignore Mirio's overly joyful voice echoing in the same field and the breathy laughter of Izuku. He glanced off to the side when everyone lined up in a row at the end of the green grass. Officers from all different precincts were gathering, excited about possibly winning.

As he was assessing everyone, Izuku stuck his head out from the row to look at him from two people down. The lieutenant's heart nearly skipped a beat at the sudden bright smile that was sent his way.

"Good luck, Bakugou!" Izuku called and the greenette gave a gentle wave. "You're gonna do great!"

"Thanks, nerd. But I already know I am. Keep sharp and don't trip up." Katsuki replied and a small smirk slowly twitched its way onto his face. He looked Izuku up and down and noted the grey colored joggers, red sneakers, and navy-blue long sleeve shirt outlining his arm muscles. The dork _was _kind of cute—

"Izuku, focus! No fraternizing with the competition," Mirio laughed, poking his head out from line as well. Those blue eyes shot him a look that didn't match his friendly face and Katsuki could feel the vein on top of his head start to convulse in annoyance.

"Just kidding!" _Yeah fucking right. "_Good luck, Kat!"

"Thanks, good luck to you too, Mirio. You'll need it."

A mildly stunned expression washed over the taller blonde's face before it was tucked away neatly behind a happy expression. Blue eyes locked with red and Katsuki gave a sarcastic smile in the direction of his acquaintance. He turned back forward fully focused on the finish line on the other side of the giant field.

"Alright!" Toshinori's voice boomed loudly. He held up a white flag to the sky and ruby eyes were dead set on the goal ahead of him as he got down into spiriting position.

"On your marks," Katsuki glanced over to Izuku, "get set," who glanced right back while a smile. "...Go!"

The flag was sent flying along with the dozens of police officers who pushed their bodies as hard as they could. Blurs of men raced to the goal on the other side of the field, and cheers from encouraging onlookers rang into the summer air. The blonde-haired lieutenant felt his vision hazy as he pushed his feet off the soft grass. It felt rejuvenating to run in the moment with just adrenaline and fully blank his mind.

However, it came as no surprise when Izuku pulled ahead of everyone. The greenette came through with a large burst of power causing everyone he passed to snap their necks at him.

Before Katsuki even got a chance to see Izuku pass him, the rush of green blurred his vision and just like that Izuku came in first place. Katsuki flew in as second and Mirio was hot on his heels as third. Other officers stumbled across the makeshift finish line happily laughing and out of breath.

Heavy panting, laughter and smiles echoed all around as people from the sidelines piled in. Small 'congratulations' or 'good job out there!' could be heard as Katsuki doubled over, placing his hands on his knees to catch his breath. He smiled at everyone patting him on the back as he tried his best to get a grip.

He hadn't run like that in a long time. Part of him knew it was to impress Izuku and shut down Mirio's unneeded taunting, but damn. It felt fucking good.

Slowly, the tall man lifted up from his bent position and he could feel the small trickles of sweat running down his face. As he tried to catch his breath, he lifted the hem of his black shirt to wipe his forehead and exposed a clean cut six pack. He breathed in deeply, enjoying the feeling of the wind on his torso and welcoming the cool down.

In the distance, Kirishima's loud voice could be heard and he closed his own eyes to make sure that none of the salty liquid got into his tear ducts.

"Wow, you're really fast!" A preppy voice called from in front of him. Katsuki peeked one eye open and instantly when he caught sight of Izuku, _alone_, he couldn't help but slightly hum in approval.

"Yeah, but apparently I ain't got shit on you. Ya fuckin' road runner," he laughed back with a signature smirk. Izuku just chuckled and placed his hands on his hips, the winner's own chest heaving ever so slightly. Katsuki was impressed that the smaller male didn't seem to be sweating, even in those fucking long sleeves. How did he do that?

"Heh, yeah. I go pretty intense on leg day. But, really, you have great running form. I-It was hard to keep my eyes off you." Green eyes then flickered down to his exposed chest and Katsuki followed him down, completely forgetting his stomach was on display.

Izuku quickly looked back up and if it wasn't for the fact that it was damn near ninety degrees outside, Katsuki would've said Izuku looked like he was blushing.

"W-We should totally work out together some time!" The greenette swallowed thickly before awkwardly laughing, making Katsuki swell with something close to pride as he put down the edge of his muscle tank.

"Yeah, sure whatever. Kirishima and I usually do but you can join. Only if you can keep up though."

Izuku instantly looked ecstatic and something in Katsuki felt like it too despite coming in second place. Maybe it was because at least jade eyes were finally looking at him without any interference.

Crimson eyes finally set sights on Izuku's unruly head of curls and noticed something slightly different. When he fully took it in he realized that the other had actually parted his hair the way he suggested on Monday night.

"Well damn, your hair," he spoke out loud, surprised. His eyes traced the soft curvature and how much of a difference the simple part did for someone like Izuku with such a round face.

"Ah, yeah! I took your advice. D-Does it look okay?" The freckled face had a self-conscious expression written across it and it was cute.

Really, _really _fucking cute. He couldn't even fucking deny it and damn, Katsuki knew he shouldn't be musing this.

He rubbed behind his neck unsure of what to say because they were dancing a very thin line with shit like this. But watching the dork turn pink over seeing his chest and then asking if his hair looked okay was—

"Hey, Kat! I gotta steal Izuku for a bit!"

—fucking _annoying_.

Immediately out of reflex, a sneer enveloped Katsuki's face. The young lieutenant tried his best to cover it up with a none-too-convincing-smile but was failing miserably.

He turned around and, keen on his fucking nerd-related sixth sense, Mirio was there walking straight up to Izuku. The two blondes gave each other nods and smiles as people walked past Izuku giving him pats on the shoulder with 'good job rookie!' and 'damn, that was crazy'.

"Izu, my dad wants to talk to you, he's super impressed!" Mirio gave a friendly, hearty laugh before slinging an arm over Izuku's lean shoulder. The greenette just smiled at his blonde childhood friend and then turned to his blonde superior.

"I'll catch you later, Bakugou. Okay?"

Katsuki bit the inside of his lip. "Okay." He said in a forced tone with a forced smile.

The pair walked away, and green eyes were no longer on him.

Katsuki couldn't help but feel like his small victory was robbed a bit.

. . .

The rest of the picnic went by without missing another beat. Kirishima and Denki teamed up and won the hot dog eating contest, then Mina promptly handed out antacids because they were in their late twenties—they couldn't keep fucking pigging out like that.

Nightfall came, and it was then that Katsuki realized that Mirio successfully kept Izuku away from him the entirety of the rest of the picnic. He tried to tell himself he didn't care but it felt odd, sitting with everyone without the new rookie there tossing around smiles at everything.

During the end of the day fireworks, he briefly glanced over to Izuku who was sitting on the grass between Toshinori and Mirio.

The flashing colors of red, blue, purple and orange lit up everyone's face like paintings while the music synced with the show.

While all eyes were up, Katsuki's were down—locked onto thick green curls. He watched how the wind swayed them gently and then, like some type of lucid dream, Izuku tilted his head back to look at him.

Vibrant sparks from the lightshow above reflected bursts of color against the perfectly green irises, and it felt like Izuku's eyes were almost glowing.

Something deep inside of Katsuki's chest burned at the hypnotizing sight. The searing feeling only got stronger when Izuku lifted a hand to wave at him and pink lips turned upward into a gentle closed mouth smile. The ash blonde waved back with a half-smile of his own and Izuku turned right back around.

Katsuki then finally lifted his eyes back up to the fireworks and ease ever so slightly.

. . .

After the picnic everyone was in a relaxed mood, Katsuki most of all. He watched silently as Izuku chatted with Mirio and something inside of him was assessing the two of them from a distance. A large part of him wanted to talk to Izuku because he could finally admit to himself that he liked Izuku's conversation.

It had been nearly a week since he talked to him one on one and...he wanted to.

Denki and Todoroki said goodbye to him and slowly the crowd started to thin out. Katsuki fiddled with his bike and helmet trying to stall time to get Izuku alone as he walked into the parking lot.

"Are you going to ride back with us, Izuku?" Mirio asked into the night air. His blue eyes were focused looking down at Izuku as the greenette put on his navy bomber jacket with the rose. Katsuki remembered it from the bar that felt so long ago.

"No, I think I'm just gonna go home," Izuku gave a polite smile and put his hands in his blue bomber jacket. "I'm really tired and I want to enjoy the night time a little bit." Officers from all over the city were getting back into the cars one by one, headlights leaving the dim parking lot. Katsuki stayed stationed by ground zero with black and orange helmet in his hands.

"Ah...well, okay," the friendly voice of the lawyer replied with a sigh. Katsuki watched out of the corner of his eye as the large man repositioned himself in front of Izuku. He bent down ever so slightly to that it could be considered flirtatious. "I'll see you sometime tomorrow, maybe?"

"Yeah, for sure, Miri." The detective gave another taut smile and part of Katsuki was happy that the other blonde was finally fucking leaving Izuku alone. "We can finally finish unpacking the rest of my apartment."

"Okay, sounds great!" Mirio perked. "I'll talk to you later. Text me when you get home, okay?"

"I will!" Izuku replied easily, as if it was normal routine between them.

Katsuki heard the clicking of a car door and footsteps walk off. It was then that the lieutenant readjusted himself to look over his shoulder at the pair, and immediately he caught the ocean blue irises of his acquaintance. Mirio gave him a small smile and Katsuki gave a tight one right back with a small two finger salute.

Both red and green eyes watched as Momo's white sports car drove off into the navy-blue atmosphere, and both men seemed to relax ever so slightly.

Katsuki adjusted his gaze over to Izuku who was now looking at him. A large part of Katsuki wanted to know what the younger male was thinking, but a larger part wanted to just get him alone after such a hectic picnic, especially after the fireworks.

There was something pulling him in after the way Izuku had looked at him.

The rustling of trees into the dark tranquil night relaxed Katsuki when the cool summer breeze brushed against his face. Green eyes moved downwards to stare at the ground and Izuku smiled softly and kicked the ground.

"Well, I guess I should start to head home. This was a nice event." Izuku said but Katsuki wasn't really ready to let the night go so easily. Izuku waited for him to say something but instead the blonde just leaned against ground zero and tilted his head to the side.

"I can drop you off," the raspy voice said. The gesture mildly surprised them both but Katsuki kept reasoning with himself it wasn't because he liked Izuku.

It was just because he liked...talking with him.

Something he hadn't gotten to do much of the entire day because of fucking Mirio.

"O-Oh! No, that's really far out of the way for you," The greenette said with wide eyes. He scratched behind his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Also, I meant what I said about wanting to enjoy a little bit of a stroll. So, it's okay, really."

The older man pursed his lips and looked the other up and down in thought. Izuku was the artsy type and he probably did enjoy doing random shit like that. So, he went along with it. He didn't have anything else really to do today...what really was the harm?

"...well, if that's the case, I can drive us to the shore line. That way you can still enjoy the night."

Izuku paused, looking at Katsuki fully surprised.

"Really? You'd do that?"

"Yeah sure. I just wouldn't feel...good about leaving you to walk over an hour home," The ash blonde looked away to the ground and ignored the small heat creeping on his face. "No matter how much of a nice night it is."

"Okay...deal," Red eyes looked up from beneath dark blonde eyelashes to see Izuku's smiling face and Katsuki had to resist the urge to smile—

"But we gotta leave the helmets this time."

—then his face dropped immediately.

"_What_? Those are for fucking safety—"

"Have you ever ridden without one? It feels amazing." The smaller man stepped to him in a single hop and Katsuki nearly had a damn heart attack at how fucking gleeful the bright white smile looked.

"Yeah, back when I was a teenager and fucking stupid—What the fuck! Give those back!" The greenette snatched the two helmets out of his grasp, slyly dodging Katsuki's grabbling after him. The larger man stumbled in his footing and stared wide eyed and confused at the playful man in front of him.

"C'mon. You said you'd let me enjoy the night," Izuku laughed as he side-stepped Katsuki's attempt to grab him again with ease. The blonde could feel his anxiety start to slowly rise at the idea of riding without a helmet.

Very quickly, he was regretting his offer to take Izuku home. The man was fucking _crazy_.

An absolute damn headache.

They went about like this for several moments with Katsuki calling out 'Midoriya, you piece of shit!' and Izuku promptly ignoring him without an issue. The greenette giggled all the way to the other side of the parking lot, walking straight up to the pinkette and redhead getting into the car.

Both sets of eyes looked up at them curiously and Izuku, with lightning speed, tossed both the orange helmet and the black one into Mina and Kirishima's arms.

"Catch!" He yelled out and both caught the objects fully surprised.

"You fuckin' brat—" Katsuki yelled as he tried his best to catch up with Izuku. He set sight on his two friends and found himself sighing in a moment of relief. He knew these two would be on his side with this. There's no way they were going to let him ride without it. "Kiri, Mina. Hand those back over immediately."

Gold eyes glanced at red and suddenly mischievous smirks over took his two closet friend's smiles. Katsuki slowly started to feel his heart sink.

"You can get them back on Monday!" Mina yelled out and rushed quickly to the passenger side of the red car. "We love you but loosen up some!"

"You mean fucking _die_!?" Katsuki yelled out as the couple got into the car quickly. They laughed at Katsuki's obviously pained expression as the vehicle started and waved through the open window.

_Idiots. I'm surrounded by fucking idiots. _Katsuki thought to himself in disbelief as he watched his two closest friends flat out betray him. They drove out of the parking lot, giggling and blasting music very loudly. When the red brake lights of the car were out of sight, along with his fucking helmets, Katsuki felt his nostrils flare.

Slowly, dangerously dark red eyes turned around to zero in on the man who triggered the whole string of events. Izuku gave a shit eating grin and only laughed at the pissed off expression being thrown his way.

"...if I die I'm haunting you and all of your fucking descendants for centuries."

"A grumpy ghost that follows me and call me a dork? Sounds like perfect material for the next Paranormal Activity movie. Better call up the Americans."

"You're so fucking lame sometimes," Katsuki groaned and shook his head. While fuming, he walked right past the grinning green haired man.

"C'mon, you'll enjoy the wind in your hair. Trust me."

Katsuki sighed when he realized he didn't have much of a real choice.

. . .

As they were riding, he hated to admit it...really, he did, but it did feel nice. It was something he was never going to say out loud because it was driving him up a wall. But...Izuku was right.

They drove down the lakefront road that was lined up along the mountainside and positioned in an eagle eye's view to the ocean below them. The setting was lit with the pale, white moon and the light hit the water's ruthless waves in a soothing manner.

As they pushed against the black concrete the wind carded through Katsuki's blonde hair and it felt like a cool caress across his scalp. He was almost tempted to close his eyes half way through the quiet ride but didn't, because he could feel Izuku's hand lightly knead into him whenever they cut a sharp turn. The pressure kept him awake and aware that there was another person with him.

A person who seemed to be greatly enjoying himself.

Izuku had leaned back at a point, fully allowing himself to stare up at the stars and closed his green eyes. The detective lost himself to the moment as the wind blew through his hair and ruffled his bomber jacket.

When Katsuki looked back and saw this, his heart nearly skipped a beat at how beautifully carefree Izuku looked.

The lieutenant pulled off at the nearest exit and drove down steadily into the warm summer night to the coast line and found a private area. It was neatly sectioned off with a small wooden boardwalk that lined the shore and held large grey rocks that acted as a small border between the path and the raging ocean.

They walked in silence, listening closely to the mingling sounds of the wind mixed with the push and pull of waves. It had been a long time since Katsuki really took the time out to just walk and observe the scenery. It felt different.

Red eyes glanced off to his right to see Izuku staring straight out into the endless dark blue abyss in deep thought.

"Isn't it nice?" The even toned voice of the detective carried into the crisp night.

Katsuki knew the other was talking about the ocean his eyes were currently glued on, but his own eyes couldn't help but shift to something else in his vision. Or more specifically, someone else. He stared at the pale skin that seemed to glow a bright under the moonlight, slowly counting the freckles on the round face turned away from him.

"Yeah...it is."

Green eyes then turned towards him, appearing luminescent in the dark.

"What does it make you feel?"

"Huh?" Katsuki replied with only half of his attention, caught off guard by the question. His thoughts of freckles were halted as he tried his best to process Izuku's question.

"The ocean. What does it make you feel when you look at it like this?" Izuku elaborated with a small glisten in his eyes from the night sky above them.

The shorter male turned back towards the swirling waves in front of them and while Katsuki tried to...he couldn't. His eyes reminded stuck on Izuku's dark hair that was slowly moving back and forth with the ocean breeze.

"...relaxed, I suppose," the ash blonde answered in a hushed tone. "It's hard to explain."

Deep down, Katsuki knew he wasn't talking about the ocean.

"Yeah, I love it though, y'know?" Izuku hummed, grabbing his hands and placing them behind his back as he walked. "The moonlight against the dark waves. Makes it look like the ocean is full of a thousand fallen stars, just floating and drifting away from us. The moon is their protector in a sense it feels like."

As Izuku skipped ever so slightly, Katsuki watched how youthful the curly haired man looked while doing this. Part of his old soul wondered when did he stop acting as young as the person next to him? When the thought fully settled in, Izuku took the liberty to pause his walking and climb up on the rocks next to them.

Green eyes took in the entire scene and Katsuki finally peeled his eyes away from the smaller figure to assess the large ocean in front of them.

It really was just how Izuku described, littered with what looked like a thousand fallen stars. The moon hovered above the scene like it was watching over all the tiny sparkles of light, making sure they were safe.

It made him think deeply, taking in the night scene through a different lens. Izuku's lens.

"You got a lot going on up there, don't ya?" Katsuki said in a whispered tone. He looked up at Izuku who was smiling down at him. There was something new in the endless green eyes that felt familiar. They exchanged stares for a split moment before Izuku replied back quietly.

"I could say the same."

At this, Katsuki furrowed his brows confused.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means...I think you work yourself really hard," the greenette said as if he was walking on glass. Katsuki blinked a couple of times confused and then finally he felt the tale-tell irritation fully settle once the words were fully processed. "I worry that you're gonna burn yourself out."

At the mention of burn out, coupled by the concerned gaze, Katsuki felt himself start to get easily aggravated.

He didn't need people concerned for him. Really, he fucking _didn't_. He was a twenty-seven-year-old grown ass man who could take care of himself. Before he could reel it back, Katsuki's defensive mechanism showed its ugly head.

"I don't _get _burnt out," he hissed out, looking away from the brightness of Izuku. "You can keep your concerns for someone else, preferably someone you haven't known for a total of three weeks and tried to fuck the second you saw him. You have no idea how I operate."

A small silence took them over and the words spoken repeated in both of their heads. Red eyes focused intensely on the passing ground beneath his feet as Katsuki tried his best to convince himself that what he said was true. It _was _true. He didn't need people concerned about him because he didn't get burn out. He was a power house, and he's been that way since college.

However, something tiny inside of him twisted with doubt when he thought about the recent string of fires and the man in the gasmask.

Izuku cleared his throat into the awkward silence, drawing the attention of the older man to him again.

"I-I get that. Sorry, I shouldn't have...overstepped. But, truthfully," Izuku sighed and looked up as if he was searching for the right words in the sky above him. "This is going to sound extremely silly. Like, exceedingly silly...but what you said at the bar that night really stuck with me."

_The bar? _

Katsuki paused because it didn't sound silly to him at all. Not in the slightest. He had been thinking about what Izuku said about love burning someone alive for weeks now.

"What did I say?" The eldest pushed.

The blonde's shoulders untensed and he felt himself climb back down from his defensive wall. Curiosity scratched again at the back of his head because part of him wanted to know. He wanted to find out what did he say that could've possibly stuck with Izuku in the same way.

"Uh, you said you were beating yourself up over some irreversible damage your broken heart caused. I get that. _Really_. I do…which is why, I guess, I can't help but be concerned...that's all."

_That's what stuck with him? _Katsuki didn't say anything back and Izuku progressively got nervous at the lack of response.

"I just wanna see you relax a bit y'know?" The greenette elaborated, his eyes still up at the sky and Katsuki huffed a bit at the suggestion. "I-It was nice to see you smile the way you did when I got you to stay out in the rain. Even now, you looked like you had a good time with just feeling the wind in your hair."

"...what makes you think I would be remotely open to the idea of you helping me 'relax'?" Katsuki grumbled, putting his hands in his motorcycle jacket with a small scowl.

"Well, you're here with me now...aren't you?"

Katsuki felt his heart skip and he stopped walking immediately.

The greenette beside him paused as well and they looked at each other with a knowing silence. Izuku's face put on a tiny smile that could've charmed the most cold-hearted person with how sweet it looked.

Really, Katsuki never considered just how dangerous sweetness could be.

"Just once a week. Let's do something outside of your routine that doesn't involve work."

"Okay, let's say I say 'yes'. What do you get out of this? I just...don't understand why you seem to care so damn much." The workaholic turned away trying to convince himself that this meant nothing. It was just a conversation between two people. The twist in his heart meant nothing.

"Well, I get lonely easily," the shorter of the two said under his breath. Izuku started walking again and Katsuki took in the words carefully.

_Lonely_. He thought about the man Izuku left with at the bar, then to Yo and finally Mirio.

"I'm new to this city and I don't have—I-I don't _know _anyone." But the sharp officer didn't miss the fumble. "I just want to make friends, and right now U.A. is my only source of people I see every day. Plus, your personality is funny. You're fairly easy to hang out with too outside of the whole 'don't touch me with a ten-foot pole' vibe you got going on."

Katsuki started walking again slowly, but he watched Izuku's back with a careful calculating gaze. His mind was still trying to understand why someone like Izuku, who barely knew him, seemed to care and want to hang out like friends.

"So, that's it? You want to help me relax and in return you just get friendship or whatever?"

"Yup! That's it," Izuku perked, turning around to him with a smile. He started walking backwards with a goofy grin on his face and the pull in the workaholic's chest struck again.

He reasoned that this was a terrible idea. He had just been concluded that he should stay away from Izuku because he so obviously found him attractive, but now...here he was with an open invitation to hang out with him after work hours.

There had to be more of a reason than just fucking friendship.

But the longer he looked at Izuku's face and took in the sweet, seemingly harmless expression, the harder his walls crumbled. It could just be friendship. They could just be friends. He liked talking with Izuku and clearly Izuku liked talking with him...just like Mina, Sero, Denki, and Kirishima. It could easily just be another friendship.

...right?

"...Okay, deal," Katsuki agreed, unknowingly sealing both of their fates. He watched as Izuku's grin got wider like he won a prize.

"But I'm not gonna do just any fucking thing. We have to decide on it together. Don't spring some random shit on me."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Izuku smiled at him and Katsuki resisted the urge to smile back. The wind blew through his hair again and the moment felt strangely serene.

In that second, Izuku's phone dinged and it caused both of the men to stop walking again. Katsuki looked curiously at the red device in the other's hand as Izuku's mood shifted ever so slightly. The greenette pursed his lips before sighing and looking back at the blonde below him with a sad expression.

"It's getting late. I guess...we should head back." Katsuki felt something close to disappointment ping in his chest but he hummed in agreement. He looked at the black watch on his wrist and saw the time close to ten. It was past getting late. They should both be in bed, yet...he didn't want too.

Red eyes searched the shore line and saw a couple of other people, looking at the water too just going about their Saturday night.

"Yeah…" the blonde started but the more he looked at Izuku's expression the more he didn't want the night to really end. They had just really started talking more and something inside of him wanted it to...continue. "Or...we could...just take our time."

"Oh?" Izuku's eyebrows raised in surprise and Katsuki looked away quickly instantly regretting the out of character words. What the fuck was he _doing_?

"Actually, never mind—"

"—Wait! I like the sound of that." Izuku quickly cut him off with a loud laugh and Katsuki fought down a blush. Why the fuck did his laugh have to sound so nice? "Help me get down, will you?"

"Psh, you can jump down. You climbed up there."

"Aw, c'mon. Don't be mean!" The greenette's infectious chuckle filled the night air and a small bubbly feeling echoed inside of Katsuki's chest. "Help me down. What if I twisted my ankle? I can't run after people and I'll be forever doomed to desk work!"

The younger male gave a fake distressed look as he threw one hand on his forehead and the other over his heart with a playful manner. Katsuki snickered at the sight, finding it silly. The blonde shook his head and gave a pointed look to the man walking on top of the tall rocks.

"You're not helpless, get down on your own."

"But, please, lieutenant Bakugou!" Izuku wailed out in a fake high-pitched voice, drawing the attention of people nearby. The blonde immediately spluttered glancing around embarrassed. "Only you and your strong arms can save me—"

"Oh my fucking _God_, you're ridiculous—_fine_. Just, quiet down and stop saying shit like that so loud." Katsuki harshly whispered with his face fully blown in a blush. "Bring your tiny ass here. Actin' like a goddamn princess."

He walked up to Izuku and held his arm open in a reluctant manner, feeling flat out ridiculous for doing this. Izuku was a grown man, a heavy ass grown man on top of it.

"If I'm princess, you'd be a terrible prince charming," the youngest teased with a small smile on his face. He dropped down to sit on the rocks and hung his feet over the edge facing the unamused and mildly offended looking Katsuki.

"Hey now, I could be a perfect prince charming. Don't even give me that shit again—"

"—I dunno," Izuku cut him off and leaned forward into his space and Katsuki reeled back automatically. "From what I've seen I don't think you have a prince charming-esque _anything_." Izuku tilted his head and squinted his eyes at him with mischief. The close distance felt warm and the workaholic could feel himself start to swell with various emotions when looking directly into green eyes.

He swallowed thickly when one of the emotions that tilted over was heat but above all he felt the challenge in Izuku's words. And like he said earlier, he was competitive when it boiled down to it.

He scowled and gestured for Izuku to hurry up and get in his arms in a 'come here motion' with his hands but Izuku just leaned back and laughed, swinging his legs slightly.

"If you don't get down now I fucking swear—"

"Ah, there it is." Izuku giggled some more and Katsuki nearly felt his veins pop on his head. _This fucking man. _"Yeah, not prince like at all. Much more similar to a beast like your shirt says—_ah_!"

A loud yelp echoed onto the near empty boardwalk as Katsuki leaned forward completely to impatiently yank Izuku off the rocks. He quickly encircled his arms around the slim waist and underneath the loose dangling legs in a single swoop and pulled the greenette off the platform with ease without any warning.

"O-Oh," Izuku breathed out surprised.

They paused as Katsuki glared down at the man in his arms who was now fiddling his fingers with wide, surprised eyes. One of Izuku's hands had grabbed Katsuki's shirt out of surprise for support and now his fingers were touching directly over the racing heart of his superior, fisting the black material.

Dark crimson eyes looked into emerald and both searched the other's face for a split second before the moment really settled in. Katsuki felt his heart twist looking at the man in his arms and something inside his chest sped up.

His hand moved to squeeze Izuku's waist ever so slightly and, like clockwork, Izuku's face turned completely red and he bit his bottom lip.

_Fuck fuck_—

The warning sirens went off in the workaholic's head causing him to straight out panic.

Katsuki quickly set Izuku down on his feet as if he would be burned if he held onto the man any longer.

_What the fuck was that? _He cursed himself, trying to fight the obvious subconscious war going on in his head. _Don't fucking do shit like that. Don't fucking do it_—

"W-Well, okay. Point proven I guess. That was definitely...um, prince like," Izuku said softly turned forward. A small hand rubbed the flushed freckle neck wearily and Katsuki felt like smacking himself. As they started to walk again the blonde-haired male found himself trying to search for a change of the subject to save himself from embarrassment.

He thought over all the things he wanted to talk to Izuku about but mainly one large one stuck out. One large blonde one...beside himself.

"You already seem to have a prince charming after you though." He decided on. "So maybe I can just be a beast or whatever."

"What do you mean?" Izuku turned to him and frowned. But when Katsuki began to say something, he could see green eyes were cautious. Izuku knew what he was talking about. The detective wasn't stupid.

"Mirio. He was acting as if I was contagious and you were made of glass the entire damn day," he grumbled out while kicking a small rock that came into his path. Izuku clicked his tongue and shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant way.

"Careful. It almost sounds as if you care."

"I don't," the tallest bit out before he could think, acting on defense. He immediately regretted saying the words in the tone he did when Izuku give him a confused stare out of the corner of his eye. "But...it was irritating. That's all. No one could talk to you like a normal fuckin' human being all day. What's up with that?"

"...He's just...protective," Izuku mumbled out faintly.

"That's it?"

For some reason Katsuki didn't really buy it...or not fully as least. He thought back to how the large blonde literally and figuratively dragged Izuku away every time they exchanged two words. Then he envisioned all the tiny advances and made something inside of him sneer.

Mirio was acting way more than protective.

"Yeah. Mirio is a nice guy and he always has the best intentions in mind," the smaller male said definitively. "Not much else to elaborate on."

The last piece of the sentence was hard and for some reason it irked the blonde lieutenant. He couldn't understand why but he just felt like he needed to know more about Izuku. He really did. Everything about him was confusing and right now he just wanted to unscramble everything, so he could about his life in peace.

But if Izuku didn't want to...then who was he to push? He didn't want to overstep with anything.

So, he changed the subject yet again. He eyed the green curls that were perfectly parted and decided to say something that had been on his mind all day.

"Well, I meant to tell you this earlier before he interrupted but...your hair does look nice today." A small blush climbed onto his face and Izuku looked at him amused, seemingly thankful for the quick subject change as well.

"Really?"

"Yeah. The way you did the part," he grumbled while gestured to his own hair in the spot where Izuku had his parted down the left side. "You actually fuckin' listened and parted it correctly. Looks good on you."

Katsuki tried his best to hide the blush that was creeping slowly from underneath his collar.

"O-Oh, thank you!" The small laugh was back and Katsuki found himself half smiling again. "I guess I'll try my best to wear it like this more often. Thank you."

"No problem, dork."

They exchange quiet looks and Katsuki would never admit that he finally felt some sort of extended relaxation for the first time since Izuku walked into town.

. . .

They walked until they reached the end of the pathway, passing by a couple of chatting people along the way.

When their watches told them the time was nearing 11:00 pm, Katsuki decided to suggest they head back. Izuku had silently agreed and thanked the older man for letting him indulge in the night sky and Katsuki brushed it off like it was nothing.

Even though he did this, Katsuki really wanted to thank Izuku for the metaphor of the fallen stars. Because now, every time he looked at the ocean and the moon he'd probably think about it.

They got back on his motorcycle without the helmets and the usual rule follower didn't let it bother him. The wind while they were driving back felt nice. It felt close to great, especially with Izuku pressed against him and squeezing onto his waist. It was a comforting feeling that he secretly could indulge in.

He whisked through the crowded nighttime traffic with ease, admittedly showing off a bit every now and then when turning corners to earn a sharp laugh or compliment out of Izuku. He forgot how much fun riding a bike could actually be when he let loose.

Once the pair reached the crowded downtown area of Shizuoka City, they started to hit all the colorful stop lights, and traffic signs. The night was now bustling full of people, laughter, and neon colors that shone brightly against the dark setting of the city.

When they hit traffic light after traffic light, red eyes couldn't help but glance around sometimes out of natural paranoia. It came with being an officer.

Normally when he did this he found nothing.

However, tonight when he did it, he noticed another motorcyclist.

Again...again...and then again.

This happened whenever they were stopped at a red light and worry prickled against Katsuki's skin slowly. He noticed they weren't too far from Izuku's home and something inside of him prayed that it was just his paranoia being on edge due to recent events.

But each time they came to a halt side by side, the officer noticed the man do a double take. It was as if to make sure he was seeing him and Izuku correctly.

It felt like he was identifying them.

They came to one more red light and this time the man didn't do a double take...but Katsuki did. He tried to keep his eyes focused forward and the loud group of people in the car on his other side blasted loud music, chatting and laughing.

It felt normal as he looked around at all the people walking, but when he heard the rev of an engine something felt eerie and off.

The lieutenant looked wearily to his side to finally take in the full appearance of the person loosely following them. He noted that it was a broad-shouldered man that was wearing similar black gloves to him, ripped black jeans, combat boots, and a biker jacket with silver spikes lining the shoulders.

The man's head was covered completely by an all-black helmet with a visor that gave no leeway to see his eyes. It was then while looking, the man turned his head directly to him again. Now, even though he couldn't see the man's eyes, he knew they locked onto his.

All he could see was his own red eyes look back at him, and an uncomfortably familiar ominous feeling sunk back into his bones.

"Izuku," Katsuki harshly whispered, not taking his eyes off the person next to them. The small greenette shifted around to look over his shoulder, completely unaware.

"Yeah?" The youngest answered a hum, pressing himself closer in order to hear better.

The biker revved his bike and red eyes slowly dropped down to notice a black holster around the man's waist. His heart started to pick up speed when he could see the other motorcyclist slowly take his hand off the bike handle and meticulously reach around to the side of the belt that was out of his view.

His heart dropped.

"Hold on tighter to me," he hissed and without warning kicked ground zero out of standing position.

Izuku gave a confused sound and was about to object when Katsuki suddenly sped through the red light into the oncoming traffic with furious acceleration.

A loud yelp could be heard and Izuku quickly did as he was told when he stumbled on the back of the motorcycle. He was about to open his mouth to say something when the sharp sound of metal whizzing past his ear cut through the air and he watched in horror as a bullet grazed Katsuki's cheek.

"_Fuck—_" The ash blonde flinched and Izuku gasped out of terror when droplets of Katsuki's blood flew back and hit his face. The entire bike jerked out of control from the hit, but the skillful officer easily got a handle on it as he pushed the engine on his bike further.

The blonde tried his best to ignore the searing pain that was burned into his skin as his mind started to cloud with thoughts of panic.

_What the fuck is happening? _He looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened when he saw the mystery man hot on his tail without mercy. The black bike was flying through the bright city lights as well, not seeming to care if he might hit a pedestrian.

Then Katsuki got a glimpse of the horrified face of Izuku as the smaller one clung onto him with pure fear.

_No, no, no, this can't be fucking happening. _

He was in danger—no—_they _were in danger.

He put Izuku in fucking _danger_.

The sharp minded police officer cut expertly through cars driving through the crowded streets, earning angry honks, yells, but he felt weary as he picked up speed when he could hear the close speed of wheels directly behind them.

Another deadly bullet grazed uncomfortably close to his scalp and all he could think about was how much of a sitting target the trembling Izuku was on his back. Katsuki's eyes hectically searched around for a way to lose the man behind them, trying his damn _best _to ignore all the passing faces that were looking on with shock at the high-speed chase that was occurring.

He cut the next corner on to the next street dangerously as he dipped the bike low to the ground to make an unsuspecting turn and he felt Izuku bury his face into his jacket and give a cry of surprise.

He looked behind him quickly and his heart over dropped further into his gut when the shadow like rider did the same thing, not missing a beat.

The loud sound of engines revved into the night and Katsuki weaved through traffic driving the opposite direction as another bullet shot past him. He made sure to zig zag and offset the shots that were being fired his way and ignore the racing thoughts that were happening in his head as the same speed.

He heard the bike behind him speed up impossibly fast and in that moment Katsuki braked to turn away from a car that was heading full speed in his direction. He forcefully cut into the sidewalk to avoid hitting the vehicle and lost distance between him and the shadow biker.

The blonde could feel the arms of Izuku tighten around his torso as ground zero shook out of shock from pushing on the elevated concrete but Katsuki regained control. He clenched his teeth and maneuvered through the frightened people trying to enjoy a Saturday night out and he could even see several cell phones recording as they lost some speed.

"Baku—ah!" Izuku's voice cracked at the same time a loud pop echoed through his ears and suddenly Katsuki's world was flipped upside down yet again.

Ground zero spun out of control with a loud crash against the rough pavement and the sound of screams could be heard. The blonde closed his eyes and held his arms up in a defensive manner as he was thrown off the bike with Izuku. Both bodies rolled onto the gravel, feeling the small rocks dig and scrape their skin as they were mercilessly flung onto the cold ground.

Katsuki hit the back of his head hard against the grey cement with a sickening crack and a cry from Izuku fell into the air. When he tried to open his eyes again, his vision doubled and he fully panicked. He watched as ground zero scraped off to the side with one wheel shot out and a loud, ugly sound.

In the midst of all the chaos, the dark rider jerked his bike to a violent stop in front of both of their bodies and got off his bike with an unnerving quickness. Gasps from all around ignited when the faceless man aimed the handgun directly at Katsuki's head without an inkling of hesitation. The blonde felt his thoughts go blank.

Red eyes widened, fully afraid and out of instinct he reached for his own holster. His heart slammed against his chest when he realized he didn't actually bring his gun today.

The blonde's stomach turned sick and all he could hear was his heart thumping loudly in his ears. His blood burned in his veins and everything went into slow motion.

He clenched his teeth together, waiting for the bullet, but felt the moment dragged out when the gun didn't actually shoot.

Red eyes stared confused and on edge at the man in front of them that had a clear shot to kill him but...didn't take it.

A soft groan from beside him drew both of their attentions.

Izuku shifted and tried to lift himself up by his forearms from the pavement. Bright red blood trickled down his forehead and a pained expression enveloped the newbie's face. Katsuki whirled his head back around to the mystery gunman and the man tilted his head as if curious about something.

Without taking his line of vision off Katsuki, the murderous rider shifted the steel weapon to point directly at Izuku's disheveled head of curls.

With his body acting before he could think, Katsuki stumbled up to block Izuku's body with his own, kneeling down. He tried his best to cover the smaller body out gun point, glaring wildly at the man.

His chest heaved up and down, trying his best to hold it together from the impact of being thrown from a speeding motorcycle because he had to protect Izuku. Fuck—_he had to_. Izuku was his goddamn responsibility and he couldn't let another fucking person die—

The mystery man didn't make another move neither did anyone onlooking. Everyone was afraid of what was going to happen in the standoff and what the man with a gun was going to do.

Izuku's soft breathing could be heard from behind him and he felt the youngest try to get up. Katsuki quickly reached behind him and forced Izuku to lay back down, low on the ground and out of sight.

Piercing red eyes stayed forward, staring down the dark barrel being pointed right in his face.

The man let out a sharp laugh and cocked his weapon.

"Well, isn't this _sweet_," the deep voice spoke, disgusted. Katsuki instantly recognized it as the man from the bank. "Not the turn I expected but not entirely surprised. This makes things more interesting, I suppose." The sound of an empty laugh could be heard, and it made Katsuki nauseous. What the fuck did that _mean_?

The sound of blaring police sirens could be heard, and the biker slowly put his gun away. Red eyes watched carefully as the man watched him carefully right back.

Then, as quickly as he had uprooted Katsuki's peaceful night, the shadow rider walked away from the pair of injured officers. But not before looking at the bleeding Katsuki and Izuku on the ground several moments too long for comfort.

The man drove off quickly out of sight and Katsuki's collapsed into himself.

His chest started to heave uncontrollably as he took in how close he was to dying—how close Izuku was to nearly dying. On top of that, he wasn't even prepared enough to defend them and then that would've been another person's blood on his hands if the fucking psycho had decided to fire off a bullet into Izuku's skull. _Damn it all_—

Izuku wearily looked at the man in front of him when he could sense the panicked energy start to boil over.

"What the fuck was that?"

"Bakug—"

"What the actual _fuck _was that?" Katsuki hissed standing up fully. He looked at ground zero, and how the tire was shot out along with the black skid marks and blood on the pavement from them being fucking thrown off the motorcycle.

"Shit. Shit. _Shit_. Why is everything suddenly fucking falling apart!?" He all but screamed grabbing his hair. He slowly drowned in the pressure that had been building up all week. From the burning buildings, Monoma, the reopening of the 'Hero Killer' case and now this. Fucking _this_.

"I can't—" He tried but his chest started to feel too tight and he squeezed his eyes shut, wanting to be anywhere but fucking here. "I fuckin' can't do this—"

Izuku wearily stood up, ignoring the pain in his knees as he slowly approached the spiraling blonde. He reached a hesitant hand out to touch the other's shoulder when he saw the angry man clench his teeth uncontrollably.

"Bak—"

"—Don't fucking touch me."

Katsuki out of reflex slapped Izuku's hand away and buried his face in his palm trying too hard to calm himself down, but he wasn't succeeding. He just kept sinking further and further into all his insecurities with the image of his now attempted _murderer _taunting him—

"Katsuki, _please_."

The syllables reached his ears and the blonde paused. The tornado of thoughts slowed down just a little when he heard his first name on Izuku's tongue. The sound was foreign enough that it yanked him back to reality to assess it for just a split second.

A gentle hand was placed on his shoulder again, but this time he didn't shove it away.

"Take a deep breath in," Izuku's breathless voice spoke as steady as he could. How did he do that? Stay so calm right after they were run off the damn road? "Are you good? There's someone coming, okay? We're safe. It's okay. We need to pick your bike off the ground though."

Katsuki listened to the soft-spoken words given to him and fully took in all of his surroundings. The loud police sirens were getting closer, people were staring, and Izuku was beside him face bloodied but looking concerned...yet again.

He took a deep breath in.

Izuku was right.

"…yeah, you're right. You're right," he repeated to himself to attempt to calm himself down.

Katsuki let his shoulders slump forward and before he knew it everything felt like it crashed against him like a tidal wave. His feelings gave way like a weak dam and he couldn't control the small tear that escaped from his eye.

The salty droplets trailed down into the gash on his cheek from the bullet, stinging in an ironic manner. He closed his eyes shut trying to stop the flow of more, not wanting to fucking cry in front of all these strangers and Izuku.

But a soft hand reached up and wiped away the blood and tears with coarse padded fingertips.

Red eyes reopened, and he saw Izuku looking at his face with pure worry. Fear was there as well, right alongside the same concern as before. Green eyes tentatively looked up into his and in that moment Katsuki realized Izuku _was _right. Not about keeping it together, but about him possibly getting burn out.

But the longer he thought about the masked man and what just happened, he considered a different possibility:

Maybe there was someone trying to burn him out?

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Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed. Please let me know what you think reviews :) I love hearing your thoughts and reading everyone's theories about where the story is going! Also, if you wanna chat/yell at me for this I'm on twitter as KyuukaKoinu ^_^

**Preview of next chapter: **

"Katsuki answer the fucking phone—you're all over the news and not in a good goddamn way. What the fuck was that? Why didn't you call and say there was something serious going down in Shizuoka!?" _Beep_.

Katsuki groaned as he let his head down on the table. He had been receiving calls from people ever since video of him getting fucking run off the road with Izuku was suddenly plastered all over the news and YouTube but shit—_that _was the very last person he expected to call.


	6. Flicker

Hi all! Welcome back! We're going straight into the second arch of this fic. On top of that, I've officially finished summer semester victorious!

Special dose of love and thank you to the amazing nmathews on Ao3 for betaing my monster chapters and being an overall great person! Check out her work too :)

Alrightly! Let's get started. Please, be mindful of the 'angst' & 'hurt/comfort' tags walking into this one :)

**Warnings: Controversial methods of child discipline, mentions of past abuse, alcohol consumption, Katsuki being horny on main.**

* * *

**Chapter 6 - Flicker **"Katsuki has never been good at heeding warnings, especially his own. In which these two idiots become bigger idiots with the help of repressed trauma and alcohol."

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If Bakugou Katsuki was anything, he was a problem solver. A good one at that.

Everyone knew it. His mom knew it, his dad knew it, and most importantly, he knew it.

It was his core: seek out puzzles to solve them. He always gained a sense of gratification when he did this.

Why? He had no idea, really.

But if Katsuki was being fully honest, it was because he would always ask for games, and puzzles growing up.

They helped distract him from the yelling.

"You brat, I heard you were fighting at school again!" His mom would yell at him after picking him up from school. She would proceed to slap him upside the head extremely hard and then the pain would give him a migraine.

Katsuki remembers grinding his teeth at this.

_It isn't my fault._ He remembers thinking. He got into frequent scuffles at school because some other kid was being targeted by another, and Katsuki had a savior complex at an early age.

He just wanted to help people—even if sometimes that meant shoving his fist in another kid's face to get them to back off from bullying.

He thought his actions were heroic because as a child he didn't really understand.

However, his mom didn't find them heroic at all. Not a single fucking bit. She would try to discipline him the only way she knew how: through physical punishment by switch, belt, or sometimes whatever she could find or just by her hand. Majority by her hand.

Katsuki remembers gritting his teeth at this. _It hurt_. It always hurt.

His father didn't agree with the approach—at first. He remembers them yelling very loudly on how to properly discipline children. Katsuki locked himself in his room, trying to put together another puzzle in silence while their voice cut through all the peace inside the home.

But, true to their dynamic, his father eventually fizzled out. His father was _weak_.

His mother was fierce, she always was. That's just how it went. She overpowered anyone that disagreed with her and soon his father just went along with whatever she thought was best. Including using a belt.

Katsuki knew he wasn't the only kid who got hit every time he did some dumb shit. It was common practice.

But that didn't make him any less resentful. It didn't make him any less hurt about it. It didn't stop him from grinding his teeth and soon the anger stewed into a hot-headed attitude once he got to high school and he greatly disliked being touched.

The blonde boy started to build up a number of frustrations. So many of them that he was certain that he might implode if he didn't let them out. So, he started yelling and being blunt because of his frustrations. He was always irritable.

Katsuki didn't realize it but he started yelling and mimicking his mother—and he became popular extremely quickly somehow.

Part of him figured it was his looks, the other half thought people admired him for his bluntness. He could hear girls talk about how soft his hair looked, and how he grew into his body quickly. It always made him sneer because people never actually took the time to get to know him.

They just saw what was on the surface and like magic: instant popularity.

Whenever he looked back on his teen years, he couldn't help but fucking cringe. He was _so_ stupid back then for reasons he wasn't even aware of until college.

The blonde quickly learned that he was what his high school labeled as 'gifted'. He excelled in every single one of his classes and it went straight to his head.

His parents were proud, and he was happy. He wanted to make them proud like any other kid did. Them being proud meant no fucking yelling or hitting, so it was a good trade off.

But soon, every time he did something small that his mom didn't like or didn't agree with, she would yell and slap him. But like a good son when he was an early teen, he never yelled back.

He would just shut the fuck up and take it. He reasoned it could be worse.

That was until one day he yelled back while she was lashing out at his father.

Katsuki remembers how the yelling started to turn towards small, insignificant things and it pissed him off. There was no need to fucking yelling and hit someone over goddamn trash and dirty dishes.

This quickly earned him a loud slap across the face at the age of sixteen. He stumbled backwards not expecting the blunt force at such an age and he toppled into the counter hard enough that he didn't need to look later to know there was a bruise.

Shortly after, his father held no sympathy for him and told him he stepped out of line.

He told him he deserved it.

Katsuki remembers staring at him in disbelief. He had just been trying to fucking help his father—and he got hurt in the process. Now both of his parents were pissed off with him, even though his mom was the one yelling and slapping his dad. How did that fucking work? He was just making a valid point and trying to stand up.

Katsuki remembers grinding his teeth vigorously that night as he packaged all of the hurt to the bottom of his heart until only a frigid coldness for his parents remained.

If they wanted their relationship to be a mess, then fucking fine. He was done with it.

So, he started helping other people. People who needed to be helped. People who actually _wanted_ to be helped.

He didn't know it then, but it was the small inkling of gratification he never received at home. It was the missing puzzle piece that made him tick like a well-oiled machine.

He started lashing back towards the end of high school at his mom. The blonde stopped just taking everything laying down and soon he endured the hits without an issue, and the aggressive tension at home became normality.

But it wasn't always a war zone, most moments were good. That's what made it complicated.

It's just when the bad moments were bad, they were catastrophic. The only peace of mind he would be able to get was to go out and buy a small puzzle or play a stupid game on his phone that required some level of problem-solving skills while he slept elsewhere for the night.

It kept him emotionally distant and leveled out his mood. The puzzles helped keep him distracted from all the times his parents would call him weak and tell him he deserved every hit.

Katsuki honestly didn't realize he started to internalize it until later.

He was arrogant yet kind and wanted to help others but feared failure because deep down he feared he was weak.

So, if any failures occurred, he blamed himself for being too weak. If he couldn't correctly solve a problem—it was because he was too weak.

He hated any sign of weakness. But most of all he hated _being_ weak.

Soon, he was accepted to the top university in Tokyo after pushing himself hard. Not too long after that, he became friends with Takeyama. He didn't like her at first—not one fucking bit. She was loud and blonde, something he already had enough of in his life. But after two years, they slowly became unlikely friends.

She pointed out how his need to help people and want to solve problems would make him a great detective and policeman.

Then she pointed out how he was resentful yet respecting of his mother and should try to distance himself from his home. She made a valid point about how it was giving him anxiety and how it made him punish himself in unhealthy ways.

It clicked into place like a missing memory and Katsuki remembers nodding quietly at this. No one had ever actually sat down and analyzed him that deeply.

No one thus far seemed to care that much.

Usually they just followed suit behind whatever he said because they thought he was cute or popular. His parents didn't care enough to _actually_ understand why he acted the way he did. Neither did all the stupid people who followed behind him in college or high school.

The blonde young adult felt something for her after that he never felt for anyone else. It was strange and made his heart twist.

Shortly after he left Tokyo for the summer and interned in Shizuoka City underneath Todoroki Enji, the top police chief for several years in that area to get a feel for if this was what he wanted to do.

The large, fiery man had recently got promoted and soared above everything. Almost all of his interns would quit immediately due to how assertive and demanding the internship was.

All but Katsuki. Enji reminded him of his mother, and if Katsuki could withstand the wrath of Bakugou Mitsuki, he could do the same for Todoroki Enji.

The chief of police was extremely impressed with him after that.

That summer while in Shizuoka, Enji praised Katsuki to no end and the blonde felt _good_. He got all the hard cases, worked alongside him carefully and he admired the man a lot.

Well, he admired him until he saw him outright hit his oldest son, Touya, in front of the entire precinct.

He hit him so hard that the red-haired boy stumbled back, fell into his desk and hit his head.

Then Katsuki remembers thinking that the man reminded him of his mother a little _too_ much. It made him turn his nose up at the chief of police. What's worse, the man would always ask his opinions on Touya or what he, a nineteen-year-old, would do with a son stepping out of line.

Katsuki always answered with what he knew the man wanted to hear for the sake of saving his internship, but he answered the questions completely uncomfortable and it showed.

Now, Touya wasn't the straightest arrow—in fact Katsuki was disgusted by some of the things he heard about the eldest Todoroki son—but Katsuki didn't believe that anyone deserved to get humiliated like that.

Even if the redhead was starting to get involved in drugs. Enji should've approached the issue vastly different than he had; maybe then maybe Touya would've listened to him.

Now they would never get the chance to repair it.

Time didn't work in reverse like that.

As summer passed, Katsuki soon found that he didn't like interning under Enji.

The man was extremely problematic and reminded him of home in Tokyo—a place he was trying very hard to get away from. He wasn't putting in all this damn work to get out of that hell hole only to get reminded of his fucking mother all the time.

But one thing he did love while in Shizuoka City for the summer was solving cases and helping people. It made him feel good and smile when they would feel safe and thank him.

Then he met the man made of gold: Yagi Toshinori.

He smiled, shined, breezed through cases and kept low to the ground as a captain so he could still work amongst the people unlike Enji. He met the man several times and soon the captain was insisting that he call him by his first name, Toshinori.

Takeyama was right—this _was_ perfect for him. Slowly, he started to think maybe she was too.

He got back to Tokyo at the end of the summer to start junior year, and she asked him how it went, and he asked her on a date.

They dated for four years after that. Katsuki was certain she was the person for him. She understood his complex relationship with his parents and understood how much he liked solving problems. She introduced a new happiness in his life that he never considered, and he thanked her for it.

During these four years he got sharper and quicker, and fully addicted to working.

Then soon Takeyama was certain he wasn't the person for her—and it took Katsuki a long time to adjust to this: his first failure that was connected to who he was as a person and his heart.

He found out you can be weak in other aspects of life he wasn't expecting. He found that his heart was painfully weak a lot after that and heartbreak came in waves at the most inconvenient times.

But he focused all his energy on solving cases and getting that flicker of gratification that he needed to keep trudging forward. That was the one part of Katsuki's life that he was certain he wasn't weak in...so it was the one that he focused on the most.

There wasn't a problem or puzzle in the world that he couldn't solve.

That is, until Izuku walked into his life four years after his first heartbreak.

And then again when some mystery pyro tried to lodge a bullet inside his skull while they were going over 128 kilometers per hour.

Which brings Katsuki to the predicament that he's in currently: sitting in a hospital bed, his bleeding head bandaged up along with various cuts, bruises, and an extremely sore arm.

But it wasn't his injuries that made him feel disquieted, it was the very silent greenette who looked as if he just wanted the ground to swallow him whole and a very, _very_ upset Mirio.

He sighed out loud.

"Well, you two must have a guardian angel," the doctor said as his eyes were downcast. "You both only sustained a couple of minor cuts, scrapes and bruises."

Katsuki looked over to Izuku who was still unnaturally quiet in the hospital bed next to him. The short-sleeved gown exposed his bare arms to the entire room, burn tissue on display for the entire world. The detective's jaw was clenched in discomfort as Mirio hovered over.

"Are the gashes on his scar tissue going to cause any trouble in the future?" The lawyer asked. His dark blonde eyebrows were knitted together in anger, but above all genuine concern.

"Well, it might keloid more but otherwise nothing too serious." The dark-haired doctor shifted his gaze to Izuku, who was promptly not looking at anyone. Just clutching his left arm tightly against himself.

The sight made Katsuki's heart twist.

"Also, you know you don't have to keep bandaging the scars, Mr. Midoriya. They are quite old and healed. You won't run the risk of an infection anymore," the doctor said quietly. The man tilted his head at Izuku with pity but the greenette just huffed a bit and turned his head away.

"It's a personal preference," Izuku said quietly, curling into himself more. "Can you please just wrap my arm back up?"

"I'm afraid we don't do things on personal preference, Mr. Midoriya."

"Izuku, it's fine," Mirio said while leaning in to wrap a protective arm around Izuku. "I'll wrap it for you once I take you back to your place. _Safely_."

Katsuki snapped his head forward and clicked his tongue. He didn't need to look at Mirio for him to know that comment was directed at him.

The injured lieutenant pressed his lips in a thin line, trying to ignore the irritated energy that was rolling off Mirio in waves...but it was understandable he fucking supposed.

Mirio offered to drop Izuku off at his place, got rejected and then he gets a damn call about him nearly being killed at midnight because he—_apparently_—is Izuku's emergency contact?

The rest of the moments blurred together for Katsuki as they gave their statement to other officers and the doctors left the room. When all the other bodies were out of the room, the only thing left was the awkward trio, sitting silently in the room.

...kind of.

It would have been an awkward silence if not for Mirio reprimanding Izuku like he wasn't twenty-three years old.

"Why weren't you two wearing your helmets? And where were you coming from that late at night?" The bright blonde frowned deeply, and his blue eyes blazed into the side of Izuku's head. The burn victim curled into himself more and shook his head.

"Bakugou had offered to drive me to the shore and to home. It wasn't a big deal—"

"—But why no helmets, Izuku? Why do you _always_ do dangerous things like this?" Mirio nearly hissed. Katsuki raised his eyebrows, fully surprised because he never thought he'd see the day where Mirio, bright sunny side up Mirio, would be this pissed off.

As the conversation went on, with Izuku trying to defend himself and Mirio acting more and more agitated, Katsuki felt guilt seep in. He sighed loud enough for everyone in the room to stop and hear and turned his face apologetically towards the other blonde.

"Mirio. Lay off him, it's partially my fault too," Katsuki started, but he could see blue eyes weren't amused with him in the slightest and it made him nervous for unknown reasons. "I didn't put my foot down about riding without one. We were just…" Red eyes looked at Izuku nervously for some reason and green eyes darted downwards in a guilty manner. Katsuki swallowed thickly and turned his attention back to Mirio.

"...We were just enjoying the night, that's all. Neither of us expected someone to attempt to gun me down. I tried my best to get us out of harm's way."

Katsuki watched as Izuku looked at him with a sad yet soft expression with his head slightly down. The emerald colored irises carried more weight than Katsuki thought was possible and it made something pang lowly in his chest.

He then saw Mirio pinch the bridge of his nose, stare at him with a look mixed with both sympathy and annoyance. It looked like the next best thing to disappointment. Something Katsuki did not like people look at him with because it made him feel weak.

He decided in that moment he needed to excuse himself to the bathroom to catch some air. The room was thick with silence and it felt like it was going to take them forever plus one to even get discharged.

"I'm gonna go run to pee or whatever," he mumbled out and excused himself quickly. He internally sighed when he could feel both pairs of eyes on his back as he left the room.

The heavy minded lieutenant tried to get the vision of Izuku's saddened face clutching his arm out of his mind. He felt so fucking _guilty_. He put Izuku in danger all because he got lost in the moment.

Slowly, while walking into the bright hospital bathroom, Katsuki started to drown in his unkind thoughts. They spiraled around like a tornado picking up speed, thinking about the worst-case scenarios of what would have happened if the man had shot Izuku, who was sitting so exposed on the back of his bike.

His mind was unintentionally cruel, and he imagined the masked man sinking a bullet directly through the center of the rose on the back of Izuku's bomber jacket like an unconventional bullseye. But the longer he thought about it the more it seemed like the man in all black only had one target: him.

Izuku was a clear alternative target. Yet, the bullets only seemed to have the name Bakugou Katsuki on them. It made him frown yet silently thankful. But it also made him feel more guilty.

This was a blatant attempt to shake him and make him paranoid—and it was working.

The blonde groaned to himself as he leaned against the wooden door of the bathroom, slowly sinking down to the ground.

_This is the worst day of my fucking life. _

After about a well needed ten minutes of alone time to subdue the raging storm inside of his head, Katsuki picked himself back up, like he always does. His body felt a thousand times heavier, and a thousand times more drained. It was late. It was extremely late at night and all he wanted was his bed right now.

He walked back slowly to the room with his and Izuku's name on it but as he got closer, he could hear harsh whispering coming from inside. He put his hand on the silver handle to push the slightly opened door open, but the next sentence made him pause dead in his tracks.

"—Did you have sex with Bakugou, Izuku? Be honest."

_...What the fuck?_

"No? I didn't. Where is this coming from?" Izuku's voice answered back, hardened with caution. Katsuki paused for a moment before loosening his grip on the door. He shouldn't be eavesdropping—he knew he shouldn't because it was a rude thing to do, but…

Katsuki worked his jaw and leaned his ear in closer to the door so he could hear properly.

"Because you two went alone together to the boardwalk? And he's letting you ride on his motorcycle, which I have _never_ seen him let anyone do before. C'mon now, Izuku. I know you." There was a long sigh from what sounded like Mirio and the shift of the hospital bed.

"I told you just to come to me if you whenever you started feeling...lonely like that." The lawyer said in a low, fatigued voice and Katsuki thought about Izuku's own 'lonely' comment by the beach.

"It wasn't anything sexual, really. He was just offered to take me to the shore area, and I took him up on the offer." Now it was Izuku's turn to sigh. "Also...just reiterating...I don't want to keep treating you unfairly. It doesn't feel right to keep on using you."

And there it was, like the final puzzle piece as to why Mirio was acting like such a dick. There was the real nature of their relationship, said plainly. Izuku had _lied_. Mirio wasn't just being over protective—he was fucking _mate guarding_.

"Izuku...it's not using if I want it and ask for it. I'm always happy to try and satisfy you so you don't have to go out looking for it at bars and sleeping with strangers like you used to." Katsuki frowned deeper at this. Izuku _had_ gone to a fucking bar and on top of that he definitely went home with someone—

"But, you and me...it could very much be something more if you let it be, y'know? I can take care of you now. I have a high paying job and you won't have to keep putting yourself in danger like this."

"We've been over this; I'm not putting myself in danger. I'll be fine, really. I want to be a detective."

"Or you could just be a stay at home artist, Izuku. It's safer. I know plenty of people at my firm would love to buy more pieces from you. You already have a client base that way—just come back to Yaizu. I want to take care of you after everything and you know that."

Katsuki frowned deeply at this. He's only known Izuku for less than a month, but he knew damn well that wasn't what the greenette wanted out of life.

"Mirio, no. I don't like that idea and I've told you that. You know I think of you and Toshinori like family."

"Don't give me that, Izuku. _Please_. It's weird to hear you call me family after everything we've done—"

"Ah, Mr. Bakugou, there you are." A steady voice said from behind him. "I need to ask you a question."

Immediately, the voices on the other side of the door stopped talking and got quiet and there was shifting that could be heard.

Katsuki turned around to the kind faced doctor, who was standing there patiently with a sympathetic smile on his face. He was holding a clipboard and flexed his fingers in an awkward manner.

"Uh, sure. What is it?" He replied. The blonde only really paid half attention to the dark-haired male in front of him. The other half of his attention was torn between the time on the clock that read 2:00 am and what he just heard—the dots that just finished being connected about Izuku.

"We tried to contact your emergency contact, but they didn't answer."

"My emergency contact?" Katsuki whispered, sleep clouding his brain. He squinted for a moment, unsure of who they were actually referring to and then it clicked into place.

The split second the realization struck him, his eyes widened simultaneously. _Oh fuck—_

"Bakugou Mitsuki." The doctor nodded ignorantly and Katsuki grimaced. "But...we can't seem to reach her. Do you happen to have another contact listed?"

With each passing second, his mood soured even further than it already was.

"No," he said flatly, his red eyes dull with thinking back to his mother. "She lives in Tokyo. I can call someone else to come pick me up so it's not an issue."

"Ah, okay that's perfect! Let's go in the room, shall we? I came to tell you and Mr. Midoriya that you're free to go. Everything has checked out fine."

When him and the doctor walked into the door, he saw Izuku and Mirio positioned exactly like they were before, but neither was looking at the other.

It made him admittedly feel a type of way. He just wanted to go to fucking _bed_ now.

. . .

They rode the elevator down out of the hospital in awkward silence with Mirio standing in between him and Izuku both physically and metaphorically. The sound of the rain and the dark sky only made Katsuki feel more dejected.

As they walked out to the lobby of the hospital, Katsuki pulled out his phone and stared at the shattered glass screen. He slowly opened up his contacts, trying his best not to cut his finger on the jagged surface.

Out the corner of his eye he could see Mirio tell Izuku to wait in the lobby while he pulled the car around and Izuku nodded his head absently.

He called Kirishima at exactly 3:00 am and the best friend picked up the phone, voice thick with sleep. He told him what happened briefly which elicited a loud cry of confusion and the redhead yelling 'I'll be right there!'.

Katsuki sighed and put away his phone. All he could think about was his bed. His _empty_ bed, his near killer and the fact that it was now confirmed Izuku and Mirio were fucking_—_

"I'm so sorry," the greenette spoke up in a soft voice from beside him. "I didn't mean to put us in danger with the helmets." Katsuki turned his crimson eyes to Izuku who was looking downward, still clutching his left arm with his hand in an insecure manner. His rose jacket was back on his body along with several bandages. "I didn't mean to endanger your life."

"Don't worry about it," Katsuki murmured, looking at the saddened face of the other. He noted how deep the bags under Izuku's eyes looked this closely. Part of him wanted to speak up and say something or ask about Mirio but there was so much that was on his mind.

The weight of his own thoughts kept the words jammed in his throat.

Mirio came around to the door in no time with a blue umbrella and quietly ushered Izuku into the passenger seat, closing the door.

The tall blonde seemed to pause and look over his shoulder at him through the glass sliding doors. The look was distant but one full of deep thoughts and it made Katsuki glance his red eyes downwards, fully feeling very out of place.

The sliding doors opened again and when Katsuki looked up, there was Mirio standing there with him with a sympathetic look written plainly across his face.

"Are you okay? Do you need a ride back to your place?" The deep voice asked him and Katsuki just shook his head in response.

"I'll be fine. Kirishima is on the way. Thank you for the offer, though."

"Okay, that's good to hear," There was a tight smile and then the other blonde slightly creased his eyebrows, shifting his mood mildly. "You know, I'm really sorry about everything that's happening right now. It's genuinely really terrible and I hope this all gets solved soon. I don't want anything to happen to you, I've known you for a long time and I do care. But...Katsuki. The helmets? _Really_?"

Katsuki felt his guilt sink further into his bones as Mirio continued, stepping into his space challenging.

"I expected better from you. Izuku has always been reckless, but you're not." The sentence shifted into a deep tone that started to put Katsuki on edge. "So...don't be reckless."

Sky blue eyes hardened with caution, studying his face extremely carefully.

Katsuki studied his right back silently.

The double meaning echoed in his head, and the ice trickled on his skin with how low Mirio had spoken the words. The hotheaded blonde worked his jaw to resist the urge of grinding his teeth because he got the message Mirio just sent loud and fucking clear:

Stay the hell away from Izuku.

Mirio kept their gazes locked and Katsuki's face transformed uncontrollably into a sneer at the disrespectful gesture. The taller blonde backed away, finally breaking the intense stare down to turn and leave out of the glass doors.

He got into the driver's seat next to Izuku, who had his head down, looking as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

The car started up again and the rain droplets poured from the night sky.

Izuku finally looked up from the window to gaze at him with those glowing green eyes as they drove off from the parking lot. He watched as the white car slowly faded into the distance, leaving nothing but the empty sound of rain hitting the grey pavement.

In that moment, Katsuki suddenly felt conflicted about the very thing he had been warning himself to do this entire time when it came to Izuku: stay away.

. . .

**NHK JAPAN - Popular News in Shizuoka City**

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Symbol of 'Victory' but not the symbol of 'Safety'. _Read more _

. . .

Katsuki sat at his desk in his office at the U.A precinct with his forehead in his palm, scrolling through countless news articles in mild disbelief.

It was only mild because it had officially been two weeks since the attempt on his life and these articles were still fucking everywhere. He completely underestimated the media's urge to blemish and sniff round on people like him who had a perfectly clean track record.

On top of that he got a voicemail this morning that promised to give him a future heart attack.

"Katsuki, answer the fucking phone—you're all over the news and not in a good goddamn way. What the fuck was that? Why didn't you call and say there was something serious going down in Shizuoka!?" _Beep_.

Katsuki groaned as he let his head down on the table. He had been receiving calls from people ever since video of him getting fucking run off the road with Izuku was suddenly plastered all over the news and YouTube but shit—_that _was the very last person he expected to call.

But she did. _Multiple times_. Each time he let it ring until it stopped because his heart was threatening to run away from his goddamn body.

Takeyama's voice was loud and fucking clear cut on the other end of the line when he replayed the message. The poor blonde tried his best to make sense of why she would even want to call and what the fuck was going on in his life any more.

Ever since leaving the hospital things have been surprisingly calm, a little too calm. He put ground zero in the shop and got her back within a week's time.

Then once his head was screwed on properly, he noticed that the two buildings were both burnt down on Tuesdays and the entire city held their breath for the past two Tuesday only to get—_nothing_.

It made Katsuki analyze deeper into what the man had said to him about things being '_more interesting_' after pointing the gun to Izuku's head.

He didn't know if that meant The Cremator was going to change route of action or if there was something else going on. But whatever it was, it was keeping him on edge yet somehow putting him in a false sense of security.

On top of that, things with Izuku had been no better.

Mirio left back to Yaizu the next day, Sunday, and Monday Izuku showed up, very quiet, looking like a child who had been thoroughly reprimanded. The pair of policemen continued their routine and did their best to take patrols with some normality.

But one day during practice sparring with Kirishima, the sweat on Izuku's neck rolled off what he guessed to be cheap concealer revealing a playfully placed hickey. It screamed possessive. Izuku covered it with his hand immediately and excused himself when he saw how hard Katsuki was glaring at the offensive mark.

Something flickered inside the lieutenant's chest with irritation. But he did what he was instructed to do: not to be fucking reckless.

So, he promptly ignored it because really, it wasn't any of his business.

No, not all.

It wasn't any of his business if Mirio wanted Izuku to stay home like some goddamn housewife and be a good lil' partner for him.

It wasn't any of his business if he wanted Izuku to quit being a police officer, something he clearly loved doing. Did the other even know the nerd had thirteen fucking volumes of hand written police notes at his desk? He obviously was dedicated to being a good officer.

Did Toshinori know about what they were doing? Or about Mirio's pursuit—if so, why did he encourage Izuku to move out of Yaizu? But it wasn't any of his business. And it sure as hell wasn't his fucking business that they were more than likely long-term fuck buddies—

"Katsuki, are you okay?"

The blonde in question stopped all his thought to look up at the new voice that just pressed pause on his angry train of thought.

Standing there was a concerned looking Kirishima, eyes darting back and forth between his face and the new phone in his hand.

"Yeah. I'm perfectly fine, shitty hair," he grumbled automatically. "Why do you ask?"

"Er...well...you're holding your phone in a death grip and glaring at the screen really hard." The firetruck redhead tilted his head slightly. "You sure you're good?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just going through all these dumbass comments. Who knew the general public could be so goddamn stupid?"

"Ah...Kat, you should know better than to read the comments," the best friend sighed and quick like lightning, snatched the offending device out of the blonde's hand. He clicked the device shut before the other could object. "That's like the number one rule on the internet: never, _ever_, read the comments."

"What do you want, Kiri? I'm not in the mood." Katsuki groaned. The voice of Takeyama still loud in his ears. His brain was trying to rack a reason for why she cared after she tossed him away like trash and didn't speak to him for over four goddamn years.

You don't just walk back in someone's life like that. So, Katsuki promptly ignored her calls until further notice.

"Yeah, yeah. You're never in the mood," the sergeant laughed lightheartedly. "I just wanted to let you know that Mina and I are postponing the wedding in light of...recent events."

Katsuki snapped his head towards his friend, fully not expecting that.

"What? Why? You guys had everything planned out to happen in the next two weeks?"

"Er, you're not wrong. We did. But...with someone in Shizuoka _basically_ hunting policemen, we think it would be best to postpone until we can find a venue somewhere off the skirts of the city and not downtown. That way we're not exactly a bunch of sitting ducks in blue for a police-hater."

Katsuki filled the blank in his mind: a bunch of U.A officers sitting around eating wedding cake and someone torching the building because well...yeah.

"I guess that makes sense," The ash blond said and gave an understanding look towards his friend. "Smart move honestly." Kirishima hummed in approval and took a seat in the blue chair across from his desk.

Katsuki's red eyes followed this line of movement as he leaned back in his own plush leather chair. As he did this, he could see a small blur of green from between his blinds in his office. His gaze shifted to stare at the man dressed in a dark blue button down and black slacks from outside of his window in a longing manner.

It had been almost two weeks since they had directly spoken to each other outside of patrol but every time he tried to think about asking the younger one a small harmless question, he felt Mirio's words hold him back, like a tether around his neck.

Kirishima turned around to look, curious as to what the lieutenant was staring so hard at. He was only less than 2% surprised to find a certain messy mop of curls to be the answer to his question. He shifted himself back in the chair, clearing his throat.

"So...how is he by the way?" Kirishima asked hesitantly.

Katsuki's attention was brought back to the man in front of him and he shook his head a little, coming out of his zoned-out state.

"Huh?"

"_Midoriya_. The curly haired freckled man you were staring at just now." The redhead huffed, noting how out of it the ash blonde was.

At the mention of the greenette's name Katsuki tightened his lips and flicked his eyes off to the side. "I wouldn't know," he answered in a grumble. "He hasn't exactly spoken to me since the incident."

"Yeah, everyone has noticed it. Even Denki's dense ass noticed," the other responded with a light laughter that made Katsuki frown.

_Other people have noticed…? The hell is that supposed to mean? _But he quickly shook the thought and reminded himself that he shouldn't care.

"It's fine. This is what I wanted anyways. Midoriya is a...complicated headache," he spoke but the words felt empty against his tongue. Something in his chest flickered with conflict as he thought about the talk by the shore. "It's best that he stays away from me."

"I don't think you really believe what you're saying." Kirishima snapped back in an instant and the blonde half rolled his eyes. Part of him paused however, because the sergeant wasn't...wrong.

"I think you should go over there and ask him how he's doing. He seems kinda out of it."

Red eyes shifted to the profile of the distant greenette and true to what his comrade had said, Izuku was sitting there with a slight hunch in his back and a distant look on his face going through paperwork. It was clear that his hand was working on autopilot and his mind was somewhere else, far, far away from the U.A precinct.

Then Izuku perked up slightly and picked up his phone. A small smile graced his dejected features and Katsuki's mind automatically wondered back to the lawyer and his words.

"_Don't be reckless." _

"That's a terrible idea. I'm sure fuckin' Mirio has his emotions in check or whatever," he replied, tearing his eyes away from the green mass out of his window. "He doesn't need me to give him a prep talk." He spoke the words with a weak resolve and now it was Kirishima's turn to roll his eyes.

"Well, clearly, whatever _Mirio_ has been saying to him hasn't been working because green bean is teetering on a clear depression. He just seems kinda…lonely."

The word 'lonely' struck a chord in Katsuki and made him pause, but he snapped himself out of it.

"That's not my problem," he murmured only half convincingly. He internally groaned at his own words because he knew if anyone heard them, they could tell he was lying.

Shit, even _he_ knew he wasn't being completely truthful with himself.

"That's not the point, Katsuki." Kirishima said in an annoyed voice. The tall redhead stood up and huffed, giving a hard, disappointed look to his friend. "Just...think about it. That's all."

The man in all blue turned around and Katsuki pursed his lips when the redhead left.

His eyes shifted back to Izuku's blank face when another call from Takeyama came through.

. . .

True to Kirishima's observations, for the rest of Tuesday and all-day Wednesday, Izuku did seem like he was isolating himself. Along with that Katsuki's irritation was also elevated when he kept getting more calls from Takeyama and a couple from his parents. Calls that he kept promptly ignoring. He didn't feel like dealing with any of them at the moment.

His thoughts were too focused on green to think much else.

Said greenette was quiet and keeping to himself more than usual. He did his work, went home directly at 5:00 pm and would spare people small waves if they were in his line of vision while he was leaving out.

It made Katsuki's savior complex unknowingly flicker like a dim flame and his irritation grew steadily.

_This fucking man._ He thought to himself when he noticed how Izuku drank his morning coffee at his desk and not in the break room with everyone else.

How was it possible that Izuku was somehow even _more_ distracting and taking up his thoughts when he wasn't in his damn face? How was that honestly fucking possible?

The lieutenant could admit that he was watching Izuku carefully. With each passing day when the detective didn't spare him a second glance, the workaholic's wall of emotion crumbled ever so slightly.

By the end of Wednesday, Katsuki's resolve was paper thin.

Watching the damn dork act like a robotic employee was so fucking disheartening. It made him groan several times when Izuku would dry laugh at some lame ass joke Kirishima and Sero would make.

The greenette was new to the city so there clearly weren't that many people who he knew but he obviously had something on his mind. On top of that there wasn't a single soul at U.A Izuku was close enough with, Katsuki supposed, that he could really talk to and open up with.

So, that's why when walking past Izuku's desk late that day, Katsuki felt like there was only one thing to do that would possibly end this terrible autopilot they both seemed to be stuck in.

Mirio's words be damned.

The other blonde wasn't here—but he was.

Katsuki stopped short of his office in front of Izuku's desk. He momentarily studied the mop of green curls as the detective had his headphones in, working quickly on his laptop.

The lieutenant almost didn't want to interrupt him because it was admittedly slightly cute the way Izuku's tongue slightly stuck out as he was completely unaware of his surroundings.

Awkwardly, the tall blonde cleared his throat and Izuku glanced upwards, then did a double take.

"Er...hi," Katsuki said fairly lamely. He waved his hand in a stiff manner and he could've just slapped himself.

The greenette ripped his headphones out of his ears, looking completely taken aback. Doe eyes briefly glanced around to look at Kirishima, Momo, and Denki who were also stationed at their respective desks doing work.

"H-Hi?" He nervously looked back at Katsuki and lowered his head ever so slightly. "Did I miss something in the paperwork I gave to Momo about the robbery case?"

Katsuki shook his head and put his hands in his beige work pants to avoid fidgeting in front of the last person he wanted to know that he had nervous behaviors.

"No, nerd. You did a perfect job, as always." He gave a small smile, and Izuku's dark eyebrows shot up high on his face. "I just wanted to...see how you were doing." Katsuki said slowly, looking into Izuku's eyes and immediately the other's mood shifted again. He watched how Izuku's hands started to twiddle around with the white headphones.

"I've been okay, just trying to get a handle on my work and getting settled into things. Officially over a month since I started, hah. Time really flies." Izuku opened his mouth again but paused to close it. He looked at Katsuki with something the blonde didn't understand before glancing his eyes down. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing perfectly fine," the workaholic said a little too quickly for either of them.

Izuku looked at him with that damn concerned gaze again and Katsuki tried his best to remember the whole reason he came over here: Izuku seemed lonely. Make the nerd less lonely and get him to stop acting so weird like a loner because it was distracting.

"So. What happened to doing stuff after work together? It's been nearly fourteen days, dork. We haven't done a single thing." Katsuki forced out through his teeth trying to sound friendly and not embarrassed. A blush slowly rose on his face because this suddenly felt a lot like asking Izuku out on a damn date—

"Oh, I didn't know if you'd still be interested in hanging out with me after...what happened." Izuku stopped fiddling with his headphones and gave a look of extreme guilt that flat out confused the other.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Izuku looked down and bowed his head as fast as a bullet, giving Katsuki whiplash.

"I thought you'd be upset with me after the whole helmet thing. You said that safety was important, I didn't listen and now there are all these articles about you not practicing safety and smearing your perfect reputation. I shouldn't have taken your helmets and ran off like some kid. It was extremely irresponsible and terrible. You're my superior and I should've respected what you said initially and now I can't undo what occurred—"

"—Holy _shit_, slow down, Midoriya," the blonde said loudly enough to pull full brakes on Izuku's spiraling train of thought. The words were spoken faster than he's ever gone on ground zero and he blinked hard one time as his mind ran over what was just spewed at him.

_Fuck. Is that what's been bothering him?_ He thought to himself, looking at Izuku wildly, not expecting all of that word vomit to come out of man's mouth. _This whole time he's been trying to...avoid me? Because he thought I would be mad? This goddamn idiot. _

"God. I fuckin' forgot you ramble like that when you get nervous. Trust me, it's fine." He emphasized, trying to lull the crazy irrational thoughts Izuku was clearly drowning in. "It's not your fault some lunatic tried to off me. I'm sorrier for putting you in danger like that."

Izuku shook his head like he expected and Katsuki groaned.

"But—"

"—No goddamn 'buts', _Deku_." The nickname slipped out and, like a charm, it shut the greenette up. Red eyes watched as a small flush crept up Izuku neck and he started to grin at the sight. _There we go. _"Now back on subject, when are we gonna go do something? I'm getting really fucking stressed out and I could use some down time."

"Really?" The smaller male eased his shoulders and Katsuki could see the tension start to melt away in Izuku's body as he looked at him with a face full of relief.

Katsuki hummed and decided to go the full route of teasing the other male as the blush crept higher and higher onto the freckled skin.

"Look, Deku. if you don't want to hang out then I guess I'll just go by myself somewhere—"

"NO!" Izuku said loudly. Every officer in the surround area stopped and looked at them with suspicious eyes. Izuku gave an apologetic smile. Katsuki watched amused as the greenette cleared his throat and rubbed behind his neck. "Er, I mean...we can do something. I'll think of what to do and I'll let you know right away. What day works for you?"

"How about tomorrow, nerd?" The ash blonde smirked, leaning in. Izuku's face brightened up immediately and the characteristic smile was back full force.

"That works perfectly!" The curly haired man beamed, and Katsuki had to resist smiling back. "What's your number so I can text ideas to you tonight?"

The lieutenant pulled out his phone and he could have sworn he heard Kirishima gasp in the background. But he ignored it. Goddamn hair for brains was probably getting the wrong idea, this was not a date.

It was just him...following through on the agreement they had. Right? Right.

"Here put your number in, just don't send me anything crazy or whatever past nine. That's my focus time or I'm in bed," he said softly, only for Izuku's ears. The other took his phone full of glee and Katsuki pressed his lips together to fight against the extremely hard urge to smile at how much Izuku's mood had shifted.

The greenette happily opened his contact and pressed a few numbers and letters on screen and handed the red cell phone back to the other man.

"There! I'll text you stuff tonight." The freckled man smiled overjoyed and Katsuki subconsciously returned a small, soft one back.

Red eyes looked down at the updated contact list on his phone and noticed how the detective had saved himself. He immediately frowned when he read **Izuku M.** and not**I. Midoriya **like it was systematically listed for every other person in his phone.

Katsuki grinded his teeth at the disruption in his methods.

"Dumbass, you clearly see I have everyone saved with their surnames—"

"—yeah, but I'm different," Izuku mirthfully grinned, stopping the older man in his tracks. "I like to keep things interesting."

Katsuki stared at Izuku, slightly dumbstruck and he could feel his heart skipped a beat.

The now bright green eyes were looking at him with the same playfulness as before the incident. This time, however, Katsuki could feel something stir inside his chest as the subtle dimple on Izuku's right cheek showed itself for the first time in nearly two weeks.

"Hey!" Denki's voice boomed in the space, shaking both of them out of their extended eye contact. "Get back to work you two! Enough goofing off! Can't have two slackers just chatting it up while everyone is trying to work." Small snickers erupted across the room and both men instantly blushed.

A deep groan that neared a growl ripped from Katsuki's throat as he felt himself nearly have an aneurysm. He rounded on the electric blonde quickly and threw a glare sharp as a blade directly into his friend, striking fear into everyone's core.

"What the _fuck_ did you just say to me, Kaminari?" He hissed loudly and he could hear Izuku's snicker from beside him.

Gold eyes widened and the detective put his hands up in surrender and shook his head. "N-Nothing, lieutenant! I-It must've been the wind!"

"That's what I fucking thought. Now, stop eavesdropping!" He barked out, rounding his red eyes over everyone as he blushed furiously. Immediately everyone put their heads back down, but Kirishima didn't do so without sending him a wink first. Katsuki blushed deeper and sneered.

He turned back around to Izuku who had his hands in his lap respectfully and a delicate pink flush across his freckles. The older man cleared his throat shifted awkwardly in place.

"Well...his one brain cell is right. We should get back to work. I'll talk to you later?"

Izuku nodded and Katsuki watched as something close to happiness flickered around in his green eyes.

"Yes, for sure."

. . .

Later that day, Katsuki sat in his office doing work and took a small break. He pulled out his phone beneath this desk to look at his contact list and read the name** Izuku M. **over once more.

Izuku.

_Izuku_.

Katsuki decided he liked the sound of his name.

. . .

As he got into bed that night Katsuki checked his phone screen and he saw 2 missed calls from his parents, 5 more from Takeyama. It made his heart twist in a confused manner, but the ash blonde was trying his best not to take on too much else on his plate.

Dealing with a concerned-for-fucking-what-ex-girlfriend screamed headache and right now he was trying is best to avoid burn out.

So, he didn't call anyone back.

He cleared the notification bubble off his screen and instead opened up his messages to slowly type in the letters I-Z-U-K-U and pressed send on a text message with a nervous thump in his chest.

**[You]: Did you think of something yet, nerd? I'm about to go to bed.**

**[Izuku M.]: I have a couple of ideas but I'm kinda nervous to run them by you tbh ^^;**

**[You]: Just hit me.**

**[Izuku M]: I found a bar that does salsa dancing on Thursdays, a paint n sip place, and then there's this new movie out called 'Superheros in Disguise' that I think you might like!**

**[You]: Hard hell no to the salsa dancing. **

**[Izuku M.]: lmao! I figured that would be the last thing on your list. But how do the other two sound? :)**

**[You]: You like painting, right? Let's do that paint and sip or whatever. **

**[Izuku M.]: Are you sure? Do you even like painting?**

**[You]: I'll like anything at this point that makes me forget about the media issues right now.**

**[Izuku M.]: Well, painting it is! :D **

When Katsuki plugged his phone in, he reread the messages over again before rolling over and closing his eyes.

_This is just what friends do. _

Izuku wanted friendship, he clearly stated it. It didn't matter that the greenette was attracted to him and he was to the greenette. He had Mirio to help satisfy him anyways. He thought about this with underlying distaste, but it was enough to keep him grounded on how they were just friends and there was nothing wrong with hanging out together after work.

They were just trying to be friends and friends hangout outside of work, just like he did with Sero, Denki, Mina and Kiri.

He tried his best to say that it did not feel like a date.

. . .

Bakugou Katsuki was rarely in an ecstatic mood about anything. Sure, he had happy moments and like anyone else would cheer and scream over the small things he loved in life.

For him, things that brought him sparks of joy were baseball, puzzles, rated M video games and going to bed at a good time. Things that did not bring him joy were tardiness and people touching him without permission. But gradually, Katsuki found himself silently wondering if Izuku was related to Marie Kondo. The greenette's suggestion about doing something not related to work past 5:00 pm once a week made a small spark of joy flicker in Katsuki's chest when he woke up on Thursday morning.

He woke up admittedly happy and then when he walked into work, he flashed an unapologetic good morning and smile Izuku's way, who looked caught off guard but returned it. Everyone else in the precinct paused at the clear upbeat shift in the usually stiffly-serious blonde and Kirishima looked as if he was blinded by the bright smile that was flashed in the youngest detective's direction.

Katsuki ignored any and all subtle comments that were thrown his way by the prying redhead. It wasn't anyone's business who—er..._what_ he may or may not be doing after work.

While on lunch break, the workaholic casually looked up painting techniques and googled some background on the paint and sip establishment they were going to. It was a small venue called 'Karafuruna Seikatsu' that featured a professional artist walking everyone through the steps of how to paint whatever choice picture the crowd voted on that day while the participants had the choice of drinks.

He could do something simple like this without an issue.

For the first time in four years, Bakugou Katsuki was ready to leave at exactly 5:00 pm without an issue.

. . .

When they finished walking over to the small business, Katsuki took in the appearance with awe, his ruby eyes slightly wide.

In the blonde's mind, without a single doubt, it screamed 'Izuku' to him because it was as quaint and pretty as his name. The interior was a bright white color with vibrant abstract paintings lining the walls, creating a picturesque contrast.

Small pieces of varied colored transparent glass hung by strings off the ceiling. The sun gently passed through them, creating spots of red, blue, orange and pink dancing around the small space to the soft melody that was carrying in the background.

It almost felt like he wasn't anywhere near the same Shizuoka City where he was run off the road.

He felt somewhere much further, and relaxation slowly eased the tension out of his shoulders.

Izuku walked up to the red-haired woman at the counter who was wearing her hair in a high ponytail with a purple scrunchy, paint droplets splattered all over her and the purple apron she was wearing.

"Hi, there! Are you going to join us today?" She happily perked at the pair and Izuku nodded like he was on both cloud nine and in his element.

"Yes! Two please," the greenette responded gesturing to Katsuki behind him who was studying the various paintings on the wall. The woman handed over two purple paint splattered aprons to him and he took the items from her with a small 'thank you'.

The pair of policemen took their seats in front of two white canvases while idly chatting. They talked about painting and Izuku admitted to being very happy that the lieutenant chose this option in the end. The blonde just nodded and gave a smile in spite of himself because he was happy that Izuku seemed happy.

As they got settled in, the eldest awkwardly wrestled with the apron as he put it around his body to find that it was slightly smaller than he expected. He glanced over to Izuku only to find the piece of cloth fit him perfectly.

The greenette gave him a tiny smile and that damned dimple showed itself again. Katsuki wondered why he hadn't noticed it before—

"Hello, good evening to you all!" A red-haired woman stationed in front of the room started speaking, drawing the attention of everyone sitting down. "Today we have a choice of painting a horse, a beach setting, or a beautiful romantic rose!" Everyone started murmuring amongst themselves.

"How many for horse?" Only a couple of people raised their hand and Katsuki looked off to the side at Izuku who had started pushing his bangs out of his face with a small red headband. The blonde looked confused at the other. Did he always do that when he painted?

"Okay, not that many for horse," The woman chuckled. "How about a beach scene?" Katsuki then raised his hand along with another handful of people in the room. He looked off to the side only to find Izuku looking back at him.

"No beach scene for you?" Katsuki asked in a casual manner.

"I like roses," Izuku replied softly, like it was a secret for some unknown reason. "They're one of my favorite things." Katsuki then paused and slowly lowered his hand down.

"Well...okay, if you wanna paint a rose, I'll vote for the rose too," The usual hot head said in a soft tone that surprised even himself.

The youngest shook his head and was about to object right before the woman started up again.

"Okay, how about a rose?" Katsuki shot his hand higher than before, and his time flashed a smirk down at Izuku, who laughed and raised his hand slowly as well.

The ginger woman counted the hands in the room slowly and when she finished a warm smile stretched across her face.

"Rose it is!" She giggled. The hostess headed towards an elevated stage that showcased a canvas of equal size with the same colorful paints as the ones at their tables. "Okay, let's get started. My personal favorite is red roses. They symbolize love, passion and so much more! The possibilities are endless."

The perky woman continued on and Katsuki tuned her out ever so slightly. He kept his eyes flickering back and forth between his canvas, her instruction, but most importantly the greenette next to him.

"So, you like roses a lot, huh?" He said through a wide smirk. "What do you like about them?"

"I like how there's so many different colors of them." The freckled man just laughed and shrugged his shoulders. Green eyes stayed focused on starting the painting in front of him. "There's endless symbolism with them, like she said. Red is acquainted love while blue is unrequited. White is purity, orange and yellow represent happiness while black roses, while rare in society, represent death."

Katsuki hesitated mid stroke at the list but picked back up painting, lightly brushing his bangs out of his face.

"You know that off the top of your head?"

"Yeah, it's really silly, I know," Izuku sighed with an awkward chuckle. But the blonde didn't really find it silly. "I obviously spend way too much time reading poetry."

"That's a good thing, just means you're well read. More people should be like you," he grumbled under his breath, brushing his bangs out of his face again with a frown.

"Oh, here!" Izuku piped up, reaching into his black pants pocket. "I brought this for you just in case you wanted to pin your bangs back."

The tall blonde turned to see a small lavender colored barrette being handed to him. He turned up his nose.

"No, I'm good," he instantly rejected looking at Izuku like he was crazy—which he was starting to think the man was at this point.

"Aw, c'mon. It's just a barrette, I have a whole headband on!" Izuku pressed, pushing the pin further into the grumpy man's face. The tallest of the two swatted the offensive object away, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, but it's different," _you look cute in it._ His brain finished the sentence automatically.

"You're just gonna keep brushing your bangs outta your face and eventually get annoyed," Izuku hummed in a taunting tone. "C'mon—sit still for like five seconds."

"What? No, get off me—" Katsuki hissed but before he could push the other man off, Izuku had skillfully worked slash forced the tiny clip into his hair on top of his head.

"There!" The curly haired man beamed, leaning back. "All good!" He admired his handy work and clasped his hands together happily. Katsuki huffed and frowned so deeply that any onlooker would've sworn they saw a new wrinkle form on his forehead.

"I feel fucking ridiculous."

"No, you look comfy and relaxed. You almost look cute."

"The fuck did you just call me?!" Katsuki spluttered, completely unprepared for the compliment. He leaned back from Izuku and tried his best to focus his attention on the canvas in front of him, but he couldn't.

"I called you cute, Bakugou. Or should I say, _Kacchan_?" The end of his sentence raised upwards with the edge of his lips. Green eyes were lit with mischief and the youngest leaned in all the way causing the blushing blonde to lean away in surprise.

If Katsuki was unprepared before, he was now completely ambushed. His red eyes stared at Izuku in disbelief as he replayed the all too cutesy nickname in his head.

Fucking _Kacchan_? Where did the nerd get off thinking like that? And leaning into his space on top of it?

After about five seconds the blonde rebounded, turning away from the green curls crowding his vision.

"...don't you ever call me that shit again a day in your goddamn life, Midoriya," he mumbled out, but the words felt very halfhearted.

"Sure, whatever you say, Kacchan," Izuku leaned back and focused back on his own painting, the smile he had never left his face. "Maybe I should save you in my phone as 'Lieutenant Kacchan'?"

"As opposed to _what_?" Katsuki whipped his head around and was met with a dark green eyebrow quirked in his direction. His heart automatically twisted at the flirtatious nature and he felt himself backtrack as sirens went off in his head.

"Actually—don't answer that. You're pushing it. You're _really_ fucking pushing it, Deku."

The eldest refocused his vision on the poorly painted blob of a rose that he was trying his best to create when laughter as light as air echoed into the room.

Laughter that he now found could only really be made by Izuku.

His heart constricted unwillingly.

. . .

After another two hours the session wrapped up and Katsuki distastefully frowned at his poorly painted rose. The different shades of red were all over the place making it feel like more of an abstract painting in comparison to Izuku's.

Izuku's painting looked like it should be auctioned off immediately and hung up in the nearest museum. Mid-point in the session, the painter had started to take liberties with the rose on his canvas. Katsuki admired how stylized Izuku's painting style was. He moved his paint brush with purpose and chose his colors quickly yet carefully.

The greenette ended up painting a perfect rose with the background colors of black, orange, and purple swirling in the back. He lightly painted the tip of the petals with a sparkling gold and it made Izuku's rose stand out from everyone else's.

Much like how Izuku himself stood out from everyone.

When everyone was done, Katsuki lightly whistled as he took off his apron. "Wow, that's really good. Mine looks like shit," he said while glancing between their paintings. Izuku scratched behind his head and just shrugged his shoulders.

"It looks really well done, honestly! I'm impressed." The greenette tried to lighten the other's spirits but Katsuki could tell he was just being nice, like he always was.

"You don't have to say that just to make me feel better."

"I swear I'm not! It really is!" Izuku praised. "You took to painting like a fish to water. It was impressive!" The greenette moved to look closer at the painting Katsuki did and the blonde did the same. He watched how green eyes looked at his piece closely, and he actually did look impressed.

Green eyes flickered nervously back and forth between the tall blonde and the two paintings while fiddling with his fingers. The workaholic raised an eyebrow when it seemed like Izuku was teetering on saying something.

"So…" Izuku started. He looked nervous and cleared his throat. "I was thinking of having a housewarming party thingy tomorrow since my apartment isn't just a storage unit anymore."

At this Katsuki perked up. "Ah? Who would you invite?" He mainly wondered if a certain half red half white haired policeman was on the list.

"W-Well, I was hoping you and everyone at the U.A day shift would come," The greenette said nervously, rubbing his neck and looking away. "It would be really fun and nice to finally try to be friends with everyone outside of a work setting like what we're doing."

The mention of the word 'friends' made Katsuki nod. Right, this was...what friends did. They went alone together to painting places and talked casually.

"Yeah. Like we're doing," he reaffirmed, trying to get it in his head that this interaction was okay as he thought about Mirio's warning. "Well, sounds like a good plan to me, nerd. Just tell Kirishima tomorrow and his big ass mouth will for sure make sure everyone shows up at your party."

Green eyes lit up like he had somehow won a prize and the young detective stepped forward excitedly.

"So, you'll come? For sure?" A large smile spread across freckled cheeks and the small dimple in Izuku's face showed, making Katsuki's heart skip a beat—_again_.

"Yeah of course, dork." the lieutenant smirked. "Especially if you're going to make more namagashi."

"Oh! Yeah, for sure! I will make sure to do that." Izuku laughed heartily.

"Perfect," Katsuki whispered more to himself than Izuku.

As they were packing up to leave, they gathered their paintings and Katsuki looked down at the acrylic painting of the poorly painted rose in his hands and the gorgeous one in Izuku's.

He felt himself smile softly listening to Izuku talk about his favorite painters on the way out.

. . .

When it finally came time to part paths, Katsuki said goodbye casually but Izuku's hand on his arm stopped him. He glanced back at the shorter male confused, wondering if he had forgotten something but Izuku just smiled at him in the sweetest way, like he always did.

"Here, you take my painting and I take yours!" The greenette insisted.

"W-What, why?" The blonde asked confused, but the other already started swapping the canvases in their hands.

"Because I want a Bakugou Katsuki original," Izuku chuckled. "Okay, now you can head home. Have a good night, lieutenant. I'll see you tomorrow!" and with that he was off quicker than Katsuki could blink.

He stared after the other wondering why in the hell Izuku, an obviously skilled painter, would want one of his shitty paintings?

But as he looked down at the picture of the rose in his hand, his heart twisted in a happy manner. He had a Midoriya Izuku original and his mind already envisioned where he could hang it up in his apartment.

When he got home and put the rose in his dining room, he couldn't help but feel like the usually cold apartment felt a lot less lonely.

. . .

After the painting session, Katsuki was a lot more relaxed going into work Friday. He had woken up and looked at the new addition to his beige walls with a lightness he hadn't felt in a long time.

It made him smile.

He got to work, and he was immediately greeted by an overly happy Izuku. He was taken back ever so slightly from the drastic shift, not really understanding it. But he was glad that the dark cloud hovering over Izuku had finally been lifted.

He headed into the break room to get his morning coffee and a grinning Kirishima walked up behind him.

"So, what did you say to him to get him so happy?" The best friend laughed, patting his shoulder hard and Katsuki just shook his head but smiled nonetheless.

"Good morning to you too, shitty hair," the blonde mumbled and took a sip of his coffee with his eyebrow quirked. "And I didn't say shit to him."

"Oh, don't give me that. He literally kept glancing at the door all morning until you walked in." The tall redhead smirked, lightly punching his shoulder. "You can be honest with me, man."

Kirishima lightly nudged his shoulder with his over and over again in a teasing manner and Katsuki's grin spread out wider, and Kirishima felt happiness explode in his chest for the usually stoic blonde.

"I think we're friends now. Or something fuckin' like that," Katsuki muttered into his coffee mug, thinking about watching Izuku paint, the Kacchan nickname and then finally the new addition in his home.

He could feel himself start to blush for reasons he hated in spite of himself and turned away quickly to head into his office.

Kirishima's wide red eyes looked at him surprised and the sergeant quickly paced behind him.

"Friends? Please, I need details! I thought you said on your 25th birthday party that all your 'friend slots' were filled?" He snickered out, and the ash blonde shrugged his shoulders as he opened his office door up.

"Well, we went painting yes...ter...day?" The lieutenant trailed off when he set sights on the figure of one of the very last people he wanted to see standing in his office.

His heart went from fluttering in his chest to dropping down into his stomach like he was on a rollercoaster. He instantly felt sick.

Fuck.

_FUCK_.

Tediously, like a bad nightmare, the woman with long, blonde hair turned around.

Furious red eyes met irritated red ones for the first time in four years. Both looked immediately annoyed by the other's presence and Katsuki's first thought was, who the fuck let her in and when?

"Takeyama, what the _hell_ are you doing here?!" Katsuki hissed, and Kirishima felt his stomach turn at the tension that clashed in the room.

The awkward redhead looked between the two ex-lovers wearily and glanced over his shoulder to Izuku, who had his headphones in his desk, happily in work mode.

"Why haven't you been answering your phone, Katsuki!? Hah!?" The tall blonde woman stepped towards him furiously and the tall lieutenant grinded his teeth, visibly for all bodies in his office to see. Her purple skirt swayed ever so slightly with her silky hair and something unfortunate twisted inside of Katsuki's chest.

"We've been worried sick about you! All these damn articles and that goddamn video?" She continued on and one word stood out in the worst possible way to the ambushed blonde.

"We? What the hell do you mean _we_?"

"...your mother," Takeyama sighed and Kirishima decided this conversation was one he should not be listening in on. The redhead took a large step backwards and mumbled something about leaving it to Katsuki and the ash blonde waved him goodbye dismissively.

"She contacted me worried when she couldn't get a hold of you," she continued on and Katsuki felt the final punch in his gut. "Seriously? Are you that nose deep in your work that you can't even come up for air when people are concerned for you?"

His heart started to race faster and suddenly all the work Izuku had done to unwind him built back up unknowingly. Yes, he had been willfully ignoring certain people's calls but after the near-break down he had two weeks ago he needed the mental space.

He gave her an apologetic look that wasn't returned.

"There's just been a lot on my plate—" he tried but was cut off with a loud 'tsk'.

"Oh, that's such bullshit, Katsuki, and you know it—"

"Excuse me?" A meek voice piped up from behind Katsuki. Both blondes whirled around, too caught up in their emotions to notice all the noise they were making. Jade eyes shifted between them worried. "Am I interrupting something?"

Katsuki laid eyes on Izuku and an itch of wrongness clawed at his throat.

Large, innocent eyes were looking at him and for once he wished they looked away. Izuku slowly took out his white earbuds, holding them in his hand completely confused. When the lieutenant's eyes followed the motion, he saw a saran wrapped pink plate of sugary treats in Izuku's other hand.

Katsuki's heart sank further when this whole situation felt off.

He opened his mouth to speak, feeling strangely like he got caught red-handed with something, but his ex-girlfriend beat him to the punch.

"No, it's fine. I'm just doing a health and wellness check on this idiot." Takeyama sneered in a forced friendly voice and the tall man glared down at her. She ignored him and stepped forward, extending her hand. "You're that nice cop that let me inside this morning. What's your name again?"

There was nothing but friendliness written across her face and confusion across Izuku's.

"Uh, Midoriya Izuku," the greenette spoke cautiously, taking the hand. He smiled when he got a welcoming expression from Takeyama.

"So lovely to meet you. I'm Takeyama Yu."

And just like that, Izuku's smile dropped.

"Takeyama…?" The normally tenor preppy voice was now hushed, and green eyes cut their way at Katsuki, who didn't know what the fuck to do next.

This didn't feel right. Not a single fucking bit.

Oblivious to the growing tension, the blonde woman continued happily. "Yes. It's my surname, most people just call me by it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to finish talking some sense into this dense blonde because it seems like no one else can. Speaking of which, here," she said in a scolding tone.

Takeyama turned in her red heels and headed to Katsuki's desk to grab a small plastic container he hadn't noticed before.

"I brought you your favorite because I just _know_ you're not taking care of yourself," she spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. She thrusted the container in Katsuki's hands and when ruby eyes glanced down, he could see pastel colored namagashi neatly stacked inside.

He wearily looked at the small plate in Izuku's hand and saw the freckled man slowly shift it uneasily.

"Right. Sorry for interrupting," Izuku said in a clipped tone. Bright green eyes locked with his and instantly dropped to something distant. That fake smile was right back on his face and the blonde-haired male reached out to the other in a hesitant manner.

"Izuku—" he started but the other bowed and left quicker than he could speak.

_Fuck_.

Katsuki's hands tightened around the plastic container in his hands, his anxious state slowly transitioning into anger and irritation.

This wasn't supposed to be happening. He has just gotten Izuku back to fucking normal and now he can clearly see the tension in his shoulders again—

"Izuku?" Takeyama cut through his thoughts, bringing his attention back to her. "Do you call your coworkers by their first names now? But...I guess they're basically your family at this point," she bitterly laughed ever so slightly, and the workaholic's jaw worked back and forth.

He took a deep breath in and closed his eyes, trying to push down the rising anger bubbling inside of him.

"...Takeyama. Can you please see yourself out?" He spoke in an even tone. "I really don't have time or energy for this right now." He reopened his eyes just to get an eye roll from the other.

"...I know you don't. You never have time for anyone besides this," she said in a disheartened manner while gesturing at all the awards pinned to his white walls. Katsuki glanced around at everything in his office and then back to her, and suddenly he didn't feel twenty-seven anymore. He felt four years younger, but not in a good way.

It felt weird to see a victim of his thick headedness and the source of the pain that he's been trying to ignore for years standing in front of him—just as disappointed as the day she stormed out of his life.

"I came because your mom is worried, Katsuki. I know personally that you're fine. You don't need anyone worried about you. I dated you for four years, I know you don't get stressed out easily. Bet you probably just walked it off after that man tried to shoot you."

His shoulders stiffened with each statement she spoke because all he could think was:false_._ Everything she said was what he wanted to be true yet hearing it out loud from another person...it made him sink further into himself.

His emotional walls started to slowly build back up.

"Yup...I'm fine," he lied through his teeth. A vision of Izuku wiping his tears and blood off his cheek flashed in his mind. "Completely fucking _perfect_."

"Yeah, I know," she whispered under her breath and took a careful step towards him. Something close to caring reflected in her red eyes and it confused Katsuki's already baffled heart.

"It just worried everyone in Tokyo when the video went viral. That's all. You should come back home for the holidays or something in the future. Your parents miss you."

Katsuki shook his head. His parents were a goddamn mess and he knew damn well they didn't miss him. They gladly encouraged him to leave Tokyo, and not in a good way, when they found out he wanted to move after college.

"You of all people should understand one of the main reasons I moved here was because of them," he said, bitterness thick on his tongue.

"Yes, I get that your relationship with them is complex. Which is why I'm telling you one holiday visit wouldn't hurt anyone."

He looked down at the plate of sugary treats in his hand and then back at her. He wanted to glance over his shoulder through the window behind him to see if Izuku was there but stopped himself, feeling strangely too guilty to do so.

"Fine, whatever. I'll consider it," he reluctantly said, wanting nothing more than for this to be over. "Can you please leave?"

"Sure, no worries, Katsuki. It's nice to see you by the way," she mumbled the last part and started for the door. Katsuki automatically followed behind her out of installed politeness. "Glad to see you're still the same."

They passed by Izuku's desk and the detective glanced at him with a blank look. He gave back an apologetic expression not entirely knowing what the fuck he had to be sorry for but still gave one because he felt like he should.

"...actually," Takeyama started while stopping short near Izuku's desk. Katsuki felt the flare guns once again light up in his head. "I'm in Shizuoka for another week or so. Visiting some friends while I'm in town. Would you...would you want to do dinner next week?"

"Um…" The blonde male gazed at her in confusion, but instead he just got a look of concern, want, and softness from her.

His heart twisted.

That was the same look she used to give him all the time. The silent lieutenant glanced around to everyone working on the floor, and the only person looking on the scene was Mina. She shot him a deep look of sympathy.

He quickly glanced his eyes over to Izuku who now had his head down typing and his lips pressed in a hard, thin line. When he stared back at the woman ahead of him, he saw a flash of their past play like a slow movie in his head.

His savior complex twitched and the soft word "sure" escaped past his lips in an unsure manner.

"Perfect. I'll call you, okay? Please, answer this time!" She called out as she continued to walk out the door. Katsuki started to follow her but a look from Mina that was thrown in Izuku's direction made him pause.

He turned around to look at the smaller man who had an unreadable expression written across his face and it made Katsuki frown. He stood there for a moment unsure of what in the hell to say.

Surely Izuku didn't remember the Takeyama he gave to him that night, right? But his stomach knotted thinking that the likelihood was high.

Izuku was a detective, meaning he had a sharp memory and he had already confessed to the conversation sticking with him. A flicker of something inside of Katsuki's chest told him to attempt to remedy the obvious awkward moment.

"So, is everything still good to go for your housewarming tonight?" He asked slowly and the greenette just nodded his head without looking at him.

"Yep," Izuku said in a tight tone and it made Katsuki internally frown.

He looked at the plate of sugar treats sitting off to the side of Izuku's desk and shifted on his heels. When he didn't move the freckled man glanced up at him expectantly.

"Were you going to give me those?" He asked with a half-smile on his face and Izuku gave him that fucking fake ass smile again.

"It's okay, you already have some," the greenette said in a hushed voice that sounded too familiar to disappointment and Katsuki felt his heart twist in the worst way.

"...Well okay. I'll see you tonight," he said emptily. He turned and walked back into his office. The male closed the door and the blinds to try and isolate himself from the people outside when his heart didn't stop hammering against his chest.

_What the fuck just happened? _He thought to himself, trying hopelessly to analyze the storm Takeyama had—_yet again_—caused at an inappropriate time in his life.

Later that day, Katsuki couldn't help but feel like he was walking out of U.A with the wrong batch of namagashi.

. . .

The rest of the shift after the fucked-up morning went by quickly.

Izuku seemed to rebound from whatever happy pedestal he had been knocked off of, but he didn't seem to climb all the way back up onto it. He told Kirishima about the house warming party happening in the evening at 8:00 pm, and immediately everyone seemed to perk up.

They all asked Izuku about bringing some board games and drinks. The greenette glowed brightly with the prospect with new friendship. It made Katsuki feel happy that Izuku was finally settling down in Shizuoka City properly, but he couldn't help but feel off about the morning interaction when he placed Takeyama's namagashi in the fridge.

He went home and changed into his go to casual clothes which consisted of his favorite black t-shirt that fit his body well with a grey outline of skull and bones on it along with hip hugging dark jeans and black sneakers.

The ash blonde hesitantly stopped by a convenience store and bought a bottle of wine with a small green ribbon tied around the top as a housewarming gift, looking at it unsure.

The workaholic wondered if this a good way to say, "I'm sorry my fucking chaotic ex-girlfriend ambushed me and I didn't know what to do so I ended up taking her dish but I really wanted yours and I'm sorry you went out of your way to make it for nothing?"

He sure fucking hoped it was.

The nervous workaholic took a deep breath as he stood outside of Izuku's apartment at 9:37 pm, deciding to come late to avoid any more awkwardness. The tall blonde could hear the laughter of everyone and pop music vibrating from inside. He rang the doorbell and a light chime echoed.

"Coming!" He could hear Izuku's voice call out from on the other side of the wooden door. Red eyes nervously stared at the number '1106' in gold letters and wringed his hands around the wine bottle in his grasp.

Why the fuck was he so nervous? Katsuki frowned thinking about it, not fully understanding where all these confusing emotions were stemming from.

The door opened and there stood Izuku, face slightly flushed with a glass of wine in his hand. His hair was combed to the left, thick curls parted perfectly. The greenette was wearing a long-sleeved maroon button up, tight ass black skinny jeans and the motherfucker had a small gold hoop in his left ear.

Katsuki didn't know if it was possible to feel your eyes dilate but he would swear his did in that moment.

Izuku greeted him with a smile and stepped aside so he could come inside. "Thank you so much for coming," he said in a softer tone than usual. Katsuki tried his best to ignore how obviously attractive Izuku looked as he slipped off his shoes.

"No need to thank me for coming to drink your alcohol," Katsuki tried to joke but Izuku only half cracked a laugh. The greenette locked the door and a loud roar of booing and clapping could be heard from the dining room area.

"In your faces fuckers!" Denki's loud voice called out. "Another round to me! Oh yeah! Kiri, you officially gotta call me uno-daddy."

"Gotta object really hard on that one, Pikachu." Kirishima's deep voice called and another wave of laughter echoed out. "Not a single person here is gonna call you daddy."

"We're just, uh, playing uno with shots. It was Mina's idea," Izuku gave him a tight smile. Green eyes flickered down to the bottle being gripped way too tightly in his hands. "Is that for me?"

"Uh, yeah. Happy moving in officially," Katsuki mumbled, still feeling the slight awkwardness. Izuku took the bottle from his hands and his warm fingers grazed against his skin in the tiniest fashion, but it lingered softly.

The pair walked into the dining room area and were instantly greeted by everyone. Kirishima waved and smiled at him, grinning wide like a shark.

"There's grumpy pants! I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up!" The best friend teased, and Mina craned her neck to look at him.

"We took bets on what was going to win out: coming to this or staying at the station," she smirked at him knowingly. "Denki now owes me _so_ much money." She then cut her eyes at the electric blonde with a greedy grin.

Denki groaned and threw his hands up in the air, learning a laugh from Todoroki sitting next to him.

"Aw, Bakugou! Dude, the one time I was counting on you to be a workaholic like always," the detective groaned and Katsuki just chuckled with a smug look on his face.

"Shouldn't place bets on me, Denki. You should know better by now."

"Yeah, plus, Mina always knows best. If she says that Bakugou was gonna show—he's gonna show." Ochaco spoke up. Momo and Iida agreed with her. "She has like, mind magic or something."

Everyone at the table playing uno started up laughter again going on about Mina and her 'mind magic'.

"Everyone is about three shots in, you gotta catch up!" The redhead called out as Katsuki followed Izuku in the kitchen. The ash blonde waved his hand dismissively not really caring to take a triple shot right away.

When they were far away from the noise, Izuku placed the green wine glass on the counter next to the other bottles of juice and hard liquor, making the lieutenant nod.

_Yup_. This reeked of U.A precinct after hour activities that he usually avoided with all his might. But this was for Izuku and making him feel welcomed. So, he supposed he would go along with it, for one night.

The greenette inspected the bottle, seeming both impressed and surprised before turning to him.

"You got my favorite; how did you know?" Izuku asked him and Katsuki leaned against the counter.

"You seem like a pinot noir type of person," he answered in a nonchalant way. Truthfully, he had made a small mental note in his head of the wine Izuku was casually sipping on when they went to the paint and sip.

"Hm. Observant as always, lieutenant."

"Only sometimes," Katsuki replied back keeping his eyes locked onto Izuku's figure as he shuffled around the wine bottles.

He hadn't let his eyes drop below Izuku's waist line in so long because of obvious reasons, but _fuck_. Looking at him in those jeans made it hard to look away and his thoughts unwillingly wandered into dangerous territory.

When his mind started to think about what it would be like to squeeze Izuku's firm thighs, the blonde realized how long it had actually been since he had sex. He also realized it had been an extremely long time since he was this fucking stressed out too.

Which helped absolutely _nothing_.

He slept with people every blue moon when he was on the edge of screaming out loud and currently, he was getting really fucking close to doing just that. Now, with the whole Takeyama and potential parental ordeal, the strain in his chest was begging for an outlet.

His mind wandered even more as Izuku shuffled around the kitchen for something. All he could see was his teeth sinking into those thighs that could crush him—

"I was right, y'know," Izuku's even toned voice pulled his mind out of the gutter by his neck. "About Takeyama being pretty, based off her name."

Katsuki clicked his tongue. So, he _did_ remember.

"Careful, it almost sounds like you care," he replied back sarcastically, mimicking what Izuku had said to him about Mirio. The Izuku whipped his head at him and the blonde shrugged his shoulders. _Checkmate_.

The greenette opened and closed his mouth, then popped off the cork for the pinot noir. The workaholic waited for a response back but got none, just a mildly fuming Izuku...which confused him even more.

Why did it seem like Izuku cared?

The freckled man poured out a new glass of wine and refilled the one in his hand. He turned to Katsuki, making sure not to meet his gaze as he offered him the glass of red white in his hand. The lieutenant took it without hesitation and took a long sip of it.

Green eyes glanced up at him, and Katsuki could have sworn he caught the flicker of jealousy in his eyes. With just that ounce of hesitant emotion, everything started to make sense to Katsuki.

"...I think I hear Mina calling my name." And with that, Izuku left. As crimson eyes watched the man walk out of the kitchen, he cursed to himself as he replayed the interactions from today and yesterday over again in his head.

Fuck.

Izuku _did_ care.

Katsuki downed the whole glass of wine and poured himself another.

. . .

As the night went Izuku's behavior was now bluntly obvious to the blonde. The damn man wasn't just annoyed over his plate of food not being taken; he was annoyed that Takeyama had asked him out for dinner.

Or maybe Katsuki was getting ahead of himself.

It would be weird to assume your coworker had a crush on you and was jealous of the fact you we were talking to your ex-girlfriend. Did he even like Izuku like that? Like actually _like_ him? Katsuki reasoned that Izuku was likable as a person. He was sweet and all that shit, it would be hard not to like him.

But he was his coworker and trainee. The very same trainee who's breathing turned shallow every time they spared, and who did try to actively get into his pants once upon a time. The same sex on legs freckled man who wanted to get roughly fucked against a wall until he was screaming in pleasure—

_No. Bakugou, no._ Katsuki reprimanded his thoughts, _yet again_, when they dived too deep into dangerous depths. Depths he couldn't afford to think about, especially about Izuku.

However, he was finding it harder to keep his thoughts afloat in the safe 'we're just friends' zone he had created the more alcohol he drank.

And as the night progressed, he needed more alcohol.

He had been more wound up than he thought from the near-death experience and right now the only thing stopping him from just blatantly staring at Izuku's perfect ass in those goddamn too tight pants was the wine glass in his hand that kept magically getting refilled.

In reality, it wasn't magic, it was Mina and Denki.

When his face felt too warm, he put his hand over his cup and glared at the grinning pinkette. He glanced at the clock and saw that it read close to 10:30 pm at night.

_I should be in bed. _His eyes wandered back over to Izuku, whose face was nearly pink in color from drinking and laughing with everyone.

He heard Mirio's deep voice in the back of his head when he stared too long and too hard.

"_Don't be reckless."_

He groaned loudly.

"Everything okay man?" Sero asked from beside him and Katsuki waved his hand around like he was swatting a fly, clearly inebriated.

"Peachy fuckin' keen," he slurred slightly, and everyone laughed.

Ochaco made a couple of comments about never seeing Katsuki smile and laugh this frequently as they continued to play board games.

Soon enough, the gang made plans to go out to a local club and half the people mumbled not too sure about the idea. This was the clear split between introverts and extroverts in the group. Ochaco, Iida, Momo and Todoroki all seemed to pass on wanting to go out and politely thanked Izuku for inviting them over.

They left out saying goodbye but not before Todoroki stared at Izuku's profile with investigative eyes.

This made a twinge of worry sink into Katsuki's skin when he realized that was still a thing. A weird thing. It made his head hurt too much and he was way too fucking tipsy for weird Todoroki things, so he turned around to take a look around the newly decorated apartment.

He walked around loosely, mainly paying attention to the wall that featured paintings he recognized from the first time he came over. All except the self-portrait with the three flames and it made him frown slightly. He liked that one, and he wished he could analyze it more.

The tall blonde shuffled around until he landed in the kitchen and leaned against the cold surface of the counter top. The door closed, indicating their party had been cut in two. He looked up at that moment to the blank wall next to the fridge and noticed a small painting hanging up that he hadn't seen before.

It was a small red and blue rose intertwined with each other.

"I think I'm gonna go get some water first! I'll meet you guys at the door in a few!" Izuku called out and the patter of steps could be heard. Izuku came rushing into the kitchenette area and paused ever so slightly when red eyes locked onto him.

"This one's new," Katsuki said, the words slipping past his lips before he could stop then. "I like it." He gave a soft smirk to the other male as he looked closer at the painting in more thought. What did Izuku say blue roses represented again?

"Thanks, I did it last week," the freckled man smiled as he poured himself water from the sink.

Katsuki hummed as he shot Izuku a look out of the corner of his eye. "Your signature is still shit. Gonna just start referring to you as Deku from now on." The flushed face greenette glared at him with a heated look that shot straight down into Katsuki's stomach.

"It's not my fault you're choosing to read it wrong," Izuku said while still sinking his gaze into him. Katsuki decided the greenette's glaring shouldn't be as attractive as it was, but he could feel his face start to grin wider.

"Or maybe it is, dork," he teased right back. "Sloppy ass penmanship."

The detective huffed and turned away from him and like clockwork, Katsuki eyes automatically dipped dangerously low to stare at the curved section of Izuku. He felt himself blink, but it was lagged from the amount of shots Kirishima had insisted he take.

"You're such an ass sometimes," the shorter male quipped and started drinking the water in his hand.

Katsuki stared harder at the muscular backside and tilted his head to get a better look.

"I guess you are what you eat, huh?"

The words slipped out and Izuku choked, spitting out his water.

"Is everything okay in here?" Mina called out when the loud sound of Izuku coughing could be heard. The greenette whipped his head around the blonde in disbelief and pounded a fist against his chest.

"Y-Y-Yeah!" Izuku tried with a strained voice several octaves higher than his normal one, his face completely red. "It's totally fine!"

Katsuki smirked more. Part of the workaholic thinks he decided he liked teasing the greenette, but the other half of him feels like the tequila did.

"Are you sure? You're coughing and really red. Do you need some help?" The golden eyed woman asked, rounding the corner in the kitchen area. She glanced between the wolfishly grinning Katsuki and the spluttering greenette who was avidly waving his hand dismissively.

"N-No. I'm good! Uh, my...my drink was just a lot hotter than I expected it to be."

"...Izuku. You're drinking tap water." Mina said flatly. This time she looked at Katsuki suspiciously.

"R-Really?" Izuku stuttered, clearing his throat. Green eyes looked down at his hand before plastering a goofy grin on his face. "W-Well—Would you look at that. Mina is right yet again."

"Okay…weird," Mina said in a cautious tone, her eyes studied them both. "Well, we're about to put on our shoes and head out if you two can stop whatever it is you got going on in here and hurry up."

Izuku nodded furiously and Katsuki finally leaned off the garnet countertop to his full height and towering over the blushing faced Izuku.

"Coming!" The freckled man called, and immediately green eyes met red. Katsuki's grin spread wider. "L-Like to the door—I'm coming to meet people at the door in my own apartment—"

Mina's eyes widened and she threw her hands up and turned around.

Loud laughter erupted from Katsuki, stunning everyone in the house as they walked to the front door.

The usually stressed out man admitted to him that it had been a long time since he felt this carefree. Thoughts of his parents, Takeyama and his almost-killer were in the far back of his mind and it felt _good_.

He looked at the bouncing green curls and started to recognize the pattern in his moments of relaxation.

. . .

"A round for Izuku! Welcome to the force!" Kirishima yelled out, over the loud crowd in the club. "We should have done this a long time ago." The loud music of the local club they dipped into was playing loudly in the background, making everyone raise their voices. Bodies of all shapes and sizes were pressed together, making it warm while the dim lights shifted between red, purple, and blue.

"Yeah! To Izuku!" Denki called out, passing out the clear shots with slices of lime to everyone. A small toast was done and Katsuki admired how easily Izuku blended in with his friend group. It almost felt odd, but strangely perfect.

They all threw their heads back, swallowing down the drinks. The liquid burned lightly on the way down and Katsuki scrunched his face up automatically.

"Aw, grumpy still isn't used to the taste of alcohol," Mina giggled, playfully punching him in the shoulder. She was the clear heavy weight of the group. The pinkette turned to Izuku and poked his cheek playfully while pointing at the tall blonde. "I have a theory that he's an extreme lightweight because he never comes out with us."

"Oh?" Izuku laughed and looked his direction. "Thanks for coming out then! You didn't have to."

"Just for you, nerd," The eldest replied. "It's a special occasion only type of thing." Red eyes drooped ever so slightly while smiling at the person in front of him, unknowingly. Izuku smiled back through a flushed face.

Kirishima and Mina exchanged glances while smirking into colorful drinks.

The night continued on and the group found themselves on the packed dance floor. The music started to blend together for the workaholic. It was a string of songs he's never heard but assumed were popular because everyone sang along loudly, including Izuku.

The greenette was dancing, facing Mina while Kirishima and Katsuki danced behind them. The redhead tried his best to get his friend up to date on new dances but they both just started laughing every time Katsuki would look confused and a new, warm body would press against him.

They slowly started to form a circle as more bodies piled in and eventually Katsuki found himself face to face with a smiling Izuku who was holding a colorful drink. The greenette's eyes were closed, with one hand in his own hair swaying his body sensually to the music. His luscious green curls bounced underneath the purple and blue lights and the small gold hoop earring caught the lighting just right.

Katsuki felt mesmerized.

His heart pulled and twisted inside his chest just like it had been doing around Izuku for weeks now. The feeling was new, but not completely foreign. It felt old and like he had felt it before.

The song switched to the one he heard when he first laid eyes on Izuku and, like puzzle pieces shifting into place, Katsuki finally pinned down the feeling when sparkling green eyes opened to look up happily at him.

_Fuck_.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Izuku leaned up on his toes to say into his ear. The warm breath fell against his ear and neck, tickling gently against his skin.

His heart skipped a beat and the blonde found himself lost in the large doe like eyes of the man in front of him. The music got ever so slightly louder as Katsuki studied the pink flush that was spread so beautifully across Izuku's skin.

"Yeah," he replied back with a sincere smile, trying his best to keep up with the beat. When Izuku grinned at him, the lieutenant felt his heart hooked, lined, and sunken. Izuku was so beautiful and the filter on his thoughts steadily dissolved underneath the copious amount of liquor in his system.

"It...It's been a long time since I felt like this," he said truthfully, feeling a flicker in his chest.

"I can tell!" the greenette said, his voice louder than the music. "You're finally loosening up and it's so great to see. Glad to see you're relaxing!" The workaholic was given a small pat on the shoulder and something inside of him panged with mild disappointed.

"Right. Relaxing. That's definitely what I was talking about," he said more to himself than to Izuku. The longer he looked at the dancing man in front of him he felt Mirio's warning more and more.

But the more time passed, the more he found that he didn't give a damn.

He didn't know if it was the alcohol or the fact that he really didn't give a fuck anymore but staring at Izuku blending perfectly in with his friends, made Katsuki want to be close to him.

Mid-point during the night, they got separated from the rest of the group (but he could've sworn he heard Mina say something about 'give them some alone time') so they kept dancing and talking between themselves.

Katsuki felt like he was on cloud nine as he listened to Izuku's slurred ramblings. Then unexpectedly, a body from behind Izuku toppled him over and Katsuki grappled him quickly within his arms.

_Fucking rude ass people everywhere. _The blonde sneered. He was reminded exactly why he didn't like coming out, reasons like this. He watched as the broad-shouldered male walked away without saying anything as he shifted Izuku in an upright position, with his warms hooked around Izuku's torso.

"I got you, don't worry," he reassured into Izuku's curls when the greenette swayed a bit. The smell of the flowery cologne filled his senses and Katsuki held on slightly tighter, pulling Izuku's back against his chest.

Izuku rolled his head back with his eyes closed, revealing a content looking smile. Katsuki watched as he reached up and behind him to softly caress his cheek, pushing back ever so slightly into him.

A spark of warmth rolled over Katsuki's body.

"I like this," The detective whispered, reaching his other hand to land on Katsuki's that was wrapped around his waist. "Hold me tighter," the soft voice whispered and the man with very weak resolve nearly crumbled.

"What?" He asked, just to be sure he heard correctly.

"I like being held. Please?" The green haired man begged again. Warning flags went up all around the blonde's head. This was a bad idea. He shouldn't be holding any damn body but—he heard Izuku hum to the music again.

Katsuki could feel his better judgement lag behind his brain function and alcohol. But something deep inside of him just wanted to make Izuku feel good.

Fully leaning into the smaller body, all the foresight Katsuki had couldn't catch up with his actions. "...like this?" The lieutenant whispered into green curls as he squeezed the waist his arms were wrapped around, creating thick tension.

"Y-Yeah just like that," Izuku's breath hitched and the sound immediately went straight to Katsuki's groin.

He knew he should let go, get Izuku off of him, but the next song was apparently one even tipsy Izuku knew and the smaller man rolled his hips against his own growing hardness.

Katsuki bit his lip to stifle a moan. Fuck, what was he doing—he should stop...but he felt so fucking _good_.

Gradually as the music played on, he didn't know how or when, but his hands gripped onto Izuku's angular hips. His calloused fingers twirling into the younger male's belt loops, following the circular movements of the firm backside against his newly formed hard-on.

Izuku pushed back against him, rolling his hips like a goddamn sex god to the song. The tension of the full ass pressed so perfectly against him sent waves of familiar ecstasy up and down his body. The touch starved blonde let out a low curse when Izuku flat out started grinding back against him to the beat of the music.

The smaller male made a groan deep in the back of his throat when the larger body pressed behind him started to sway his hips in sync with him. Katsuki lifted one hand on to Izuku's stomach, relishing in the movement of the defined abs underneath Izuku's shirt. He could feel the shift in breathing pattern as their grinding started to get harder and Izuku reached up and behind him to start lightly playing with soft blonde hair.

"You move your hips really fucking well," Katsuki complimented, unknowingly smirking.

"You have no idea," was the soft-spoken reply, heavy with loaded implications. Katsuki's mind started to fill in the blanks for him as their bodies moved slower in synchronization to the low part of the rhythm.

"I have a pretty good imagination. Got a couple of ideas right now."

Izuku laughed, leaning back more and brushing soft fingertips through the other's hair. "Yeah, but I think I have a better imagination than you. Our ideas might be _very_ different." A shaky sigh escaped past his lips as he said this, and something coiled tightly within the blonde.

"You're breathing really shallow," Katsuki whispered, lightly tracing the defined v-cut underneath the white shirt. "Are you turned on?"

Izuku hesitantly nodded against him, and Katsuki leaned into Izuku's hand entangled in his hair.

"I can tell," the ash blonde said in a hushed voice. "You breathe the same way when we train together, and I get in between your legs." With this he gave a hard grind against Izuku as he held the smaller body in place with his hands.

A soft breathy moan that he could barely hear escaped past those pink lips and Katsuki just wanted to devour the sound with his own mouth. He gave another harsh grind, rolling his hips and pressing the strain of his hardness directly in the curve of the perfect ass of the perfect man in front of him.

"...Would you let me fuck you during sparing, Izuku?" His raspy voice whispered into the soft curls as he closed his eyes, letting the warm feeling in his lower belly take over completely along with the remains of the alcohol in his veins.

"Y-Yeah, I would," Izuku replied back short of breath, pressing back against him and tightened his hand in blond hair.

Katsuki bit his lip when the visual of him and Izuku fucking desperately on the training mat flashed in his mind. He imagined Izuku's fingernails sinking into his shoulders and those strong legs wrapped around him as he drove into the tight body relentlessly. He could practically hear the greenette challenging him to go faster, moaning and crying out his name in a high voice.

"Of course you would. That was a stupid ass question...I have a better one." The older man's hand dipped slowly from Izuku's stomach to lightly tease the hem of his perfectly too tight black pants. "Have you ever taken a nine-inch cock before?"

His grip on Izuku tightened dangerously when the other began to quiver against him and Katsuki loved it. God, he wanted to completely _destroy_ this man.

"_Fuck_." Izuku strained voice cursed out. "Katsuki, I-I need—"

Suddenly a loud yelp could be heard from beside them, and like a bad wet dream, two cold drinks splashed directly onto his and Izuku's face from the drunk couple next to them.

"What the fuck!?" Katsuki hissed, immediately letting go of Izuku. Both men yelled out as the alcohol stung in their eyes as they tried to wipe their faces of it.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!" The drunk girl slurred at him, reaching out to touch him. The unsolicited touch grounded Katsuki as he slapped her hand away from him.

"Watch where the hell you're going next time," He spat. Red eyes blinked rapidly taking in everything, and lust unclouded his vision. He looked at the shorter male in front of him who was trying to pat his face dry with his maroon shirt.

Laughter from different people near him made him look around. The reality of what just occurred sunk into his skin and Katsuki started to sober up instantly.

His stomach started sinking.

That wasn't supposed to happen. He was trying so hard to establish friend barriers and he just had a goddamn grinding session with the one person who wanted to fuck him. On top of that he was the main one this time to say vulgar shit.

This was another one of the many reasons he hated drinking: impaired judgement.

Izuku groaned and turned around towards him with a goofy grin and cheeks tinted pink, clearly drunk.

The blonde looked at the clock and saw that it was nearly 1:00 am. He sighed and decided to grab Izuku's hand to go find the rest of the group.

Izuku, in his inebriated state, took the hand happily and squeezed it in an affectionate manner that tested Katsuki. The freckled man then pulled on their interlaced fingers and with strength he forgot Izuku had, the greenette reached up with his free hand and grabbed the collar of his black t-shirt.

Katsuki hissed as he was dragged down to Izuku's level and the soft breath whispered into his ear in a sultry voice.

"Nine inches, huh, _Kacchan_?" Izuku smirked against his ear. "I _knew_ there was a reason you acted so cocky."

The blonde blushed beat red and leaned back quickly. Izuku bit his lip and gazed at him with green eyes darkened by lust.

The heat swirled in his stomach and Katsuki swallowed thickly.

He had to leave now.

Mirio was right, they were being reckless.

. . .

"Wow, who knew green bean can throw down that much with alcohol," Kirishima laughed as they all exited the club.

"I did!" Izuku happily giggled, holding up his and Katsuki's joined hands. "I even got a prize to go with it!"

The blonde could just fucking die right now as drunk Denki took picture of drunk Izuku holding his hand and clutching onto him. Katsuki knew he could let go but then he ran the risk of the greenette stumbling over and face planting onto the concrete, so this was a much better option.

"Yeah, such a great prize for all of us!" Denki snickered, snapping several more photos. Katsuki gave him the finger.

"Why were you two wet again?" Mina said in a voice that turned upward at the end, eyes looking at them in a knowing manner.

"Dumb fuckers spilled their drink on us," the workaholic grumbled.

He tried his best to focus on the task at him that they were completing which was getting Izuku upstairs to his room. Then they would use their normal buddy system to systematically walk home together.

When they finally arrived to Izuku's building, Katsuki felt fairly sober. He quietly thanked being a blessed lightweight and having a fast metabolism as he hoisted a clearly not-so-blessed Izuku up the stairs while everyone else waited outside.

He wrestled the keys away from the giggling greenette with a groan, trying his best not to get irritated.

The nerd was just drunk. He's a grown man that just needed help getting safely in bed because that's what friends do. Friends get each other in bed after a night out not fucking whispered filthy shit in the other's ear.

"Alright here, you go." Katsuki opened the door and was instantly greeted by a soft song and all the blinding white lights turned on. "Shit. We forgot to turn off everything before we left."

"Ah, wait...I love this song," Izuku stumbled upward and tried to take a small step forward. When he wobbled some more, Katsuki caught him again and held him upright.

The blonde sighed, slightly irritated as he buried a hand in Izuku's curls and hooked the other around his waist to pull the other's chest against his own to hold him upright again.

The other male lifted his arms and encircled them around his neck, slightly pulling him down.

"My mom used to play this all the time…" Izuku mumbled into his chest and Katsuki felt hands grip his shirt tightly.

"Used to?" He echoed casually. "Does she not like the song anymore?"

"Mhm," The greenette sighed and tried standing upright again, this time more successful. "My parents...died a while back. So, no...she can't really...like it anymore."

Katsuki paused and felt his heart stop.

_Izuku's parents are...dead?_ The ash blonde looked down at the man in his arms with sharp, disbelieving eyes.

He studied the freckled features hoping this was just the rambling of a drunk man, but it wasn't. It clearly wasn't.

Sadness slowly etched its way into Izuku's face like he caught in a bad memory and Katsuki held onto him tighter.

"...I'm so sorry," he said barely above a whisper, not knowing what else to say. His heart panged lowly when suddenly everything about Izuku made sense_—_too much sense. From Mirio, his lonely comments, Toshinori and…

A question burned on the tip of the tongue and his mind went back and forth on if he should even ask it.

"How did it happen?" He whispered and the hand in Izuku hair carded through the soft curls with care.

Katsuki felt his stomach turn when he felt like he already knew the answer when he thought about Izuku's scars.

"Fire," Izuku's voice cracked. The head on Katsuki's shoulder leaned in further and he held on tighter to Izuku. "It's always fire…"

The youngest sighed as he leaned back, to look at him. Red eyes glanced down as he searched Izuku's eyes, as if seeing him for the first time all day.

Izuku's words of being alone echoed in his head and the fear he saw in green eyes when the first building went up in flames.

His heart twisted for the man in front of him.

A bandaged hand suddenly came around to touch his face but Katsuki didn't waiver at staring into the emerald eyes that were looking at him carefully.

The wrapped hand brushed a stray hair out of his face and the taller man just leaned into the touch as he kept looking down at the person in his arms. Katsuki's heart raced rapidly, and without the fog of lust and alcohol he could finally see Izuku and recognized what was flickering inside his chest.

"Your eyes are the same color as my favorite roses…so pretty. Did you know that?" Izuku smiled lazily at him. "I wanna paint you."

The artist looked at him, completely enamored and that's when Katsuki felt it. He felt the one thing he didn't want to feel the last four years.

"...let's get you to bed, Izuku," he sighed and gently led the other into the bedroom.

He opened the door and immediately noticed his own shitty painting and the self-portrait containing three flames sitting along the corner of the room. His sharp mind connected the dots and put together more details he wasn't too sure he wanted to know.

He stared at the three flames and felt sick.

Did Izuku's parents represent two of those flames? If so...who was the third?

He shuffled Izuku over to his bed and immediately the first thing that caught his eye was a delicate red rose with a white ribbon laying on the green sheets. There was a small fancy note card attached and in it a typed message.

Curiosity took the wheel as the greenette leaned more into his shoulder, threatening to fall asleep at any moment.

Katsuki picked up the rose but his heart twisted in jealousy as he read the message.

"I loved you the same way I learned to ride a bike. Scared, but reckless. With no training wheels or elbow pads so my scars can tell the story of how I fell for you."

—**Rudy Fransico. **_Helium._

_Mirio_. Katsuki thought to himself in a bitter manner. _This has to be fucking Mirio somehow._ He reasoned that it reeked of pining much like the other blonde and he 'tch'ed to himself.

Seeing the rose grounded Katsuki in knowing that Izuku had someone.

Someone who wanted to take care of him, someone who was currently taking care of his 'needs'. Someone he knew for basically his whole life.

And it wasn't Katsuki.

They were just friends, coworkers at best maybe. He imagined Mirio in Yaizu signing up for one of those flower delivery services to have the romantic flower sent to Izuku's home and it made his heart churn unhappily.

The envious lieutenant tossed the rose off to the side on the nightstand and then carefully maneuvered Izuku into his bed. As he tried to lower the other man into his sheets, he got a soft groan of disapproval and the strong arms around his neck tightened.

"Izuku," he tried to state firmly but the other didn't let go, and fingers started to play in his hair again.

Katsuki closed his eyes and mustered up all the patience he had left but when he reopened them, he was met with perfect viridian eyes staring up at him. They were full of that terribly sweet look as if Izuku wanted him to lean in. He felt his lips start to itch with want as his eyes flickered down to Izuku's dangerously close mouth.

"_Don't be reckless."_ Mirio's voice echoed in his head and immediately all the thoughts he pushed to the back of his head flooded back to the forefront of his mind. Problems Izuku had momentarily distracted him from: His parents, Takeyama, The Cremator.

Ruby eyes looked at Izuku longingly.

He let out a long sigh before reaching up and peeling Izuku's arms from around his neck. He intertwined the soft hands within his own and pressed his lips in a thin line when an objective groan rolled past the lips of the man beneath him.

Green eyes slowly blinked at him and Katsuki's red ones stared half lidded into the man below him, lost and unsure.

He studied all the colors, the emotions and thought long and hard about the day and all the things he's been ignoring.

"You gotta let go of me, Izuku. I need to go home," he said softly when the hands intertwined in his didn't release.

"But I like you," the greenette's voice was nearly heartbreaking and Katsuki's face twisted with raw emotion. "Please stay...I like you a lot, Kacchan."

"...that's exactly the reason I can't stay."

A small spark of want flickered in his chest.

_Because I think like you too._

* * *

Had a ton of fun writing this chapter because it's the stepping stone for getting into the plot plot :) things are gonna start...heating up ;) thank you so much for reading! Please, let me know what you think below in the comments! I love hearing everyone's opinions, theories, and thoughts about the chapter!

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**Preview of Next chapter (Ignite): **

"Todoroki Enji is here," Kirishima mumbled quietly from beside him during the briefing. "He's here to talk about the fires and what the firefighters found in the buildings."

Katsuki shifted his eyes to Izuku who was diligently taking notes and Shouto, on the other side of the room, who was analyzing the words Toshinori was giving.

"Well," the ash blonde clicked his tongue. "This should be an interesting day."


	7. Ignite

A/N: There are a total of four chapters in my full outline that I have noted in bold to apologize for in advance. This is the first of those chapters. So sorry. I hope you enjoy :D!

**Warnings: Plot as thicc as Izuku, Katsuki taking people's kneecaps, graphic depictions of violence, needle usage/drugging.**

* * *

**Chapter 7 - Ignite**

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.

.

The subtle sound of Izuku's wooden door closing was the final nail in the coffin. That was all Katsuki needed to seal himself in his feelings and his heart felt like it was wrenching inside of his chest.

He liked Izuku.

He liked a subordinate officer, someone who was under his command, and someone who was so beautifully breathtaking in every way that Katsuki could think of. But he was also confusing in the same sense. Everything about Izuku conflicted but now, with the information of his parents, it made sense why Izuku seemed to be the way he was.

Why he seemed _lonely_.

Katsuki tried to think about what it was like when he left Tokyo, from his own complicated family, and how that was hard but necessary for him. Yet here Izuku was, orphaned in his early twenties—or was it his teens?

Whichever it was, he was too fucking young.

The lieutenant walked back outside to his drunk friends giggling amongst themselves and he received a small smile from Kirishima.

"Green bean all tucked away in bed?" The sergeant smiled at him, looking at him as if he knew what was going on in his mind. Katsuki nodded with a dejected smile on his face when the visual of the beautiful rose with the poem attached to it flashed in his mind.

"Yeah...he's all good," he said quietly. The group started walking and Denki wrapped an arm around him and pulled out his phone that was playing music for the group.

"Lemme know if you want these photos Kat," Denki laughed, scrolling through the stream of photos of him and Izuku holding hands. "I think they're kinda great."

Red eyes studied the photograph carefully. Izuku looked completely joyful with pink flush across his face and he was clearly struggling to keep upright—but the smile on his face blinding. The content look on Izuku's freckled features was damn near priceless, but that isn't what stood out the most.

No, what made Katsuki's eyebrows knit in worry was his own face. How happy and content he looked, with a graceful closed mouth smirk, looking down at Izuku like he was the only person in the world. He didn't even remember gazing at the greenette like that—yet there it was.

Proof was directly on Denki's damn phone of how much he secretly admired the newcomer.

Katsuki bit the inside of his cheek as his friends sang along softly to the calming melody into the night.

He was so fucking _screwed_.

. . .

The weekend passed and Katsuki admittedly had an intense urge to text Izuku.

Deep want flickered inside of him to see if everything with the greenette was okay after what happened. But mainly it was because he wanted to address the obvious issue of how they were basically fifteen minutes away from fucking in a night club.

The stressed-out workaholic didn't want to even fathom how far things would've gone if not for the stupid ass couple toppling drinks onto their faces.

He put 'get drunk near Izuku' straight on the top of the list of things 'never to do again'.

On both Saturday and Sunday, he reached quickly for his phone whenever it buzzed, hoping to see the name Izuku. But each time his face fell. All he got instead was Takeyama.

**[Y. Takeyama]: What day this week works well for dinner?**

Katsuki scowled when he felt an underlying obligation to answer the text. So, he did. Unhappily, but he did.

Part of him wasn't sure why he was even fucking entertaining her, but the other half just wanted to get this situation over with like ripping a Band-Aid off with as little yelling from this blonde woman as possible.

**[You]: I'm free pretty much every day this week after work. Just let me know and I can make sure I'm available that day.**

**[Y. Takeyama]: Okay, perfect. Let's do Thursday around 6pm? **

**[You]: Sounds good.**

Part of him panged lowly because he wanted to double check with Izuku to make sure their own 'hang out after hours' thing wasn't interrupted by this. But when his thumb hovered over the detective's name, he couldn't find the strength to click his contact.

He didn't know what Izuku was thinking or if the younger male woke up Saturday freaking out about how down right inappropriate their behavior was.

So, back to his usual weekend exercise routine he went. He did his best to think not to think about the intense sexual tension that had ignited between them as he pushed his body extra far at the gym. He tried his fucking best to sweat off some of the piling heat in his body to no real avail. He just kept seeing flashes of a certain greenette moaning sensually underneath him.

By the time Monday rolled around, things were fairly light hearted yet awkward. To be honest, he didn't really know what the fuck he expected.

Izuku was avoiding eye contact and blushed _furiously_ when he sat next to him in the break room. When it came time for the usual Monday afternoon sparring session, it was so goddamn obvious that the grinding session plus other things were on Izuku's mind.

Which brings them to now, with Izuku pinned face down on the blue mat underneath him, arms twisted behind him with a face red as tomatoes—which helped Katsuki absolutely fucking none.

"Weak on your left again, Midoriya," Kirishima called out while holding a clipboard. "C'mon, green bean! Where's that fire that pins down this hothead with no issue? You're the only one in the department that can actually do it!"

Katsuki sighed as he let Izuku up and the greenette scratched behind his head.

This was the fourth time in a row Izuku had been pinned, but it was happening surprisingly a lot easier than in the past. It made him frown because Izuku was acting like he couldn't touch him, or more specifically, like he couldn't press his body against him.

"Sorry!" The detective called out while dusting himself off in the standard navy blue training sweats. "I'm just slightly slow on Mondays, I guess." The greenette awkwardly laughed before turning back around to face his tall commander.

Piercing red irises looked down at Izuku and when the doe like eyes darted off to the side shyly, Katsuki sighed out loud.

"Kirishima, give us fifteen minutes alone," the commander called out surprising the other two in the room.

"Uh...are you sure?" The best friend questioned, looking back and forth between the two men facing each other.

"Yeah, really. Just come back in fifteen. It's not a big issue but I need to say something to Midoriya privately." Katsuki spoke in a definitive manner, while rubbing behind his neck. He kept his sharp gaze locked on the now slightly weary looking detective in front of him.

Kirishima shrugged his shoulders and left out without another question. When the metallic door slammed shut, Katsuki crossed his arms.

"Do you want a different sparring partner?" He whispered; his face blown in full irritation. "I can get Ashido to come here instead—"

"W-Wait—what? No," Izuku rushed out quickly looking over his shoulder at the door out of paranoia. He turned back to Katsuki and lowered his head slightly. "I feel most comfortable with you, really."

"You don't seem like it," The ash blonde sighed while running his hand through his hair. "You're refusing to put your whole weight on me. I can feel it. You should've pinned me twice but instead you fucking hovered your hips like you were scared of my damn crotch."

Izuku's eyes widened like he had been caught and immediately he glanced down between the lieutenant's legs. Katsuki cursed out loud. His deepest fear started to settle in: the likelihood that Izuku woke up hungover Saturday, absolutely fucking mortified.

"I-I…" The greenette started but the words trailed off. "...I-It's just…" The shorter male opened and closed his mouth and Katsuki pinched the bridge of his nose.

The lieutenant started to replay everything his mind from the comment in the kitchen when he had been checking Izuku out so shamelessly to the nightclub. The god forsaken damn nightclub when he basically—_actually not even basically_—when he out right asked if he could fuck Izuku on the very mat they're standing on.

And Izuku said _yes_.

When the youngest's stuttering continued, unable to find the right words, Katsuki threw his hand up to cease the floundering. He spoke his next words half hearted because he really did enjoy sparing with Izuku. The greenette was the only one who gave him any sort of damn challenge, but he didn't want to be the reason Izuku's training was stunted.

"If Friday made you uncomfortable, we can stop being partners, I get it. I was really, _really_ fucking drunk and I said some extremely inappropriate things." He admitted, feeling guilty for possibly making Izuku tense around him. It was the last thing he wanted.

"No. It didn't make me uncomfortable," Izuku sighed and finally relaxed his shoulders. "I'm just..._I'm_ sorry for the things I said while I was drunk. They were...out of line as well."

"_Please stay...I like you a lot, Kacchan."_

Katsuki felt his own face start to heat up thinking about Izuku's drunken confession and cleared his throat.

"Same. But you know we clearly said them because we inebriated, right?" He spoke evenly. The words felt like flat out lies against his tongue.

The workaholic looked at Izuku, searching the freckled face in the hope that the youngest believed the words more than he did.

"Right," The greenette replied back in the same half hearted manner. "It was the alcohol...just the alcohol."

A beat of silence passed as green eyes locked with red and neither one of them really believed a damn word they were saying.

"Of course...the alcohol," Katsuki whispered when his chest started to swell with heat. There was another moment of silence as they searched each other's faces and they both felt something stir in the air.

The eldest shook his head while taking in a deep breath, ignoring the obvious ignition of something dangerous between him and Izuku.

In reality, if he didn't have to train this headache of a man, he would've walked out of the room and built a forty-foot-thick wall between him and Izuku because he couldn't even deny it anymore.

Something was there, and now it was known they _both_ wanted it.

Katsuki rolled his shoulders and motioned 'come on' with his hands to the greenette, who took an offensive stance with new reassurance.

"Let's try it again, okay? This time put your whole fucking weight into it or I'm just gonna go get Mina."

A dark eyebrow quirked at him and a small sly smile slid onto Izuku's face. The atmosphere shifted from the tense to a light playfulness and Katsuki tried his best to ignore the heat that was quickly gathering underneath his collar.

Izuku stepped to him, twisting his footing around to the back and in a flash grappled the taller man down to the ground. The commander gave his best counter as they tousled for dominance on the plush mats. In a moment of surprise, Katsuki felt himself snapped to the ground by a strong forearm slamming against his chest.

His head hit the back of the mat hard enough that he closed his eyes to stop the dizziness and a heavy weight was fully seated in his lap.

He blinked his eyes back open to see Izuku inches away, breathing in heavy labored breaths. Before the ash blonde could catch himself, he smirked proudly at the man above him. His heart twisted with pride knowing that Izuku was getting better in hand to hand combat, but he was now really fucking thankful they got past that awkward bump.

"There we go, you actually put your damn weight into it," he praised unabashed, hands automatically settling on Izuku's thighs to emphasize his point. "I knew you were holding back, _Deku_."

"Sorry about that," Izuku smiled lazily down at him. "Won't happen again, _Kacchan_."

"Good. Better hope not," he chuckled at the greenette, and gave a playful squeeze to the legs under his fingertips. The emerald colored eyes stared down at him and Katsuki couldn't help but admire how soft Izuku's features looked this close up.

"Well now...private training sessions? That's a new one for you, Bakugou."

Katsuki immediately recognized the voice and his heart dropped into his gut.

Without a single warning, the U.A lieutenant shoved Izuku off of him in an ungraceful manner. The greenette caught himself as they both scrambled upright to face the two new bodies at the door way. Standing there looking completely amused, and extremely apologetic was Monoma and Kirishima respectively.

Katsuki scowled. He caught his friend's cringey expression and instantly became on edge. He turned his head towards Izuku who looked thoroughly flustered and spoke his next words carefully because he already had a feeling this was going to be something unpleasant.

"Midoriya, go with Kirishima to finish the judo lesson for the day until I come and get you."

"Yes, sir." The greenette nodded and did what he was told without question.

As the curly haired male passed by the other blonde lieutenant, it didn't go unnoticed by Katsuki how the blue-eyed man looked Izuku up and down as if assessing him. It made him frown deeply.

Izuku left with Kirishima, and the training room became enveloped with an empty silence as Katsuki walked towards the other. Blue eyes glinted in a mischievously and all Katsuki wanted to do was punch a wall. He could feel his fuck up.

"That was rather bold hand placement for you, Bakugou. Touching your subordinate's thighs while you two were alone? Dare I say, it seemed flirtatious almost," Monoma said through a smirking face and Katsuki sneered at him.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," the ash blonde said in a tight, cautious tone. He internally reprimanded himself for letting himself get carried away with Izuku. "Was there something you wanted?"

"I'll get to that in a minute." The man waved his hand before stepping into his space and whispering his next statement. "First, I'll be kind enough to remind you that 'intimidation' is a serious offense when a higher-ranking officer uses his power to pressure a lower rank into..._relations_. How old is he again?"

Blue eyes scrutinized him and Katsuki reared his head back at the bold insinuation. Fear trickled in with his anger and the reality of everything crept up his body. What Monoma was saying was very real and something he knew damn well he had to be cautious of.

"That's not what that was, and you fucking know it," he spat back. "That's a serious accusation—"

"—Oh, I know. I'm just making sure _you_ know how serious it is," the other lieutenant clicked his tongue and crossed his arms. The action only irritated Katsuki further. "Tread carefully, it would be a shame for someone to see you trip up on your symbol of victory status again. You know, some people might want that."

The threat carried heavily into the air and all of the workaholic's worries coiled tight in his chest. Those blue eyes stared him down in a taunting manner making Katsuki nearly snap.

"You need to watch your damn mouth. I asked you what the _fuck_ did you want? If it's just to come in here to spew bullshit at me then you need to leave so I can continue my day."

The other officer folded his arms and his face shifted from amused to extremely serious. The change in demeanor made Katsuki pause because he hadn't seen such a look on the other's face unless it was mixed with disgust for him.

"I came to tell you one of the Shizuoka City firemen contacted me. They finally figured out what type of detonators were used set off the fires."

Katsuki's heart stopped and his eyes widened. Monoma nodded, confirming what the other lieutenant was thinking.

"We officially have a lead."

The pair of blonde lieutenants walked back upstairs to the seventh floor of the U.A precinct after Katsuki changed back into his normal decorated white shirt and black pants attire.

He found both Kirishima and Izuku on the floor and quietly motioned for them to follow into the conference room.

When they got into the small room, captain Toshinori was standing there with a tall slender man with purple hair. The newcomer's facial expression was very serious, and his lavender eyes were cold and glazed over.

Izuku shut the door behind them and the pale fireman finally turned towards them along with Toshinori.

"Everyone, this is Shinsou Hitoshi," Captain Toshinori's voice echoed out as he gestured to the slim man next to him. "He's been leading the investigation on the arsonist acts from the fire department's side. He used to work in the vice squad over at Monoma's precinct before changing career paths."

"What made you switch?" Izuku's voice suddenly interjected. All eyes turned towards him and immediately the greenette realized he spoke out of place. "Ah. Sorry. I...I was just curious," he whispered while rubbing behind his head apologetically. Green eyes glanced nervously at his tall commander and Katsuki just shook his head.

"It's fine," The lavender haired man smiled and waved off Izuku's interruption nonchalantly. "I switched out to pursue a career as a fireman because the vice squad can get depressing dealing with drugs and everything else that can come with it." He let out a heavy sigh and crossed his arms. "Starts to take a toll on you."

Izuku stared at the fireman like he was taking in the information carefully and nodded, fully understanding. Katsuki nodded as well because that was one of the main reasons he chose not to even fathom a career in vice.

Being around drugs and all that shit was extremely heavy. Especially watching people overdose, shoot up, or just get lost in the system after helping them for months. It chipped away at a person.

Toshinori turned back around and gestured for Shinsou to continue talking. "Go ahead and tell them what you told me," he spoke carefully. His sharp blue looked carefully at everyone's faces in the room, adding a chilling layer of seriousness to the conversation. "This information does not leave this room until further notice by the way."

Katsuki, Kirishima, Monoma and Izuku all nodded, keeping their eyes forward. The fireman shifted on his heels before rolled his neck.

"Alright, where to begin?" He put his finger on his chin and looked up at the ceiling. "When we were looking into what could've possibly started the fires, we already knew there were detonators. But we couldn't figure out where the remains of the detonators were located at until we shifted around more in the soot."

Katsuki thought back, remembering thinking that was odd. "Right. Usually, there's always some type of metallic remain or at least the primary explosive is detectable...but this time there was none."

"Exactly. Well, turns out, there was a very specific type of pyrotechnic fuse blasting cap used for the detonator. Which is why it was so hard to pinpoint. This type of device nearly obliterates itself in the process of igniting the primary explosive. It leaves behind very small fragments of metal in the fire because of how intense of an explosion it creates. So much so, to the point that it's just about undetectable."

_A device that's nearly untraceable?_

All sets of eyes widened, and it didn't go unnoticed by Katsuki how Izuku stiffened progressively as the fireman went on his description. The lieutenant looked at the detective beside him and saw a deep look of worry etched into Izuku's face.

"How did you find it then?" Kirishima spoke up next, looking just as worried as everyone else in the room.

"Because I've seen this before when I worked in vice dealing with that drug lord you rescued Aizawa from. This specific device started popping up only in Yaizu exactly four years ago underneath one of their branches. It was connected to several heists and arson crimes there as well. It stayed confined to Yaizu, until now."

Izuku shifted on his feet and if Katsuki didn't know any better he'd say the greenette looked as if he was going to be sick. The ash blonde peeled his worried eyes off of the other trying his best not to think about how all this discussion of fire was probably triggering to Izuku about the death of his parents.

"What does that mean?" Monoma asked and Shinsou looked at Toshinori as if asking permission for something. The tall, canary blonde nodded and then the purple haired man stared at Monoma deep in the face.

"It means whatever mechanic they had engineer that deathly device is now working in Shizuoka with that damn pest of a drug lord. Or maybe he's working with the arsonist. Or maybe he is the arsonist. We don't know...the possibility of connections is endless."

Katsuki sighed before speaking to everyone. "Aizawa did say that The Cremator and Yotsubashi Rikiya were making a deal over something in exchange for him to be burned alive. Maybe it was this."

"Whatever it is, it means they're connected more than we thought before," Shinsou mumbled. "My guess is that the fires slowed down because manufacturing of this slowed as well. Burning down the three houses on Ichirizuka street must've taken up the majority of his supply."

Kirishima made a worried noise in the back of his throat, grabbing everyone's attention. "Just...as an F.Y.I. We have no idea where Yotsubashi is now after the drug bust. On top of that, there's been a major surge of drugs being peddled into the city area since the last bust."

Shinsou hummed in an exhausted manner before agreeing with the red haired man.

"Yeah, It'll take some work but...I'm coming back on board with vice squad temporarily to get more answers. If the fires are connected to the underground drug scene somehow then this could be a double bust in a way. So, we need to handle this with care."

"What happens now?" Izuku asked in a soft voice. Katsuki looked at the freckled features carefully and noticed that he seemed pale. His stomach twisted slightly.

"We wait," was the answer he was given from the fireman. "We wait for another fire to confirm that he's using these detonators and try to see a pattern. In the meantime, I'll try to find a lead somewhere on how we can locate that man. Hopefully, if we get to him, we can get to the arsonist."

The ash blonde nodded his head, liking the sound of this course of action. "Sounds like a good route. We can try to uproot all of this at once."

"Yup," Shinsou smiled at him. "That's the plan."

Toshinori stepped forward and looked between Monoma and Katsuki expectantly.

"We need to relay this information to Todoroki Enji immediately so he can be aware of what's going on," the large man spoke in a fairly quiet voice. "I wouldn't say it's safe to put it in an email due to how precious the situation is. We don't want to accidentally tip off that we have this lead. So, he's going to have to come down here face to face sometime next week."

"Alright, that sounds good," Katsuki replied back without any hesitation. "I'll tell sergeant Todoroki Shouto and get the ball rolling."

As they walked out of the room, he noticed everyone seemed on edge, but also fairly relieved because they finally got a lead on this goddamn psychopath. It put the hectic thoughts in the blonde's head to rest momentarily, hoping that this could now possibly be resolved.

But it unsettled him that they had to wait until god knows how long for Shinsou to get a proper lead and figure out where that snake Yotsubashi slithered off to. It's always been damn near impossible to locate him which is why Aizawa was undercover for so long in the first place.

The lieutenant's red eyes looked over everyone's faces that were walking down the hallway and noticed how Kirishima bounced back to his usual happy go lucky self and Monoma back to his bitchy demeanor.

The only person who did not seem okay however was Izuku. The greenette's eyes were glazed over like he wasn't mentally there with everyone else. The sight off put Katsuki when he thought about Friday and how hard Izuku had clung to him after the confession about his parents dying in a fire.

He waited until they turned a corner to lightly pull Izuku, staggering them behind the crowd of officers. Izuku blinked hard, snapped out of his train of thought in surprise to turn to him.

Large green eyes looked confused and suddenly Katsuki felt mildly silly, but...he really was worried about Izuku.

"Are you okay?" He whispered only for the freckled man's ears. Out of the corner of his eye he saw nosy ass Monoma glanced over his shoulder at them but ignored it.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Izuku answered in a small voice. The tone was barely above a whisper and it wasn't very convincing to the red eyed man. "Why do you ask?"

"You look uncomfortable." He studied the tenseness in Izuku's shoulders, and the paleness on his face. His mind flashed back to how Izuku looked when the first building went up in consuming flames. "...is it the fire talk?"

Izuku stiffened before looking ahead at the pack of men ahead of them. He slowed his pace slightly and Katsuki followed suit. The eldest's facial expression softened even more when he realized that he was right. It was the fucking fire issue.

"Yeah…all the mentions of fires and such...it's um...it's just unnerving, that's all. But I'll be fine." The youngest sighed before plastering that tight-lipped fake smile on his face. "We have patrol the rest of the day, right?"

"Are you sure you're up for it?" he answered back, unsure if he shouldn't be handling Izuku differently after the parental information drop. "You can work with Momo to take on the walk-ins for the day if you need something a little bit slower paced."

"I'll be fine. Really. I'll go grab my patrol jacket and let's go," Izuku stated in a stern manner. Katsuki nodded reluctantly, accepting the answer. He trusted whatever the other said was best for him.

They walked back out to the floor and just before they parted Katsuki felt a soft hand on his arm stop him. He turned around to see Izuku looking at him in that terribly sweet way again. Then his heart did that fucking thing it always does when viridian eyes were locked on to him.

"What are you doing Thursday? Are you still up for a day out after work? There's this museum exhibit opening that I was going to go to. I think you might like it."

Katsuki felt his heart drop with disappointment. Of course, it had to be fucking Thursday.

"I have plans after work on Thursday," he spoke with regret laced into the words. When the happy look on Izuku's face started to get chased away, something inside of him screamed that he was making the wrong decision.

"...Takeyama?"

Katsuki shrugged. "Er, yeah."

Green eyes darted off to the side and a small, yet sad smile worked its way onto freckled features. Katsuki's facial expression grew softer.

"R-Right. Well, have fun with that."

Izuku started to make his leave and Katsuki's heart started to race. Before he could stop himself, the word "wait" clawed its way out of his throat. The shorter of the two turned around confused but Katsuki quickly rebounded.

"We can still do something the next day or whatever. Not a big deal," the ash blonde tried to recover. He wasn't too sure why he was offering more hang out days considering he should stay extremely far away from this man but seeing that happy look on Izuku's face fade away clutched his heart painfully.

A half smile graced the soft face of the detective. "Okay, that sounds good to me."

When Izuku walked away to get suited up for patrol, Katsuki tried his best to tell himself he wasn't as screwed over as he believed. They could be friends.

They could one hundred percent be friends despite how much he felt his heart swoon at Izuku's smile.

. . .

As Thursday drew close, Katsuki felt apathy when he should have felt nervous.

He knew that he should've been on edge knowing that he was going to dinner with the first person ever to shotgun his heart out of his chest. But all he felt was a strange emptiness instead.

So, he operated as such. He went to the U.A precinct completely out of it that day. All that was on his mind was the terrible ass break up and how that connected with the ten deaths hanging above his head.

The only time he felt remotely grounded was when he spoke with Izuku, who teased him for forgetting his lunch. The blonde apologized for it only half-heartedly because he didn't even notice he forgot to pack a lunch. His mind was so fucking distracted and far gone.

Truthfully, he didn't even feel like he was at the U.A precinct. All he could feel was the ferocious slap that had landed on his face four years back and the high-pitched yelling reminding him of how much of a goddamn _failure_ he was at being a lover.

Izuku poked his cheek several times during patrol to snap him out of it but the tall blonde just sneered at him, shooed his hand away. This made both Kirishima and Izuku worried even more while they were out on duty.

When he got to the restaurant that Takeyama picked, he felt his feet oddly cold. She chose an upscale place in downtown Shizuoka City that Katsuki could already feel was going to put a gracious dent in his wallet. The setting was lit with yellow and white light and had glass chandeliers on the ceiling with music distantly playing in the back.

He grimaced when he realized this wasn't much of a casual 'friend' type of setting.

He eyed the several couples sitting around in dressed up attire, holding hands and then took in his ex's appearance. She had on the purple dress she wore on their three-year anniversary dinner and it made Katsuki feel a type of way that he wasn't too sure of.

The officer himself had changed into a normal dark red button down when she said to dress up a bit for the restaurant but this—this was a whole different level than he was expecting.

Why the fuck did he say yes to this dinner? He asked himself this several times as he watched the blonde woman in front of him take charge.

She did the usual of requesting a booth that they liked to sit at and then went ahead and ordered for him, for some unknown fucking reason, but Katsuki didn't say anything.

He just kept asking himself the same question of why he was here, and he couldn't figure it out. As she spoke, he kept seeing her face twisted in pain, tears pouring down her face.

The blonde male searched for an answer in his memories as to why he said yes. But the only thing he could think of was that he didn't want another repeat scene of her yelling and him trying to put out a metaphorical fucking fire.

He hated dealing with people screaming at him.

"Katsuki, are you listening to me?" Her voice cut through like a knife into his thoughts.

"Yeah, I am," he replied back in a monotone voice. Katsuki smiled curtly at her while pushing a small green bean back and forth on his plate. "Sorry, just had a long day today. What did you want to discuss again? Or are we going to tip toe with small talk?"

His sarcastic response was met with a soft look from her that made him pause. She shifted in her seat and held her head down. Something inside of Katsuki twisted at the sight of her acting so docile.

"I actually...wanted to apologize for how I treated the break up four years ago," Takeyama said apologetically.

Katsuki sighed and couldn't hold the eyeroll that surged from his body. "What's done is done. It doesn't fuckin' matter how it was handled."

"No, Katsuki, it does. I...I got aggressive with you when I should've controlled my temper."

"That's nothing new—"

"—I mean I shouldn't have hit you," she spoke quickly, making the blonde male pause. The memory of her shoving him away echoed in his head but so did other repeat gestures of her doing the same thing during plenty of their other fights.

"Or threw your shoe at you for that matter. It was really embarrassing for me when I realized the gravity of what I did after everything...it's part of the reason I didn't contact you. I felt ashamed after doing what I did," her light voice trailed off into a whisper. Katsuki winced when he could tell where this was going. It was going the one place he didn't really fucking care to think about.

"It was wrong of me to physically touch you like that with knowing how your mom treated you growing up." And there it was.

Katsuki shook his head and placed the fork down onto the plate.

"Like I said it's fine. I would rather not discuss it." His voice was slightly strained, but she kept going. He watched her body posture change to open and he automatically leaned away, biting the inside of his cheek.

"She...she contacted me after the video came out, y'know. She couldn't get a hold of you and she figured I was the only person you had opened up to. So...that's why I'm here."

Her voice was full of love but Katsuki didn't allow it to register. He took the words at face value at the mention of his mother and cut his eye at her dangerously.

"I'm gonna need you to explain that last part a bit more, Takeyama."

"Have you dated anyone the last four years since we've been apart?" She tilted her at him and Katsuki decided he hated this immediately. Why the fuck did he say yes?

His throat felt dry when he tried to respond, the words stopped dead in their tracks. He picked up the glass of water sitting in front of him with a long sigh and started to slowly take a sip.

"I already know the answer to that is no," Takeyama continued. "I used a couple mutual friend's social media to check on you every now and then. Along with what your parents told me that you haven't brought anyone home for the holidays the last four years."

"What is this, Takeyama? An intervention of sorts because you're all fucking worried about me not screwing someone?" His eyes cut into but she was unfazed by the dangerous look. She cleared her throat and used her palms to smooth out the soft material of her dress.

"I...I dated around for a while and I think I was overreacting to how much you loved your job." The words were delicately spoken as if she has been rehearsing them for this exact moment. "I realized there are worse things in life than having a partner who is committed to his work."

Katsuki didn't say anything back. He felt his stomach start to knot together and nausea worked its way into his body. There was really only one direction this could go.

"I'm sorry...can we give us another chance?" She said the last words he thought he ever wanted to hear from her and his grip on the glass tightened significantly.

"Are you fucking serious…" slipped out from his mouth underneath his breath before he could catch himself. The ambushed workaholic turned his head, wanting to look anywhere else except at the person in front of him.

But she continued, completely ignoring how deeply uncomfortable he clearly was.

"I just...I haven't felt the same since we broke up and I think it's because you were actually right. We were perfect for each other, y'know?" Katsuki closed his eyes and tried to willfully wish away all the memories of them happy that were flooding in like a damn typhoon.

She leaned in further with a soft yet beautiful expression towards him. "I think you know it too, it's the same reason you haven't dated anyone these last four years too, right?"

In the beat of silence that passed between them, a quick vision of the funerals he attended with Toshinori flashed in his head.

"...No."

The singular word dropped and they both paused.

"No?"

"Yeah...no." Katsuki shook his head, suddenly feeling grounded and like he gained control of himself again. He thought about the real reason why he hadn't dated and what she just said—wasn't fucking it.

"That's not the reason. I just haven't dated because I had no desire to. We're different, Takeyama. I don't know how to describe it but…" He licked his lips, trying to find a way to say it tastefully. "...Me still thinking about you is not the reason I haven't dated other people."

They locked eyes and the blonde-haired woman blinked her eyes rapidly and pursed her lips. Katsuki's savior complex twitched as he quickly hurried to explain himself before a possible outburst happened.

"Look, I'm sorry about how things went down in our relationship and I'm starting to realize how I should've, like you fucking put it all the time, 'come up for air' to notice other people around me and should've treated you a shit ton better. I'm truly sorry for that, okay?"

Takeyama's soft face twisted with hurt and turned away from him. Katsuki sighed, finding it hard to continue. He hated this, he really fucking hated hurting people and conversations like this felt like he was pulling out rotten teeth. Necessary but painful.

"I think there was a point I was with you for the sake of...you were comfortable. Familiar even. I'll still care about you when it comes down to it but…" A flash of green curls appeared in his thoughts. "...there's just…" Then a bright image of Izuku smiling entered his mind. "...nothing left romantically."

"Just think about it more, please?" The delicate voice of his ex-bordered on desperate. "I think you're not giving it much thought. I know this feels very sudden for you, but it's not sudden for me. I've thought about this for a while with how well we did work together—"

"—Takey—"

"—Just listen to what I'm saying, please?" Her high voice cracked, taking him aback. She put her hand over her mouth when several people looked in their direction. "...Sorry. I just...I miss you," she whispered the last part and the lieutenant pointed his eyes down, deciding to keep his mouth shut for the remaining time she was talking.

The dinner continued on, with Takeyama talking over him at any objection he gave and her trying to force his hand at small talk like she wasn't on the verge of tears.

As she was speaking throughout the night, Katsuki couldn't think of the last time he actually missed her. He couldn't think of one moment recently where he actually truly wanted her back in his life.

Katsuki realized, while listening to the empty words that she was spewing, that he did miss someone. But it wasn't her...and she was right. This was the first time in a long time that he actually felt like this towards someone.

He looked at the lone green bean on his plate of empty food and pressed his lips into a thin line.

Katsuki quickly felt like he should be elsewhere, talking with a certain freckled man instead.

. . .

He waited outside with his ex-lover in the warm summer heat. The red eyed man studied the fading sky and appreciated the desaturated colors of purple and blue that spread across the large clouds. He carefully assessed how sad yet beautiful the setting sun looked as it lowered itself below the skyline of the buildings downtown.

Takeyama's taxi arrived and Katsuki held open the door for her out of politeness. He gave her a very business-like smile as he shut the door. The black car drove away, blending in with the endless sea of traffic and slowly Katsuki started to walk away, heading in the opposite direction on the busy street.

Part of him felt lighter yet heavier at the same time. His mind started to slowly wrap around the idea that maybe their break up wasn't entirely his fault...and maybe—just maybe—he was, like Izuku said, being too hard on himself all the time.

In that moment his phone buzzed and he clenched his teeth because what the fuck could this woman possibly want now? They just got fucking done with dinner.

He bitterly pulled out his cell, but he nearly choked in surprise to see the exact opposite name that he was anticipating. 'Izuku' popped up in his notifications and Katsuki has never pressed open on a text quicker than he did in that moment.

**[Izuku M.]: Guess what I made! {****Image attached****}**

The image attached the text was a giant pot full of tantanmen, looking perfectly seasoned. Slowly, Katsuki felt his mouth twitch upwards in an uncontrollable smirk when he noticed the messily chopped up vegetables on the side.

His pace slowed ever so slightly as he texted back the greenette. His mood still felt down yet there was something calming about texting Izuku directly after such a shit show of a dinner.

**[You]: Guess who you're making an extra bento box for tomorrow, nerd?**

**[Izuku M.]: Denki? I'm presuming :) **

**[You]: Not even fucking funny dork. I *will* throw hands for spicy food.**

**[Izuku M.]: Ha, just messing with you :) Don't worry about packing lunch tomorrow, okay? I made too much food just for me to eat alone, kinda need some help getting rid of it.**

The blonde's heart swelled with something he could only pin down as admiration for Izuku's sweetness. Why was the damn nerd always so fucking considerate? He wasn't making this any easier on him. _They were friends he repeated_ to himself for the thousandth time.

And yet…

Katsuki bit his lip as he typed out his next message and then hesitated even more as he added a small smiley at the very end. He hovered over pressing send on the message for a moment before sucking a breath in and eventually saying fuck it.

**[You]: Well, I will gladly help you get dispose of it :)**

**[You]: Did you end up going to that exhibit?**

**[Izuku M.]: Yes! It was really nice. Took a couple of pictures and just sketched around for a bit. I liked it a lot. **

**[You]: Send a picture of one of the sketches you did **

**[Izuku M.]: {****Image attached****} It's not that great, but I think this is my favorite one from today**

Katsuki snorted to himself. _Of course, the damn nerd would think this isn't that good. _

It was a simple sketch of a male bust but the image was something Katsuki would yet again assume to be done by a professional. It was a quick drawing, but it had a heavy amount of personality in the fast strokes and they were precisely laid out.

**[You]: Not that great? Don't be such a fucking Deku. It's beautiful as always. **

**[Izuku M.]: Ahhh thank you ^_^ well if you like it then its fine I guess!**

The moment he finished reading Izuku's text another notification flashed onto his screen.

**[Y. Takeyama]: Goodnight, Katsuki. I hope you can think about what I said, and we can talk more later.**

His heart skipped a beat and slowly twisted in his chest.

Without realizing exactly when, Katsuki stopped walking. Several people maneuvered around him in their summer clothes, giving him a strange stare for standing in the middle of the walk way but everything went quiet for the lieutenant in that moment.

The ash blonde looked up from his phone to see a couple pass by holding hands.

Like a conditioned response, he automatically saw a reflection of himself and Takeyama. But then slowly the vision melted away to him and Izuku instead.

He quickly turned away from the couple when he realized he was staring too hard. He thought briefly about going home, back to his empty ass apartment after such a long day to be alone with his intrusive thoughts, but quickly dismissed that option when another unwanted text from Takeyama pinged in.

**[Y. Takeyama]: Let me know when you get back safely.**

Dark ruby eyes shifted to catch a small glimpse of a grocery store across the street.

A small idea lit up in his head.

The lieutenant started typing out his next text, thinking that yeah, maybe he had completely lost his fucking mind, but whatever.

**[You]: What are you up to right now?**

**[Izuku M.]: just catch up on my favorite TV show right now. Nothing special! Shouldn't you be in bed its 9? Surprised you're still texting **

**[You]: Hold on.**

. . .

The nervous blonde hesitantly lifted his hand, wondering if this was truly a terrible idea but—fuck it. The more he thought about going home to that large apartment by himself the more confident he became in his latest questionable decision.

He knocked with deep resolve on Izuku's door, clenching the small plastic bag in his hand. He could hear the TV inside turn down and then another pause of movement. He sighed to himself before knocking again trying his absolute best not to change his mind.

This time the footsteps approached the door carefully. Izuku answered the door, peeking his head through the crack and green eyes widened with surprise.

"W-What are you doing here?" The soft voice asked, shocked. Katsuki just smirked down at him when the detective pulled the door open fully, revealing a comfy looking oversized pair of green sleep pants and a large white shirt.

"Let me in, nerd. Don't just stand there gaping like a damn fish."

"Oh! Yeah, of course," Izuku quickly gave him a smile and pulled open his door. The blonde walked in and immediately the smell of spicy ramen filled his nostrils. He took a deep breath in and all the scents inside of the small apartment mixed together. Katsuki decided he liked it.

"Sorry for the mess!" Izuku said while quickly picking up stray items of clothing off the floor.

The lieutenant just shrugged, not thinking much about the mess of clothes, paint tubes and pencils scattered on the blue rug in the living room. He noted the flat screen TV was paused on a very familiar looking scene along with the fuzzy green blanket tossed sloppily on the couch.

He hummed to himself thinking about how Izuku must've been curled up on the couch just enjoying down time to himself.

"So, I have to admit I wasn't expecting you?" The greenette nervously chuckled, fiddling with the hems on the long-sleeved shirt that read 'Yaizu University.' "I thought when you said hang on you were like doing laundry or something."

"Nope. I brought snacks to go with your TV binging," the blonde grinned while holding up the white plastic bag in his grip. "What TV show are you watching by the way? I bet it's lame knowing how much of a huge dork you are."

"Hey! I can still kick you out, this is my property. No insulting the host." Izuku smiled at him and sat back down on the plush grey couch. "And I was just watching this show about superheroes. It's called 'Heroes Rising' have you heard of it?"

_Ah. That's why it seemed familiar._

"...Yeah, I actually watch that show too."

"No way!" Izuku exclaimed with a sharp laugh. "I guess that makes you a huge dork too then?"

"I fuckin' guess so. Way to play my damn self," He smiled down at the detective as he took a seat next to him. "What episode are you on?"

"Uh, I'm way behind. I'm literally on season four episode 6."

"Damn. You are behind. I'm on episode eleven. I don't mind re-watching though," he casually said. "Do you want to split the snacks I brought?" He asked while pulling out an arrangement of sweets and salty chips out of the bag.

"S-Sure!" Green eyes widened while looking at him in surprise but the smile Izuku gave made him think this was worth it.

Katsuki settled in on the couch next to Izuku and glued his eyes on the TV screen as the greenette started talking about his favorite characters and arcs in the show. He listened to the younger male ramble on about all the things he loved about the series and smiled when he realized they pretty much liked the same things about it.

As time passed, they grew more relaxed on the sofa together. Izuku curled under the blanket, knees pulled to his chest, leaning back against the cushions. Katsuki sat loosely under the soft blanket as well with his feet kicked up on the small wooden table in front of them. His arm stretched out on the back of the couch behind Izuku as he sunk against the cushions as well.

Half way through the second episode they watched his phone buzzed.

**[Y. Takeyama]: Hey, did you make it back? Are you okay?**

Crimson eyes studied Izuku's profile as the youngest laughed at something on the screen, showing the small dimple in his face.

**[You]: Yeah, never better.**

. . .

The clock read nearly eleven and for once Katsuki didn't think twice about being up late. He allowed himself to casually re-watch the TV series with Izuku as they talked on and off about the antagonist and protagonist, even theorizing what might happen next.

He couldn't really find a reason to leave other than the time, which he was actively ignoring.

As his eyes were glued forward, he felt Izuku turn towards him. The greenette twirled the fibers of the fluffy blanket underneath his fingertips and looked shyly away at him.

"...So how did dinner with you-know-who go today?" The voice was quiet and could barely be heard over the TV.

Katsuki shrugged his shoulders and spread his legs a bit more, shifting ever so slightly. "It went," he grumbled, replaying how his ex was nearly in tears over the fact that he didn't want to get back together.

"How do you feel about it though? It's kinda hard when an ex shows up out of nowhere."

"You hit the nail on the head for that one, short stuff," he blew air out of his nostrils and frowned. "It felt like I was seeing a ghost, in a weird way. If that makes sense." He replayed everything that he was trying hard to forget and the more he thought about what happened the more irritated he became.

"...Do you think you'll get back together? It's kind of obvious that's what she wanted."

At this, Katsuki turned towards Izuku, mildly taken aback by the comment. Emerald eyes studied his face completely serious and Katsuki felt his chest squeeze.

Would he get back together with her if it came down to it?

"Yeah, that is what she wants," he echoed quietly. He looked harder at Izuku's freckles and then his eyes flickered down to the cherry pink lips that were dangerously close yet again to him. Suddenly the idea of him running back into Takeyama's arms felt unlikely. "...But that's not what I want."

Izuku's own eyes looked at his mouth and the bandaged hand of the detective squeezed the blanket in his hand.

"And what do you want?"

The air between them became thick with silence. Katsuki nearly frowned as he racked his brain for an answer to the question. As he searched, he realized Takeyama never really asked him what he wanted.

The blonde looked at Izuku carefully and studied how the light from the TV screen made it seem like his face was glowing in the dim living room. His heart thudded dully against his rib cage because what he did want was right in front of him.

Yet, it was something he wasn't too sure if he could actually indulge in.

"...Things I can't really have," he rasped out in a low voice.

Izuku glanced his eyes away as if he was thinking about the same thing.

At this Katsuki carded a hand through his hair, still feeling off balanced from dinner. "How would you feel, theoretically, if the ex who straight up fucking shattered your world just appeared back in your life? Without proper warning on top of it?"

Izuku let out a sharp laugh and leaned his head all the way back on the couch. The artist stared up at the ceiling with an ironic half smile.

"Literally the same as how you felt," Izuku whispered. "...Probably react like I was seeing a ghost..."

"You know what the craziest part about this is? She wanted to apologize for slapping the shit out of me four years ago," the workaholic bitterly said.

Izuku rolled his head towards him and twisted his body in his direction, moving them ever so slightly closer under the blanket.

"Really? That feels fairly late."

"My fucking thoughts exactly," he sneered thinking about that night. "She basically wanted to apologize for hitting me because she knew about my issues with my mother slapping me around growing up." Katsuki looked at Izuku with a vulnerable yet angry expression and worked his jaw.

Izuku eyebrows knitted together and a look of sympathy washed over his face, and the eldest looked away from it. He knew Izuku cared about him and right now he just...he just needed something he couldn't even fucking describe.

"...I'm sorry to hear that, no one deserves to get hit. Especially by their parents or partner."

"It's fine," he lied automatically, so used to pushing it off. "It's just funny how she decided to care about possibly fucking triggering me _now_. It took us getting launched off a damn motorcycle like a cartoon to grab her attention. How ironic is that?"

He made a face close to disgust and awaited Izuku's response but slowly a light chuckle echoed in the room. Katsuki turned towards Izuku like he had grown a second heard when the greenette straight out started having a laughing fit.

"What's so fucking funny, nerd? I'm trying to have a serious conversation."

"Nothing!" Izuku exclaimed, chuckling more. He smiled as he sunk deep into the couch and finally looked up to the baffled lieutenant. "Nothing is _actually_ funny. It's just...wow. I guess everyone is messed up in their own way, huh? Even you, the perfect symbol of victory of Shizuoka City."

Katsuki scoffed and shook his head. "Of course. It's damn near impossible to make it to your mid-twenties without getting fucked up in some way. You thought I had a perfect life or something?"

"Yeah, I kinda did. Have you googled yourself? You have like three fan pages." Izuku laughed out. "Well, more like thirst pages, but still. You're basically the chiseled blonde symbol of victory—Shizouka's ultimate bachelor."

"Chiseled blonde?" Katsuki blached in confusion, staring at Izuku in disbelief. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Not at all. I mean...it makes sense. There's a lot of things to admire about you, so not a surprise that people are actively doing so."

A spark of mischief in his chest made the lieutenant smirk.

"Oh? What are these things to actively admire about me, Deku?" He leaned in, the couch slightly sinking under his movements. "Please. Do tell."

Green eyes widened and then glanced away shyly, making Katsuki smirk even more when a soft blush spread across the freckled face.

"W-Well…I mean, you're hardworking," Izuku confessed quietly. "I hope to be as dedicated as you are when I move up in the ranks. I'm really happy I got you as my advisor. And you care a lot about the people in the city, along with everyone in your team. Despite your spiky personality, you're actually kind of soft. On top of all that...you're just over all kinda funny yet responsible...you never give up either."

As he was listening to Izuku, each word that was spoken made something in Katsuki feel lighter and a little bit more relaxed.

"Ah...I'll stop there. You look way too smug right now." A bandaged hand lifted up to push an out of place curl behind his pierced ear.

"Please, keep going. I'm enjoying this a lot." Katsuki's smirk turned into a full out grin, and he started to just appreciate the kindness that was purely Izuku. "Bet I'm in a new entry in that little fanboy book of yours, huh? What's something else?"

The detective bit his lip and ringed his hands like what Katsuki said was true and it only added to the swelling pride inside the workaholic's chest.

"...you also have a nice smile," was barely audible over the TV, but Katsuki heard it. He heard it and it made his heart constrict as his eyes soften.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, really. Like your actual smile, not that half smirk you always give," Izuku chuckled and threw a sincere look his way.

The corners of his mouth lifted up automatically at the sight of the tiny dimple and without knowing, Katsuki leaned in.

"...you have a nice smile too," he spoke back in the softest voice that even he's heard himself use. The gentle handling of the words gave them both a small pause.

Izuku glanced up at him from underneath the soft dark eyelashes with an expression of admiration painted across his beautiful face.

"Thank you...that means a lot."

And with that, the blonde truly knew he was doomed.

He wanted to kiss Izuku. He wanted to lean in so fucking badly and forget about Takeyama. Pretend as though he was with the beautiful greenette all day and actually went to the goddamn art exhibit instead of subjecting himself to the same terrible shit over and over again like he always did.

But he didn't. He stayed rooted, trying to ignore the silent pleading look that was hinted underneath Izuku's expression like the greenette wanted to lean in too.

Katsuki turned his head back towards the TV when he felt himself grow weaker in resisting Izuku's gravity.

The detective cleared his throat, snapping himself out of the small silence they had fallen into. "Um, it's getting late," he said with an apologetic look. "Thank you for bringing over snacks and watching Heroes Rising with me. Should you be getting back? We still have work tomorrow."

Katsuki nodded dryly. He looked at his watch, and where he usually would've winced at being up at nearly midnight on a weekday, he just stared blankly.

"Yeah...I should head back."

But he didn't want to. He could already feel the cold empty space that was his apartment against his skin and started to miss the warmth of being around Izuku.

"...Or you could stay over. L-Like the last time." The detective said as though it was forbidden fruit. The ash blonde turned towards him with an expression studying him carefully.

That sweet, caring smile shone brightly in the now dim room and Katsuki but his lip.

_This is a terrible fucking idea._ His logical thoughts automatically rang out. But the prospect of being alone sounded worse.

So, Katsuki nodded.

"Sure, that would be nice," he agreed. Izuku's face lit up and Katsuki winced while cutting his eyes at the detective carefully. "Just don't tell anyone, okay?" His voice was low to try to drive home how important it was that Izuku doesn't fucking spill that his commander was crashing on his couch again—fully intentional this time.

The greenette nodded as though he understood and gave him a serious, but satisfied expression.

"Yeah, I get it completely. Don't worry."

The tension from the blonde's shoulders eased when they exchanged small smiles of understanding.

_This is nice._ He thought loosely as Izuku got up and brought back a larger blue comforter for them. The smaller male positioned it over the other's body and playfully tucked the workaholic in with a goofy grin.

Izuku climbed under the mesh of blankets with a content look and grabbed the remote.

"Wanna stay up with me and keep watching the show?"

Katsuki didn't even glance at the clock as he sunk further into the security of the couch and blankets.

"Sure, nerd."

What he got back was his opinion of the world's most beautiful look of happiness.

They watched the show in a peaceful silence that neither attempted to break with an understanding for the other.

Time went on and the ugly feelings from the day washed off of the workaholic's skin. The heavy emotions were replaced with warmth and security.

Katsuki didn't say anything when Izuku repositioned himself closer to his side underneath the blanket, and Izuku didn't say anything when the lieutenant leaned in as well.

Neither said anything as they watched the figures on screen kiss each other passionately to the background music of a romantic song.

But both were longing for the exact same thing with the person next to them.

. . .

The next day came and the surprise dinner with his ex-melted away with the help of smiles and laughs from Izuku throughout the night.

They stayed up way later than he has since college, but he didn't regret it.

Why? Because he learned about Izuku's favorite color. It was dark red. He learned that Izuku loved red roses because his mother used to keep a bed of roses in the backyard of his childhood home in Yaizu.

He learned that Izuku loved the rain and the feeling of water against his skin. He learned that Izuku's favorite music was acoustic guitar, that he wanted to adopt a Shiba Inu, and finally he learned that he loved Izuku's laugh.

He learned all the tiny details about Izuku that only dug his grave deeper and deeper, but he wouldn't rewind time even if he had the power to.

Even despite what he found when he went to the bathroom later that night.

Izuku had fallen asleep on his shoulder and Katsuki wandered into the greenette's tiny bedroom to go pee.

When he got in the bathroom, he saw yet another red rose from fucking Mirio with another goddamn hopelessly romantic poem attached.

"Chaos is an angel who fell in love with a demon."

—**Christopher Poindexter**

He remembers reading the note and it made him confused.

It didn't entirely sound like something Mirio would choose to represent his emotions but then again, he had no idea what their relationship was like. This time Izuku put the delicate flower in a small glass vase with water.

He reasoned in his mind that Izuku _did_ love red roses and poetry, so maybe this was Mirio's way of helping Izuku cope with the loss of his parents. But it wasn't any of his damn business if Mirio wanted to send Izuku flowers. The curly haired male clearly didn't feel the same.

The blonde didn't think much of it after that. He left and took his spot back on the couch with the heavily snoring greenette.

He didn't say anything when Izuku subconsciously snuggled into his chest. The large blonde fully laid down on the coach with the greenette on top of him. Hesitantly, Katsuki wrapped his arms around the slim waist, indulging himself in the warmth he didn't really know he needed.

When they woke up in the morning, he pretended that the cuddling was a mistake and neither of them talked about it.

Friday came and went peacefully, as did the weekend. He got several texts from Izuku in these three days about random things and it felt so fucking refreshing.

**[Izuku M.]: I saw this really cute dog today! It looks like you :) fluffy and angry. **

**[Izuku M.]: Do you like cake? I'm considering buying one, but I know I'm not gonna finish it by myself. I can bring you some on Monday. **

**[Izuku M.]: There's this ice cream shop that sells ramune flavor. I haven't had any since moving here, let's go one day!**

He began to wonder why he had even resisted talking to the greenette all this entire time.

When Monday came around, he got the mass email from Toshinori about Todoroki Enji coming to the station.

The ash blonde took his time getting ready that morning long enough to look at the calendar. He noticed a particular date that had just passed that gave him pause.

_I didn't realize that was this Saturday. Wow, what terrible fucking timing. _His dark red eyes looked at the number on the calendar a little harder before taking out his phone.

Calloused fingers typed out a text with a pensive state of mind, unsure if he should even press send because it's always been up in the air if the offer was ever taken.

**[You]: If you want to call in, I wouldn't mark it against you. **

**[S. Todoroki]: No, it's fine. Thanks for the consideration though. I have things I want to talk to my father about today. **

Katsuki visibly frowned to himself at this but decided it was fine. Todoroki things were always fucking complicated.

His worried eyes glanced once more at the date before pushing it to the back of his mind.

. . .

"Good morning, Lieutenant!" Mina beamed at Katsuki when the content blonde walked in. "I have a couple case files for you to look over whenever you get the chance."

"Will do as soon as we finish going over the debriefing with Captain," he asked back automatically as he walked in to get coffee in the break room. "Is there anything else that needs to get put on the to do list today?" He asked pulling out his orange mug.

Mina nodded and started listing off a long to do list of cases or reports filed over the weekend. Katsuki nodded diligently while listening to her relay off all the things that needed to get handled the upcoming week.

The door for the break room unlocked, and on pure instinct everyone's head turned around. Shouto walked in with a particularly blank face, more than his usual stoic demeanor. His mismatched eyes scanned everyone briefly before giving a polite, but empty, good morning.

Everyone immediately could pick up that something was off, but only Katsuki knew exactly what was wrong. So, he turned his crimson eyes away and let the sergeant be standoffish.

He had a good reason to be.

However, as the morning conversation in the break room continued, it was notable that the half and half man was quieter than usual, which worried a couple of the other colleagues.

Denki took a seat next to Shouto, his face wrapped in concern. "Hey, are you okay?" The electric blonde asked, fully worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Shouto replied with a tight smile. He put his blue coffee mug down and stared into the dark colored liquid inside of his cup crestfallen. "My brother's birthday just passed so I went home yesterday...and it was just the same thing yet again."

At this, Denki's face lightened up and he patted Shouto's shoulder joyfully. "Oh, tell Natsuo happy birthday for me!"

Shouto looked at the detective completely confused, but wholeheartedly offended. The tall male narrowed his eyes at the comment before standing up abruptly. Katsuki winced while silently sipping his coffee.

"Sure thing, Kaminari," the deep voice said in a clipped tone. The sergeant grabbed his coffee mug before walking out of the break room without another word, leaving everyone inside extremely quiet.

Denki's gold eyes glanced around puzzled, wondering what he had just done wrong. He looked at Kirishima for an answer, but the red-haired man just shrugged, just as baffled by the behavior.

When the detective didn't seem to get an answer about the rude behavior he huffed and leaned back in his chair. "Jeez, what crawled up Shouto's ass today?" He exclaimed, crossing his arms.

At this Katsuki shook his head and gave his friend a pointed look. "Be mindful around the sergeant today, detective," he stated in a stern manner. "It's a sensitive time for him and shit."

"It's a sensitive time for all of us!" Denki replied back with an exasperated expression. "This mystery pyro is batshit, what if my house is next!? He's been sitting in silence for three weeks and it's driving me crazy with anxiety!"

"Alright, calm down Detective Pikachu, just listen to what your commander says." Kirishima interjected. "If Kat says to back off of Shouto today, just do so. Got it?" The tall redhead placed a hand of reassurance on the electric blonde's back and gave a friendly smile.

"Ugh!" The worried detective threw his hands up before taking a deep breath in. "Yes, sergeant. Got it," Denki conceded and gave Kirishima a small smile.

Katsuki shook his head at the exchange, but still glanced out the window of the break room to Shouto who was now at his desk looking quietly through paperwork.

. . .

They filed into the debriefing room, and like fucking always, Enji was late.

This was one of the many character flaws Katsuki learned he didn't care for when it came to Enji. The man took his time getting places because he was the Chief of Police and felt like people should mold around him.

Toshinori started without him, because while the canary blonde male respected the longtime Chief of Police, he didn't respect tardiness. As the captain was speaking, Katsuki couldn't help but watch Shouto carefully along with Izuku, who seemed to be in a fairly leveled out mood.

The greenette politely said 'hello' to him and they exchanged quiet smiles between each other right before Toshinori finally started going through all the known facts about the recent arson crimes.

About half way Katsuki heard the door behind them open. He didn't need to look back to know who it was, but still Kirishima leaned close to him to inform him.

"Todoroki Enji is finally here," Kirishima mumbled quietly from beside him during the briefing.

Katsuki shifted his eyes to Izuku who was diligently taking notes and Shouto, on the other side of the room, who was analyzing the words Toshinori was giving.

"Well," the ash blonde clicked his tongue. "This should be interesting."

"Ah, Enji," Toshinori spoke up, interrupting his explanation of the type of detonator that was used. "So nice of you to join us!" Katsuki smirked silently because he could tell this was the captain's polite smile and not the 'I'm actually glad you're here' one.

"So sorry about that," the deep grainy voice of the police chief said. "There was a hold up down in the main headquarters." At this, Katsuki finally turned around to lay his eyes on Enji. He was just as tall, large and intimidating as he remembered from the last time he saw him.

The man had a small hint of stubble across his chin giving him the look of a five o' clock shadow and as though he had been working non-stop without much break. The Chief was wearing his dark blue shirt that was decorated in countless silver and gold badges, awards and symbols of status.

The dark red-haired Chief turned his piercing teal eyes to Katsuki, and they lit up ever so slightly, making Katsuki give his automatic polite smile back.

"Ah, Bakugou! So great to see you here," the large beamed at him. Enji took several steps towards him and placed a large hand on his shoulder. "So sorry that it seems like this criminal has it out for you. We'll get to the bottom of this so you can go back to living peacefully."

"Thank you, sir," Katsuki said back with a business formal tone of voice and smile. It's not that he didn't like Enji…he just wasn't fond of the man and all the awkward situations he used to put him in when he used to intern with him. Plus, everything else that came along with Todoroki Enji.

The ash blonde lieutenant turned his head back forward when Toshinori motioned for Enji to take his seat up front with him.

Then that's when he saw it.

Izuku did a double take at Enji. The blonde watched carefully as several uncontrollable mixed emotions flashed across Izuku's face: anger, disgust, conflict and then finally, blankness.

Just as quickly as the emotions came, they were neatly tucked away. Izuku took a small deep breath in before turning his head away from the Chief of Police. He kept his gaze down when the man passed him, holding bated breath.

Enji walked by without noticing a single thing, and the man didn't even register Izuku's presence until Toshinori introduced him.

The Chief politely said 'hello' to the freckled man and introduced himself like he was a stranger. The greenette took his hand with a plastic smile plastered across his lips.

The dry exchange finished, and Katsuki watched Enji closely for any inclination of recognition of Izuku's face like Shouto's.

But there was none. Yet and still, Izuku glanced back at Enji when he walked away.

. . .

The meeting concluded just like it had done before. Shinsou gave the breakdown of the type of detonator used and of his plans to help and Enji assumed his role of the top on the investigation. While the man was problematic, he did care about saving lives and stopping criminals the best he could.

They walked out of the room with everyone thinking hard about what they just heard and Katsuki was repeating the fact that these detonators were confided to Yaizu up until recently. The lieutenant frowned when he thought about Shindo Yo from nearly two months ago.

A lot of things from Yaizu seemed to be spilling in recently.

On cue, a certain greenette passed him by, nose deep in his composition book of notes looking at what he scribbled down carefully. The cluster of police officers walked back to the main floor with mild tension in the air. Tension that, truly, always followed Enji around because of how controversial he was.

"Hey," Kirishima spoke up from beside the tall blonde, stopping him right before he entered into his office. "I know this is personal, and I don't really have to know…but…why does sergeant Todoroki seem so irritated today?"

Katsuki in this moment glanced over to see Shouto gesture Enji off to the side. He groaned slightly when he could already tell this was going to end badly. It always did. Those two never could fucking get for a long period of time anymore.

"Don't tell anyone this, but it was his brother's birthday on Saturday," Katsuki mumbled below his breath, looking Kirishima in the face with a deadly serious expression. "I usually let him take a small vacation around this time because it still affects him a fair amount, y'know? Dunno why that dumbass didn't take the day off like I suggested."

He could in the background Enji and Shouto's voice slowly get louder.

"Huh? Why would he be irritated about Natsuo's birthday?" Kirishima murmured back. "He's is a pretty cool dude from the few times he's come to the picnics the last couple of years."

"Wrong brother, dipshit," Katsuki hissed, and out of the corner of his eye he could see Enji and Shouto's conversation steadily rise in temper. "I mean Touya's. He always gets moody around this time of year because his dad never celebrates it with everyone else."

"Oh—oh _shit_." Kirishima's eyes widened and looked over his shoulder at the now arguing pair of Todorokis. "Isn't that the brother that—"

A loud groan cut him off and echoed throughout the floor of the U.A precinct. All the officers paused what they were doing as their attention was brought to the irritated large red-haired man.

"Shouto, I'm not doing this with you right now," Enji said in a deep voice that barely left any room for questions. But Shouto wasn't affected by this tone of voice anymore, so he questioned.

"When are you going to though?" The youngest Todoroki asked in a stern manner. "You don't answer my calls around this time of year. His birthday just passed, and you haven't said a word about it."

Katsuki grimaced and cast his eyes downward, thinking about Touya and the last encounter he had with the eldest Todoroki son.

"You sure care an awful lot about someone who gave you that damn scar on your face. I would think out of everyone you'd be the last person to give a shit about him," Enji hissed, starting to walk away. "He ruined everything he touched."

Everyone watched as Shouto seemed to be on the end of his line and angrily followed after his father. It was clear his determination was unshaken as he yelled after the man quickly leaving.

"But you never talk about what happened. You can't just act like he didn't exist just because he didn't fall in line with everything you try to put up as a front. I'm not the only one who feels like this you know."

"I don't care about what happened to him," the Chief of Police said in a hard tone that only seemed to offset Shouto more. "He dug his own grave."

"You should care. Considering he wouldn't be dead if you hadn't kicked him out," Shouto yelled out when Enji touched the door handle. Everyone held their breath when the chief stopped dead in his tracks and his grip on the silver handle tightened to the point his knuckles turned white.

It wasn't a secret amongst the officers about Touya's death and how much it had affected Shouto. Losing a family member was hard, but only Katsuki really went out of his way for the sake of the team to ensure that Shouto was comfortable around this time of year.

Out of all the policemen, the blonde was the only one who knew Touya's birthday due to knowing the family prior to his employment at U.A.

He remembers how Shouto had remained quiet for several days after receiving the news about his older brother's death. The youngest Todoroki attended the sudden funeral that everyone in the family had to pitch in to help pay for.

Well, every Todoroki except Enji.

"He was on the streets alone and vulnerable because of you," Shouto said in a broken voice.

Enji ripped his hand off the handle and turquoise eyes full of hurt and anger pointed towards his son. The man didn't look at anyone else as he walked back onto the main floor.

"You don't think I tried to keep him alive?" Enji exclaimed, staring at Shouto in disbelief. "He was my eldest son, of course I cared about him! But Touya was already on a path of self-destruction before I made the decision to kick him out. Bakugou can even attest to that!"

The man spoke clearly, and everyone's eyes turned to land on the lieutenant—including Izuku's. Red met green and Katsuki could've sworn Izuku looked paler than usual.

_Why the fuck does he always do this? _Katsuki internally growled to himself flashing back to all the times Enji would uncomfortably praise him in front of Touya. So much so to the point he could feel the resentment roll off the eldest son in waves before the ginger just snapped on him one day.

When all the eyes were on his body too long, Katsuki felt deeply uncomfortable. "I mean this with all due respect chief, but I would rather keep out of this." He said in a tone that he hoped wouldn't offend the commander, but he had enough of weird ass Todoroki things—that family had too much drama for his taste.

Shouto looked at him with an apologetic gaze before focusing his eyes on his father. "Quit dragging Bakugou into this all the time, he didn't make you kick Touya out."

Katsuki felt a twinge of guilt at the statement, thinking about the last time he had contact with Touya. Well, the last time _any _of them had.

It ended terribly—explosively even.

"I'm not asking that you put up an entire shrine for him, but it would just be nice if you at the very least acknowledged what happened," Shouto continued. "Or bare minimum came to the cemetery with the rest of us on his birthday."

"Your brother sold drugs and got involved with the wrong people," Enji yelled back, not backing down. "There. I acknowledged it. Now, can you stop acting out for attention, Shouto? You're twenty-six not sixteen."

But his son just shook his head. Mixed emotions flashed across the handsome sergeant's face. The Chief looked back at him with an expectant look, hoping his youngest would let this go.

"You're impossible," the half and half sergeant muttered. Katsuki watched as his comrade turned on his heels and went back towards his own section in the U.A precinct. Enji did the same, tension heavy in his shoulders from getting cornered.

The loud sound of a chair screeching backwards pulled Katsuki's gaze in the direction of Izuku, who looked incredibly pale. The greenette stood up and looked around as though he was going to faint and quickly hurried past Katsuki without giving him a second glance.

"...Midoriya?" Katsuki called as the blur of green passed him. But Izuku didn't stop and it made him slightly worried.

Kirishima looked at him concerned as well. Katsuki took in a long sigh before following the hurried footsteps of the young detective around the corner.

He watched how Izuku stumbled into the bathroom, pushing the door open with urgency. The greenette caught himself on the white porcelain counter of the bathroom and leaned over it taking several deep gulps of breaths in like he was trying to calm himself down.

If Katsuki was just kind of worried before, he was downright fucking concerned now. He approached carefully, extremely disquieted. Between this, the fire talk and Touya, Katsuki couldn't exactly tell what Izuku was really reacting towards.

"Are you okay?" He asked, leaning over the counter top next to Izuku's hunched over figure.

The freckled man just shook his head and waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, I'm fine..."

Katsuki 'tch'd under his breath before rolling his eyes.

"You don't have to lie to me, you're clearly not fine," he retorted with short patience. "I'm your commanding officer. It's my job to make sure everyone is okay on the squad and can operate effectively. So, I need to know if you're okay so you can do your job or not, Midoriya."

Izuku closed his eyes and took one more large breath of air before nodding. His bandaged hand ran through his thick head of curls before nodding again. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Sorry about that."

A large part of Katsuki didn't believe what Izuku was saying but he took it, nonetheless. Those emerald eyes that made him weak looked at him with sincerity, begging Katsuki to believe him and it clouded over his judgement.

He took in Izuku's rigid appearance and his mind flashed back to the briefing room. The emotions that crumbled onto the detective's face still worried him, and frankly he really wanted some answers on what was going on with Izuku and the Todorokis.

Did he know them? Was he just avoiding Shouto because he disliked him, and maybe Shouto really was mistaking him? He licked his dry lips before leaning into Izuku's space.

"Do…do you know the Chief of Police? I saw the look you gave him when he walked in." He pointed his intense red eyes onto Izuku's features, ready to catch a lie because fuck, that look the youngest gave Enji was unsettling.

But Izuku didn't break his eye contact, and the freckled face stayed looking as sweet as Katsuki expected it to.

"No. I don't know him personally; I just don't like him," Izuku said. Katsuki could tell it was the truth, which made him soften a bit more. "I think he gives a bad rep to police officers."

"I can agree with you real fucking hard on that one," Katsuki murmured under his breath in complete agreeance. He glanced at Izuku who took another deep breath in and leaned against the tiled wall in the bathroom.

"...You don't look too hot."

The greenette just waved again dismissively, crossing his arms. "I'll be fine. J-Just give me a couple of minutes. I think I must've eaten something bad yesterday."

_Such a fucking lie._ Katsuki thought bitterly. The longer he stayed taking in Izuku's appearance, the more he realized that Izuku was covering something up. But maybe he just didn't feel comfortable about telling Katsuki flat out what was exactly wrong.

It made him frown. He wanted Izuku to feel comfortable around him enough to tell him things. So, he clicked his tongue and decided to offer up something that he felt might remedy the situation.

"You look like you could use some air. How about we go on patrol for a little while?"

At this, Izuku visibly relaxed. "Really?"

"Yeah, dork. Really. Go get suited up."

Izuku smiled at him and Katsuki decided to let it go. Whatever the fuck was going on with the Todorokis, maybe it really was what Izuku said it was: nothing.

. . .

Forest green curls bounced quietly in the breeze flowing inside the car as Izuku leaned his head all the way back against the seat of the moving patrol car. Katsuki smiled to himself as the other officer looked completely at ease.

"Feeling better?" The deep voice of the lieutenant rasped out. The blonde kept his eyes forward on the road the best he could, glancing to Izuku out of the corner of his eye.

The greenette rolled his head against the seat to look at him with a content twinkle in his jade eyes. "Yeah, I think I just needed to get out in the station. I sometimes forget that I get a little claustrophobic when there's a lot of people in one space."

"It's cool, no judgement from me. Just tell me when you start feeling like that, alright?" Katsuki reassured Izuku, while driving past various stop signs. "You're a part of my team and under my watch until further notice, which means I need to make sure you're able to operate at your best at all times."

They rolled past various cars in separate lanes to them, the brisk summer air creating a calm ambience inside of the blue and white squad car. Katsuki glanced out the window looking at pedestrians who were happily going about their day.

Izuku hummed quietly next to him. "Should I tell you I need a break even if it comes down to things that...make me weak? Like pyrophobia and agoraphobia?"

They stopped at a red traffic light, and Katsuki turned fully to stare Izuku in the eye.

"Look, if I can make an exception to go out of my way for Denki and make sure that he leaves work on Thursdays an extra two hours early for his damn secret band practice, I can go out of my way to go on patrol whenever you need space from the precinct. Accommodations don't make you fucking weak." He flashed a smirk down at the greenette. "Got it?"

"Got it. Thank you." Izuku smiled beautifully back at him and for a moment Katsuki was lost in his eyes again. He felt his grip on the transmission stick tightened as he tried to restrain himself from leaning in and giving into what his body wanted.

Light as a feather, he felt Izuku's hand brush against his own that was wrapped around tightly on the gear shift. Katsuki's heart sped up at the gentle gesture and he looked downwards to see Izuku's hand hesitantly positioned against his.

"...Katsuki," the soft voice whispered above the song playing on the radio. "A-About what I said last Friday...when I said I liked you..." Red eyes looked up in what felt like slow motion to Izuku and he saw a pink blush spread across the detective's face.

But his heart stopped when his sights focused on the vehicle outside the window behind Izuku's head.

And it was coming directly towards them at full speed.

By the time he called out, it felt too late.

"IZUKU—" His voice cracked when the giant steel black van rammed into the side of the car.

The lieutenant's world spun, blurring all the colors in his vision as he felt the painful snap and sound of air bag burst. His body jerked around with the spinning car, causing his head to fall forward into the plastic airbag, smothering him briefly. He squeezed his eyes closed, trying to hold on to anything—absolutely fucking anything—as the car spun completely out of his control.

His vision was completely black as he squeezed his eyes shut. His stomach turned upside down as the hard impact whiplashed his neck and the sound of glass shattering mixed in with Izuku's scream. The nail-biting sound of the tires skidding across the grey pavement filled his senses as he pressed down on the brakes with full force, only for the squad car come to a sharp snap of a halt from colliding with a lamp post.

The window next to his head shattered upon the violent impact and white noise rang through his ears as he face-planted into the air bag.

Katsuki opened his eyes and let go of the death grip he had on the steering wheel to try to look around frantically.

Izuku was beside him bleeding out of his nose against the white air bag, groaning with glass shards littered all over his body and entangled in his hair.

The blonde's world swayed out of focus like he was seasick as he lifted his face off the airbag. His vision doubled with the amount of blood that was left behind on the plastic surface, but he was more worried about Izuku than struggling to pick himself up.

"Izuku?" Katsuki's cracked voice called out in a higher octave than usual. When he didn't get a response, he cursed under his breath. He tried his best to loosen his own too tight seat belt to no avail.

"H-Hang on—" The ash blonde called out when he decided to give up on trying to free himself. He reached over to try to unbuckle Izuku's seatbelt but found himself unsuccessful as it was jammed.

"Fuck!" He cursed as Izuku finally lifted his head up. Green eyes blinked open, instantly afraid and Izuku lifted a hand to touch his face. Smears of blood were left on his hand as he stared down in horror at the red liquid.

"K-Katsuki? What just h-happen—"

The loud metallic screeching of the passenger door being pried open made Izuku's sentence run dry. Both policemen turned their heads towards the person in all black, blocking out the bright sun.

"Hey there, lieutenant," the deep distorted voice called out casually. The man in the all too familiar nightmarish gasmask tilted his head like it was a fun game, holding a crowbar in his hand. "We're here to pick up something."

The arsonist pulled out a knife from his leather jacket with his free hand and with an unnerving amount of quick precision, cut Izuku free from his seat belt. The greenette let out a cry of distress as the man forcefully dragged him by the roots of hair out of the car with brute strength.

"Get your fucking hands off of him!" The blonde viciously yelled out, trying to unjam his seat belt. He felt the sting in his fingers as he dug into the plastic and finally felt the material gave with a small click. He reached forward for the glove department to grab his gun, but the second he got it in his hand, he heard the driver's door wrenched open.

Before he could turn around, an arm strangled him from behind in a chokehold. He let out a loud cry as whatever figure dragged him out of the now wrecked squad car and tossed him onto the cold ground. Shards of glass dug into his skin as he felt a sharp heel dig deep into his arm, pinning him down onto the ground.

"Sorry about this. I hate to ruin such a handsome face," the distorted preppy voice of a woman apologized, swinging a crowbar down at the lieutenant's face with full force.

The blonde used all his adrenaline to quickly catch the weapon in place with his free hand, teeth grinding as he fought with just one arm against the strength of the person above him. She dug her black stiletto into his bicep, but he didn't let go as he ignored the intense pain.

Katsuki glanced up to finally get a clear look at the attacker. What he saw was someone dressed in a gas mask as well along with a black hoodie, matching exactly the same as the man that was now currently dragging a fighting Izuku towards a black van. Katsuki started to panic.

_They're trying to take Izuku— _

"I'll put him into the van. Take care of golden boy over there," the deep voice of the arsonist called to the woman.

Katsuki wavered briefly at the familiar nickname.

_Golden boy…?_

His momentary lapse of distraction was enough time for the woman above him to yank back the crowbar and twist her heel into his skin more, ripping a painful cry from his lips.

But the ash blonde male rebounded quickly and twisted his body to roll over from underneath her foot, causing her to trip and fall off balance.

He whirled his head around wildly to see Izuku fighting against two larger men, however they seemed to guess his every move. A new body hooked his arms behind the struggling greenette, trying to force him towards the van. But Izuku kept shaking him off. The skilled greenette maneuvered out of his grasp and swiped for the arsonist, successfully pulling down the man's hoodie to reveal stark black hair.

The lieutenant tried to run towards the three bodies on the other side of the car but was stopped when the crackling sound of a gunshot echoed out and then an intense pain rippled throughout his arm.

He fell down onto the pavement again, sharp glass cutting into his pale skin from the impact. The pain from the glass digging into his skin didn't compare to the pain that was swelling in his bicep. The woman had fucking _shot_ him.

The greenette turned his head towards him and quickly pushed the man trying to pin him down off and ran towards Katsuki. But the arsonist was hot on his heels when Izuku reached out towards his commander on the ground.

"Katsu—_AH_!" Izuku let out a blood curdling cry that caused Katsuki's blood to run cold. He watched terrified as the black-haired arsonist grabbed Izuku from behind and sunk a needle into the back of the greenette's neck. Izuku's eyes immediately rolled back in pain as he stumbled on his feet.

The surprisingly strong, masked man picked up the screaming detective seamlessly. Katsuki could see tears start to form in Izuku's eyes as the greenette's struggles started to become more and more limp. Everything inside of him felt cold like ice.

They were actually fucking trying to take Izuku—his mind was unkind and flashed to an image of the freckled man being burned alive as a statement like the pyromaniac had intended for Aizawa.

Katsuki grabbed for the radio on his blue jacket and pressed the red button to send a message out to all police officers in the city. "We have Code Red! There is an attempted kidnapping of an officer on Osaka street! Send back up immedi—" A crowbar smashed against his temple, effectively cutting him off. "—_Fuck_—"

Suddenly, the overwhelming smell of gasoline started to leak into his senses as he watched the woman start to douse the broken squad car in the offensive smelling substance. Katsuki sat nearly petrified as she threw a lit match into the car, successfully lighting it up.

His heart sank quicker and quicker the larger the flames grew because he knew there was only so much time before the fire reached the gas tank.

"Sorry, the pretty freckled guy is ours," the masked woman cackled madly. She kneeled down beside him as Katsuki tried to catch his balance, spitting out blood from his mouth. "He's so cute, isn't he? We'll be taking him now, thank you very much."

He heard Izuku's whine start to break down into desperate cries in the distance and a fire was ignited within his chest. "No," he growled out from between his clenched teeth. "Absolutely fuckin' _not_."

Katsuki pushed through the pain, biting down hard on his cheek to ignore the burning pain in his left arm. He reached up and wrestled the crowbar away from the woman before she could blink and smashed the metallic item against her knees, making her fall to the ground. The gun latched onto her side fell to the pavement and the blonde grabbed for it.

Frantic red eyes looked up to see the arsonist pass a limp Izuku to his secondary henchman as he walked out of sight to the driver's side of the van.

Katsuki looked at the man walking away with Izuku and aimed directly at the man's legs. He took two clean shots to his kneecaps without a moment's hesitation.

The secondary masked man crumbled to the ground with a glass shattering scream, dropping a nearly unconscious Izuku hard on the ground. "You fucking bastard!" The man cried out as he yelled for the other two.

"Shit!" The woman spoke up beside him when she stood up and saw her companion on the ground. She limped past Katsuki to go try to help up the other man in all black off the ground.

The lieutenant ran up to the struggling greenette on the ground who was blinking rapidly and barely moving. Katsuki glanced up at this moment to see the arsonist and the new mystery woman pick the screaming man off the ground.

Without wasting a second, Katsuki shoved the gun in his belt and grabbed the whimpering greenette off the ground. Izuku's hands immediately grabbed on to him, gripping his jacket helplessly as the detective tried to fight against whatever fucking drug they just shoved in his body.

The arsonist and the woman helped their bleeding companion into the plateness van, shutting the door behind them, Katsuki backed away to the far side behind the wrecked squad car, putting distance between himself, the attempted kidnappers and the soon to implode car.

And as if on cue, a loud crackle echoed, and the car combusted into flames.

Katsuki quickly turned around, kneeled down and pressed Izuku's head into the crook his neck. He shielded the greenette away from the image of the flames and squeezed his eyes shut when the wall of fire reached up towards the sky.

The heavy breathing blonde looked over his shoulder through the grey smoke to see a thick mirage from the heat. On the other side of the flames, was the distorted image of the arsonist standing there deathly still.

He didn't need to see the man's face to know whoever was behind the mask was severely pissed off. But Katsuki knew the shots he landed in the man's companion would cause him to bleed out if they didn't get help immediately.

The arsonist's black hair swayed in the wind with the smoke and his fist clenched when the cries from his goon got louder. Reluctantly, he turned around and pulled his hoodie back up. He quickly climbed in the driver's seat and back the damaged van up and drive away with a skillful quickness.

Crimson eyes glared after them as he clutched the smaller body against his own, still shaken. The heat from the burning squad car was a reminder that this man was actively looking for a cop to burn alive. A small cry against his uniform brought his attention back to the officer in his arms.

"You're okay. I got you," he reassured when the hands trying to grasp onto him started to lose grip. "I got you, don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."

He pulled the other's head back to see Izuku start to drift, but green eyes held immense fear as the officer unwillingly slipped into unconsciousness. Sirens started to blare in the distance when Izuku officially went slack in his grasp.

Katsuki looked back up to see the van gone.

. . .

The ambulance, fire department and Toshinori came as quick as they could. Someone had jammed the radio channels causing a small delay. It didn't take a genius to figure out whoever tried to kidnap Izuku jammed into the U.A radio station, causing a delay in police officers arriving on the scene.

Toshinori sat inside the ambulance silently with an unconscious Izuku and an extremely beaten up Katsuki with a gunshot wound. The captain quietly stared at his blonde subordinate, who was dazed, lost in a faraway memory.

_Golden boy. _

"Bakugou?" Toshinori called, making red eyes look towards him. "What's on your mind?"

Katsuki wanted to tell him he thinks he truly saw a ghost. But he still wasn't sure if he heard right, or if it was the early events from the day caused his brain to pull up ancient memories. So, he decided not to voice the absurd thought that was running through his head.

"...Nothing."

_Golden boy. _

Katsuki convinced himself that he must've misheard because there was only one person to ever refer to him as that. But there was no way that they could've done so now because not only was the hair color of the arsonist wrong, it was impossible for such a thing to ever occur.

_Golden Boy._

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A/N: …Hope this wasn't too bad! The next chapter is a super fun flashback. The ball is officially rolling! The two chapters following the flash back are extremely heated & fluffy to balance out the angst ^_^ Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! If you're able to, check out the songs that were linked, they're some of my faves.

Lemme know what you think! :D I love comments with all of my heart and soul.

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**Preview for Next Chapter:**

"—Hey, golden boy," a deep voice called out to him while he passed a dirty, sketchy alley. Katsuki looked down the dark narrow passage to see sharp turquoise eyes boring into him from above a garbage fire pit. "Whatcha doing out here all alone? Kinda past your bedtime." A taunting smile enveloped the young adult's face, his silver snake bite piercing shining against the reflective light of the fire.

The ash blonde 'tch'd and tried his best to keep walking. He had to find a place to sleep tonight and he wasn't about to deal with this dumbass delinquent and his friends.


	8. Icarus

Hiii! Super early update because today is my birthday! So, my gift to ya'll is an early chapter! Hurrah! ^_^ I hope you enjoy!

**Song for this chapter is Arsonists' Lullaby by Hozier.** Please check it out! I love it and it inspired this story.

Thank you to the amazing and AWESOME nmatthews on AO3 for betaing like always and being a great friend!

**Also, as a note about the POV switch to Izuku:** It will happen! A couple people have asked me about this and I just wanted to reassure ya'll that it's coming. Based on my full outline for the story it'll be a while and unfortunately, I can't give an exact chapter. As I'm actually writing, this story is shaping up to be much longer than I anticipated, but that's okay! Certain plot points need to happen in Katsuki's POV before switching to Izuku's. Then you'll get the full detailed flashbacks of his past as chapters. I just ask for your patience on that front, please and thank you :)

Alrighty, show on the road! It's relatively a short one.

**Warnings: Depiction of abusive households.**

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**Chapter 8 - **Icarus

"_Many know that his wings melted off because he flew too close to the sun, but the other warning of flying too near to the sea is often forgotten. _

_The tale of both Icaruses: two sides of the same coin but different paths. In which Katsuki flies too high and Touya flies too low."_

.

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8 years ago

"I just don't understand why you couldn't find a damn internship in Tokyo!" His mother yelled, prying into his privacy. "Tokyo is huge for policemen and you chose to go out to Shizuoka City!? Stupid. You're so stupid sometimes."

Katsuki 'tch'd as he pushed her pointed finger out of his face.

He had been home for what? A total of barely two days and his parents were already expressing their displeasure with him. It was starting to feel like there wasn't anything he could do to satisfy them anymore.

"It just didn't fucking work out that way! It's not a big deal!" He yelled back, not understanding what the issue was. "Plus, I actually like Shizuoka. Much better than this overrated crap shoot of a city—"

"So, that's it? You purposefully got an internship to try to get out of Tokyo, to get away from your family? You're so goddamn spoiled."

The nineteen-year old's face twisted in irritation at the far reach in logic. How the fuck did him doing an out of province internship turn into a personal attack?

He tried to open his mouth to tell his parents that wasn't the case but was cut off by his father.

"Katsuki, I have to agree with your mother on this one," the deep disapproving tone chimed in. "She's completely right. You taking that internship comes off as rude." The older man looked tired and fairly disinterested. He didn't actually care; he was just going along with this shit storm.

It drove the teen up the _wall_.

"When don't you fucking agree with her," he hissed, earning two intense looks of disapproval.

"What the hell did you just say, brat!?"

"You fucking heard me, you hag! I'm so sick of this!" He screamed, losing it. "I come home for the weekend to try to have a peaceful goddamn few days and instead you're both sitting up here bitching about your son getting an internship out of the province—"

Before he could say anything more, his mother's fist connected with his bottom lip, silencing him. Mitsuki then immediately shoved her son against the kitchen door.

Katsuki stumbled, hitting his head against the wooden surface and he gritted his teeth at the taste of iron that trickled onto his tongue.

Intense red eyes burned into his while holding him against the wooden frame.

"Get out," Mitsuki sneered.

Katsuki got deathly quiet as he glanced at the digital clock on the microwave. "It's eleven o' clock at night. Where the fuck am I supposed to go?"

"I don't give a damn, you ungrateful piece of shit. If you love Shizuoka City so much, then go back there." She let go and Katsuki eyes turned red from holding back tears. "Don't bother coming home again until I tell you to—or until I even feel like seeing you!"

"Fine, _whatever_. I'd rather sleep next to the fucking homeless people at this point."

He pushed past her to storm into his room, refusing to let a single tear fall. His thoughts raced a mile per minute because this wasn't how this was supposed to go.

Plenty of the other interns were back home visiting family, his summer roommate included. They probably weren't getting reamed for landing an internship.

What kind of ass-backwards logic was this?

The ash blonde teen shoved his clothes into his red duffle bag ungracefully. Once filled with everything he needed, the teen stormed to the front of the house like a hurricane and ripped open the front door.

"You're going to make a terrible police officer!" He heard his mother call out, rubbing salt in the wound.

Katsuki slammed the door shut behind him.

. . .

"Stupid ass woman with her stupid ass temper and stupid ass dad with his complacent _bullshit_—" Katsuki muttered through his gritted teeth. The pissed off blonde rambled to himself while aggressively bumping the shoulders of any stranger that didn't get the fuck out of his way.

He had just wanted to come home for a weekend to tell his parents about his progress at the new internship but lo and behold: of course, the fucking _Bakugous_ can't fucking do that. They couldn't give him a single peaceful weekend after he worked so hard the last month and a half.

The humid summer heat made his skin feel sticky and only added to his aggravation. Why must everything be so crowded all the time? And so goddamn loud? He just wanted a peaceful damn night...was that too much to fucking ask for?

His pace slowed ever so slightly the more his thoughts started to calm down. Hurt yet angry ruby eyes glanced around at the night life in the busy bustling city.

Loud cars were blowing their horns while the skyscrapers twinkled with yellow and blue neon colors. Pedestrians happily walked by with hands full of shopping bags, couples smiling at each other and families giggling during the beautiful Saturday night.

Everyone in Tokyo looked so fucking _happy_.

He stopped walking to take in the overwhelming atmosphere that was purely shitty ass Tokyo. He glanced dejectedly at the commercial of the content family that played on the large, bright jumbotron.

Despite it being so close, and in his face, it felt far out of reach for someone like him.

So, Katsuki decided he hated it.

. . .

The next train out to Shizuoka City departed at midnight and didn't arrive in the neighboring city until 2:04 am.

The hot-headed teenager got off the tram with the rest of the passengers only to realize he left his fucking dorm keycard back in Tokyo.

_Are you shitting me?_ He thought to himself, patting down his pockets. The blonde groaned out loud, earning several looks from other people.

He thought about going back in the morning, but the burning sensation from his busted lip told him just to ask for a new keycard to the dorm and make up some excuse.

But now the lack of access posed the question: where the fuck was he supposed to sleep _now_? He hadn't meant it literally when he said he'd rather sleep with homeless people. He had his laptop and other devices on him, and he wasn't exactly okay with getting mugged.

He sighed as he exited the train station and started walking down the dark, empty streets of Shizuoka.

It was a long walk back to the downtown area from the station, and admittedly there were sketchy people out around this time of night. But he didn't care too much.

The blonde teen was currently texting all his colleagues at the internship to see if anyone was up this late and at the dorms. But everyone was pretty much at home with their fucking families.

Katsuki shoved his phone in his pocket begrudged.

_Whatever. I'll just figure something else out. _The tired blonde ran his hand down his face and let out a muffled groan of exhaustion into his fist.

He finally got to the downtown area and there was a little bit more life in the streets. But it was calm. Compared to the overcrowded sidewalks of Tokyo that he grew up on, this was a major improvement.

He glanced up at the full moon glowing brightly above the city and took a deep breath in.

_Everything will be fine_..._it has to be._

"—Hey, golden boy," a deep voice echoed while he passed a dirty, sketchy alley.

Katsuki looked down the dark narrow passage to see sharp turquoise eyes boring into him from above a garbage fire pit.

"Whatcha doing out here all alone? Kinda past your bedtime." A taunting smile enveloped the young adult's face, his silver snake bite piercing shining against the reflective light of the fire.

The ash blonde 'tch'd and tried his best to keep walking. He had to find a place to sleep tonight and he wasn't about to deal with this dumbass delinquent and his friends.

"Fuck off, Touya," he replied back, and a loud eruption of laughter echoed throughout the empty space.

"Aw, don't be like that, Katsuki," the fake coy voice retorted. The blonde paused his walking to glare down the other young adult who was leaning over the flickering flames. "Seriously, c'mere for a second. You don't want to be walking this side of town alone this time of night."

The intern paused at this. He gritted his teeth when he realized the dumbass was right. Plus, no one was responding to his texts so...whatever.

Katsuki walked down the alleyway, allowing the shadows to engulf him.

The alley itself was narrow, dimly lit by various pit fires and some deep bass music playing on a speaker didn't help the ominous feeling. Shady looking people dressed in dark colored clothes were stationed up and down. Some people were smoking various substances or exchanging pills. Their sharp, distrusting eyes looked him up and down and it was painfully clear that the teen did not fit in.

Katsuki looked down at his clean, beige colored shorts, red Nike shoes and pull over white hoodie that read Tokyo University across it. He winced at how much he contrasted against all the men and women in leather and ripped clothes.

"Everyone, this is my dad's precious golden boy," Touya announced, gesturing to the teen. "Bakugou Katsuki can literally do no wrong."

All heads turned towards him and a particular person with dark shaggy hair standing over the fire spoke. "Oh? What makes him so special?" The older man questioned, his black eyes looking Katsuki up and down.

"He's the only intern to be assigned to him in years that just didn't outright quit or ask for a different person to study under," Touya said unamused while taking a long inhale of the blunt in his hand. The undertone of resentment was thick and made Katsuki uncomfortable.

"Ah, so blondie is a glutton for punishment!" A bloodthirsty yet cynical smile raked across the tall, dark man and Katsuki rolled his eyes.

"No, I'm just not gonna punk out of a good opportunity because someone yells at me," the ash blonde mumbled under his breath as he stood close to the warmth of the flames.

"A tough one," a short laugh erupted from another man with brown hair on the other side of Touya. "Still a baby cop though." There was even more bitterness in this man's words, but it felt different. If Katsuki didn't know better there was a bit of sadness underlying there as well.

"Tell me, golden boy," The man with black hair spoke again. "Why do you want to be a cop? What honestly makes you want to sink to the level of a swine that locks other humans up?"

The teenager looked at the older man with caution. He noticed how most of the people's gazes turned towards him, awaiting his answer. All eyes but Touya's, who was looking into the flickering fire as if he wasn't even listening.

"...I just want to protect people. It's that simple," he said shortly, trying to avoid stirring up any bullshit. But half of the people just shook their heads at him and turned away, mumbling something under their breath.

"Tch. You're not protecting people...you're just hurting them."

"Look, just a fucking different point of view. I have no beef with any of you," he hissed back.

"Well, be careful there, _Icarus_. Fly too close to the sun and your wings are liable to melt off."

The comparison made Katsuki mildly unsettled. He locked eyes with the gruff man with obsidian eyes as dark as night. Something in his stomach turned uncomfortably. The man stared at him like he was the scum on the bottom of his shoe, and it made Katsuki frown.

Were these really the people Touya hung around all the fucking time?

"You know...I had to sell drugs to help make ends meet and keep my daughter in school," the brown-haired man said next. His voice was a lot softer and sadder than his black hair companion. "Someone I used to sell to got irritated that I refused to give him more once he got scary addicted, and what happened? He snitched on me out of spite."

There was a silence between the four men, the sound of the fire devouring whatever it was consuming echoed between them. The older brown-haired man sighed and shifted on his feet tiredly.

"I got sentenced to jail for ten years. They didn't care that my motives were altruistic and his were malicious. And guess whose life got messed up because of that? My wife remarried and I haven't seen my fucking kid in years."

The brown-haired man lifted his eyes to give Katsuki a dejected look. Something inside of the teen shifted slightly.

"Is that the type of person you want to be?" The black-haired man taunted, rubbing in the unsavory feeling. "The kind of pig that sends a father off to jail because he was down to his last option?"

Katsuki shook his head, even though he knew there wasn't much reasoning with people like this. They were jaded and failed by a fucked up system that he was trying to enter. They wouldn't understand that he was trying to enter it to make it fucking better and help people out who can't help themselves.

"No," he shook his head. "That's not the type of policeman I'm trying to become."

"Doesn't matter what type of policeman you _want_ to become. You're going to be molded for the worst no matter what when you're around people like Todoroki Enji. That asshole is more corrupt than anyone in this alley," the brown-haired man sneered. "He lets politicians off clean because it benefits him but is quick to look down on the neighborhood drug dealer just because they can't offer him a gold fucking medal in return."

Katsuki pressed his lips in a thin line, unsure of what the fuck to say to that. He had witnessed Enji take some questionable payments from questionable ass lawyers and politicians in the last month and a half.

It made him stir restlessly because he knew things were corrupt but...he wasn't like that.

Part of him wanted to leave immediately. He hated these types of people and he was starting to feel targeted, the very last thing he cared to subject himself to right now. But when he looked over his shoulder at the emptiness outside of the alley, he felt his feet rooted in place, unsure if it was even fucking safe to leave.

"Hey, Touya. You okay, dude?" The black-haired man asked, turning his attention to the twenty-one-year-old. But the young adult didn't seem to hear him.

Katsuki watched slightly disquieted at how the redhead didn't seem to register the person nudging his shoulder. Instead his eyes stayed glued, looking directly into the bright fire that glowed against his sharp features.

He looked nearly hypnotized.

"...Touya?" A large hand landed on the leather jacket of the redhead, snapping him out of his daze.

"Huh? Yeah. Sorry, I'm here." The sharp turquoise eyes blinked rapidly before turning to his companion. "Zoned out for a moment."

A couple of the large men gathered around laughed at the small state of daze, but for some reason a hint of alarm settled into the bottom of Katsuki's gut.

He's never seen someone stare at fire in that way.

"Leave him alone, you know crazy ass Touya," the brown-haired man laughed, taking the blunt from the redhead's hand. "Weird ass fascination with fire since we met him."

"Not really much of a fascination...it's just...interesting to watch the flames," Touya's deep voice drawled out. "There's a power in them."

The redhead's gaze shifted back to the flickering fire. The reflection of the bright amber element eclipsed all the natural color in his eyes as it danced around.

"...Okay. See? Crazy as shit," the black-haired man chuckled, causing a wave of laughter to erupt from people nearby. Touya just smirked in a dark way before his eyes looked Katsuki up and down, settling on his swollen, busted mouth.

"What happened to your lip, golden boy?"

"None of your business," Katsuki replied defensively. He eyed the fading purple bruise on the other's cheekbone. "What happened to your face?"

"Also none of your business, if that's the game we're going to play," was the sneer he got back. "But seriously, what the fuck are you doing roaming around here at nearly 3:00 am?"

He instantly heard his mother's screaming and re-experienced the blunt hit to the face. The blonde grimaced, wound still too fresh to talk about.

"Shit happened. I need to find a place to sleep. But I might settle for a park bench though at this point," he sighed, feeling defeated. Katsuki pulled out his phone to see if anyone else had texted him back, but once again—fucking nothing. The prospect that he was going to get really friendly with another uncomfortable wooden surface felt highly likely.

When the teen looked back up, he saw Touya's eyes linger on him, as if assessing something. The young adult tilted his head, squinted his eyes and then took a deep long breath in.

"I'm gonna bounce, guys," Touya said like he was forcing himself to. All eyes turned towards him, confused, as the redhead shrugged his shoulders and stepped away from the burning fire.

"Really, Touya? We were just about to start getting into shit," the black-haired man questioned with a disappointed voice. A choir of mutters followed, and even Katsuki had to admit he was confused.

Touya seemed right at home, why was he leaving?

"I'm gonna take golden boy here to my place," the young adult announced, shocking everyone. Katsuki frowned wondering if this was some type of ploy. Touya fucking hated him, why was he acting so nice? "God fucking forbid something happen to him—my dad would never shut the fuck up about the loss of his second favorite child."

Katsuki's face twisted in confusion. "What?"

"Oh, please. Clearly, you're more of the son he wanted than me," Touya grumbled, taking one last long drag from the white blunt. He blew out the white smoke above the flames and smirked sadistically. "But you're second favorite only because Shouto is in the lead. Genetics give him those extra kudos. My father is a narcissist first and foremost."

Touya laughed with the black-haired man next to him as if it was more of a joke than a favor. But Katsuki could tell Touya was trying to save-face and maintain his 'bad-ass' image.

"Well, okay. Catch up with you later," the dark-haired man laughed back. "Hit me up if you're gonna come back out. I got a couple of jobs with your name on it if you want 'em." Katsuki watched how Touya did some type of handshake with them seamlessly before giving a two-finger salute.

"Sounds solid, catch you guys later."

The redhead passed Katsuki without looking at him, only adding to the dense air of confusion. The teen watched him leave the dark alley back into the city's street lights. The redheaded male turned around to give him a passive aggressive hand gesture to follow.

So, Katsuki did.

Screw staying in that goddamn alley with a bunch of possible criminals and a convicted felon. He reasoned that if he was going to roll the dice somewhere, it would be with Touya. At least he was familiar.

They walked side by side in silence. The teen eyed the young adult suspiciously, trying to see if he was at risk of getting ditched somehow. He recalled all the times Touya would purposely bump into him or the glare across the room at him as they both worked the floor at the police headquarters.

But nothing happened. Touya just handed him extra yen to get on the late-night bus and they took their seats at the bus stop silently.

Katsuki eyed the redhead's profile in deep thought.

"...Why do you hang around people like that when your dad got you a good job at the precinct?" He asked quietly, trying to figure out the puzzle that was Touya. He just didn't fucking get it. Here was someone whose dad, yes was complete shit, but at least he was shit that Touya could use to elevate himself out and to leave.

Why squander something like that? Katsuki just didn't understand. He never got opportunities handed to him like that.

Touya shook his head before pulling out a cigarette from his leather jacket pocket. He leaned his head all the way back until his dark red hair was pressed against the backside of the bus stop and lit up his poison without question.

The delinquent took one long drag of his cigarette before turning and purposefully blowing smoke into Katsuki's face. The blonde swatted the smog away, becoming irritable.

"What do you see when you look around right now, hm?" Touya asked in a condescending manner, his eyes looking at Katsuki lazily. Red eyes wearily glanced around at the empty streets and tall skyscrapers.

"...I dunno? Buildings?" He murmured sarcastically, unsure what the correct answer actually would be.

"Naw. I see a city that endorses and praises an unworthy man," the deep voice was laced with distaste. "And I fucking _hate_ it. So, what in the hell makes you think I give a damn about working the one place where everyone thinks my father shits bricks of gold?"

Katsuki looked into Touya's teal eyes and he found nothing but animosity.

"Why are you working there now then?"

"I don't have any other fucking options because I got fired from my last job. I just need some time to save money so I can move out again." Touya's face shifted from angry to a deeply exhausted look. "...It's...just taking longer than I expected. So, I unfortunately need the job," he whispered, defeated.

The wind howled loudly between the two contrasting males and Katsuki was at a loss for words.

There was unmistakable tenseness in Touya's shoulders, and it was clear that the young adult really did have no other choice but to live with his family—_and he didn't want to_. He had heard a rumor from some of the higher-ranking officers about Enji's 'problem child' losing his job and having to move back in, but he didn't really understand the extent to which it did happen.

He thought about the one time he saw Enji hit Touya in the face in front of everyone sourly. It must've stung to have to move back into abuse after escaping it. Katsuki didn't even want to fathom the possibility of moving back in with his family after college.

"Well, thanks," he whispered back into the silence. "For letting me crash at your guys' place and all."

"Whatever. Don't mention it." Touya didn't look at Katsuki when he said this. He kept his eyes upward, staring at the tall buildings looming over them. "Also, remember to disinfect your lip when we get inside otherwise it's going to look nasty when you wake up...I'll show you where the first aid kit is."

Red eyes cut towards the young adult smoking and studied the purplish bruise on his face a bit longer.

He took in the way their postures were similar, as were their vernacular and attitudes. While sitting there, he felt his stomach turn when he finally saw just how much in common they had.

Their distaste for their parents. Their resentment towards the city they grew up in. Their bruises.

He realized that they were too close for comfort, and they shared a lot more than he first thought. It felt like looking into an eerie mirror two years in the future if he ever decided to stray off track.

And Touya proved just how easy that was to do when resentment took over.

. . .

When they arrived at nearly 4:00 am to the Todorokis, awaiting there for them was an extremely pissed off Enji. Apparently, he had told Touya to be home before eight, but per the eldest son's rebellious streak, he had just gotten a text back that read 'go fuck yourself.'

So, the yelling started there too, but it was short lived and subdued because of Katsuki's presence. Enji apologized to him for Touya's behavior and Katsuki tried his best to tell him he was thankful that the redhead had picked him up. Katsuki told a half truth about leaving his dorm keycard at home, deciding not to mention how he was kicked out as well until further notice.

He stayed with them for the remainder of Sunday with Enji asking him to help out around the house. He did so without question and earned an eye roll from Touya. But he didn't let him phase him, he was just thankful that he wasn't sleeping at the bus stop while waiting for his roommate to get back to the dormitory.

But while helping out around the house Enji did what he did best, praise him.

"Look at Bakugou, a boy who actually listens."

"Your parents are so lucky to have a son like you who wants to do well in school."

"It's a shame that only Shouto wants to follow in my footsteps and become a police officer. I tried to get Touya into it, but he couldn't handle it."

It made the blonde absolutely fucking _cringe_.

With each sentence of praise that put down Touya, Katsuki could feel whatever small moment of understanding they had Saturday night just fade away. It crumbled underneath the inflammatory words of the Chief of Police and Touya looked at him at their dinner table as if it disgusted him.

By the time Monday morning rolled around, Katsuki returned back to the dorms downtown for the interns. He got another keycard from the help desk and went downtown to headquarters in his work attire like usual.

But when he got there it was always the same thing: Touya off in the corner doing the grunt paperwork that Enji piled on him and giving Katsuki all the hands-on cases.

Not that Katsuki thought it was unfair, it completely was fucking right. Touya did absolutely fucking nothing around the precinct and it made the budding workaholic angry. He hated deadweight.

The delinquent instead would loudly blast music in his Skull headphones. Sometimes even sit there and paint his fucking nails with black polish.

Deep down, Katsuki knew this was a giant middle finger to Enji but it still didn't make him less irritated at Touya when he had to pull the extra weight just to keep the peace.

He didn't need screaming matches at his internship.

As the week went on, everything continued as such…sort of. He tried calling his parents and each time they either ignored him or left him a rude text or voicemail. It made Katsuki angrier and angrier at the week went on.

He didn't know it at the time, but he was on edge.

But despite the poor treatment from his own parental figures, the praise rolled in with each assignment Katsuki finished from Enji. And with every word he felt Touya get more and more irritated. So much so, that the redhead started bumping his shoulder whenever they passed by in the hallway.

Whatever peace they had obtained was officially gone.

The redhead showed up on Thursday with extensive fresh bruises on his face and an absolutely terrible attitude.

Katsuki could feel something shift in Touya that week that he never really understood. Something was different...like a deep resolve had set in. Enji walked in different that day too.

Which is why Katsuki was so hesitant when he tried to pull Touya's weight and was stopped by Enji.

"Make him do his job for once," the Chief of Police sneered. "Stop covering for him all the time." Soon the large man was shoving a pile of neglected paperwork files into Katsuki's arms. "Take these to him. Make sure he files them today._ No excuses_."

"Yes, sir," the irritated blonde mumbled. He walked over to Touya, whose feet were positioned lazily up on the desk as he texted someone on his phone. "Hey. Your dad told me to deliver these to you...he wants them filed in before you leave."

Katsuki waited for the redhead to get out of his seat and elevate him from the heavyweight in his hands but instead the young adult just 'tch'd.

"Tell him he can go shove it up his ass," Touya said loudly, drawing the attention of several officers nearby. Katsuki clutched the stack of papers in his hands.

"Don't do this right now," he hissed, giving Touya a warning look. "Just file the damn cases."

Touya finally turned around and gave an exasperated gesture at the large stack of files weighing down Katsuki's hands.

"Do you see how much shit this is? I'm going to be here until 2:00 am at least. He's only giving me all this out of spite. So, tell his ass no. Or better yet, how about you do it, golden boy? Since you're so eager to please _daddy_," The redhead taunted, teal eyes blazing. "I got other things I need to do."

Touya turned around in his chair and went back to texting. Something in Katsuki started to boil out of irritation. It shouldn't be this hard to get someone to do their job.

"Like _what_?" He challenged in a deep voice, shocking everyone surrounding him. "Just file the damn cases, you fucking low life. Swear to _kami_ you wouldn't know a helping hand if it slapped you in the face."

Touya finally stood up and turned around slowly. "Don't call me a low life," he sneered out from beneath his breath as a solid warning, like it hit a sore spot—but Katsuki was just tired of the ingrate behavior.

"You _are_ a goddamn low life, a stupid one too!" He shouted, the stress from the past couple of days piling over. "Do you know how _irritating_ it is to see someone like you, who basically should have his life laid out for him, screw up on purpose while some of us are fucking _crawling_ on our hands and fucking knees to get out of a shitty situation?"

"Oh, quit bitching—"

"—No! You quit _your_ bitching and file the goddamn cases!" The youngest yelled, finally having enough. Angrily, Katsuki shoved the files into the chest of the other male rather harshly, trying to make him take it.

"Don't shove shit in my goddamn face," Touya retorted, pushing the files back.

"Just take the goddamn cases you bastard—" Katsuki tried again, but this time with more force, his frustrations from earlier spilling out as he accidently shoved Touya backwards. The ginger rebounded quickly and slammed the files out of the blonde's hand.

Red eyes widened as the colorful papers went everywhere, spilling to the floor and shocking everyone.

"What the actual _fuck_, Touya—" Katsuki began to yell but was cut off when the other young adult grabbed the front of his shirt threateningly, pulling him close enough to see the hatred spinning around in the crazed blue irises.

The two stood there, their resentment burned into the other's eyes like a twisted reflection staring back at them. Both were jealous of what the other had and saw deep distaste in their behavior.

No one on the floor dared to speak, too scared to set off one of the hotheads.

Katsuki grinded his teeth together before viciously spitting out, "get your goddamn hands off me."

Touya only sneered in response. "Or what? You scared to have a low life's hands on you or something?" He reached up to grab Katsuki's jaw in a painful grip, his fingernails digging deep into the ivory skin. The blonde immediately started to struggle backwards but the death grip the hands had on his body only tightened and the pressure started to hurt.

"I bet if I fucked up this face of yours no one would like you then," Touya hissed and lost himself to all the bottled rage that had been building up within him. He painfully snapped Katsuki's face to the side and slammed him down into the desk, causing a loud scream from Katsuki to bounce off the precinct walls.

"G-Get off me!" Katsuki yelled, mildly panicked. The redhead lifted him up by his shirt and slammed him against the desk again, dragging him across the surface. "You piece of shit, I said get off me!" The ash blonde all but screamed, trying to wrestle the other off of him. The angry young adult landed a blow into Katsuki's face, knocking him in his mouth and reopening the already scabbed over bottom lip.

"Whoever busted your lip obviously should've hit you harder. Fucking shut you up _properly_."

At the mention of his wound, the blonde snapped. Katsuki let out a deep, angry pissed off sound in the back of his throat as he was sent right over the edge.

The teen reached up and used a vice grip to latch into the spikey red locks. He pulled down, smashing their heads together. The impact stunned Touya immediately, allowing for Katsuki to roll on top and rain equally harsh blows down into the other.

All eyes stared, frightened as the two tousled back and forth, knocking down anything in their paths. They watched as they misdirected all their misgivings and hatred onto the other.

"TOUYA!" A loud voice boomed dangerously. Both young adults stilled on the floor because there was only one person that voice could belong to. Touya paused with his hand shoved in Katsuki's face and the blonde digging his nails into the redhead's cheekbones.

Their eyes locked and labored breathing echoed out in a frenzied sense. They both stared, pissed off at the other.

Slowly, both glanced around, assessing the damage that was caused. Pencils and case files were spread everywhere as if a tornado had come through and wrecked the scene.

Katsuki shoved Touya off of him fully agitated and brushed himself off as he stood up. Red eyes looked around at the prying stares from all the officers. It dawned on him that he had let himself get baited.

"Are you kidding me? Both of you. My office _now_." Enji hissed, his menacing eyes glared down both of them with unchecked anger and disappointment.

But he only stared at one of them with more resentment than the other.

. . .

"What in the _hell_ were you thinking, putting your hands on Bakugou!? What if he got hurt?" Enji yelled, slamming his fist on the top of his desk. "I don't know what to do with you any more, you're out of control!"

Both young adults stood there with new bruises and scrapes on them, Katsuki with his hands behind his back and head down respectfully and Touya with his arms crossed.

The redhead just blew air out of his nose aggressively, completely fed up. He rolled his eyes and shrugged. "He'll be fucking fine—"

"—Watch your goddamn attitude when you talk to me, boy." Slowly, Enji walked up to stand in front of Touya and matching colored irises scorched into each other. Katsuki watched out the corner of his eye as the eldest son stood there like a challenging rock, and Enji stood there like he was about to lose all of his shit.

"I've had it with you. First you take money out of my account, you never come home at a reasonable time and now I'm finding _drugs_ in your room?" The deep voice scrutinized. "I refuse to be the father of some goddamn _junkie_."

"But you'll be the Chief of a corrupt city and system?" Touya narrowed his eyes. "Benefit from it too?"

"...Bakugou," Enji called his name without looking at him. "What would you do if you were me?"

Katsuki whipped his head around to stare at the two Todorokis glaring each other down. "Excuse me, sir?"

"Tell me, what do you do if you were the Chief of Police and had a son that was getting involved with criminals, stealing your money, terrorizing the house whenever he got the chance, and back sassed you every time you spoke?"

The tension in the small office room was thick with too many emotions for Katsuki to list off. He glanced between both redheads as they watched him intensely, both waiting on an answer.

Enji looked at him with pressured expectancy and Touya looked at him with disgust.

As the judgmental eyes of the other young adult were on him, a deep bitterness settled into his gut. The stinging sensation in his mouth of the newly reopened lip wound reminded him that Touya didn't like him.

He didn't like him for petty ass reasons. Touya was fucking up his future while Katsuki was struggling to keep his own track. His own parents hated him for reaching high and achieving his goals while Touya was scumming around and still acting so fucking _stupid_.

He sneered thinking about his mother who pushed him out of the house for a much lesser offense. Then he thought about Touya's comment about him needing to be hit harder.

"...I'd kick him out," Katsuki said without hesitation. "Stop giving him a crutch."

Touya's eyes widened, shocked.

"Why would you say that—"

"—I think Bakugou is right," Enji interrupted. He took a large step back and turned around, facing away from his son. There was a long pause as Touya stared at him like Katsuki had taken the last thing he owned. "Touya, get the hell out of my precinct. Go home and pack your shit immediately. You're _fired_."

Both young adults' eyes widened, not expecting the latter half of the statement. Katsuki started to feel a twinge of guilt because he hadn't meant for Enji to just straight up fucking cut off Touya.

The eldest son turned his eyes towards the back of his father and suddenly the hard walls of the delinquent started to crumble. "...but I need this, you _know_ that."

"You haven't acted like you needed me or this job since the day I took pity on you. You're not going to change; I see that now. It's been years and if a goddamn nineteen-year-old can see that—then it's time for you to leave."

Touya's voice became desperate. "No, w-wait. I don't have anywhere to go, and you know that—"

"—Get the fuck out of my office!" Enji snapped at a high pitch, whirling around to sink all of his hate into his son. Both Touya and Katsuki winced, frightened. "You're a goddamn disgrace! I don't ever want to see your face again! You hear me?!"

A heavy stillness fell over the room as all three figures looked between each other.

"...Fine," Touya said, in a low voice full of contempt. He started to back away, a concerning calmness settling into his core. "I'll leave."

Katsuki would never forget the last look Touya gave him. It was cold, murderous and turquoise eyes cut into him as sharp as daggers.

If someone could project the enraged redhead's thoughts for everyone to see, Katsuki was certain he'd see himself and Enji being burned alive by his hand.

Touya slammed the door shut behind him.

* * *

Let me know what you think! :) I love hearing feedback/reactions/thoughts about the story. It helps motivate me to keep writing. Next update will probably be in roughly two weeks like normal, I started fall semester on Monday. Thanks so much for reading and making it this far in this crazy story ^^! You guys are great.

**I will get around to responding to everyone's reviews soon! My schedule is v hectic but I am reading all of your lovely reviews and I just wanna say THANK YOU! SO HAPPY EVERYONE IS ENJOYING THIS SO FAR! **

* * *

**Preview of next chapter: **

"Bakugou, go home for goodness sakes," Toshinori sighed out. His blue eyes looking at Katsuki in disbelief.

"Sir, no offense, but am I supposed to do for three whole weeks? You know I only take short vacations—"

"—Two days is not a vacation, lieutenant," The captain cut him off. "You have so much time piled up! At first I thought you were saving it to take a trip around the world but I'm realizing you just don't take vacation. Please, son. _Listen_. You were in a car crash, got shot and I can see how stiff your neck is. Go home and do was Midoriya is doing—sleep."

Katsuki nodded dully, understanding there was no room to argue. His stomach knotted because he just couldn't stand being in that apartment alone. What the fuck was he supposed to do for three whole week?


	9. Warm

Hello! I bring to you a chapter I think you guys will very much like but might also get whiplash from :)

Big thank you to nmatthews on AO3 for her awesome editing, feedback and BETAing this monster of a story like a goddamn angel. She is a god sent and I am so thankful she's my friend

Alrighty, enjoy the ride!

_Song: The Art of Eye Contact - Too Close To Touch_

* * *

**Chapter 9 - Warm **

.

.

.

The light steady tempo of the heart monitor filled Katsuki's ears in the empty space. His scarlet eyes stayed glued to Izuku's unconscious figure and how deceivingly peaceful he looked.

The lieutenant squeezed his fist tightly in his lap trying his best to control his anger. Whoever did this was messing with his head severely.

"Why do you think they tried to take Izuku?" Toshinori's voice echoed out into the all too familiar hospital room.

Katsuki sat there, dressed already in his clothes, unsure of what to say. The 'golden boy' nickname he heard haunted his thoughts and his arm ached all over.

"I'm not entirely sure," he answered honestly. A singular thought teetered on his tongue as he watched the steady rise and fall of Izuku's chest. "When they shot us off the motorcycle, that man pointed the gun at my head. Then he pointed it at Izuku without taking his line of vision off of me...I think he was testing how I would react."

"Do you think he did it to spite you? Like kidnap an officer that you seem close with?" The blue eyes of his superior looked at him with heavy concern. "Who'd have that much hostility towards you?"

"I…" Katsuki started and his words died off when a flash of resentful turquoise eyes appeared in his mind. "...I don't know."

The large man in blue tiredly sighed and leaned back in the hospital chair next to Izuku's bed. Katsuki couldn't remove his eyes from the freckled face and he felt so fucking guilty. He possibly put Izuku's life in danger—yet again.

His mind envisioned Izuku waking up, blinking his uniquely beautiful emerald eyes open. They would sparkle at him and that small sweet smile would grace his face and probably tell him to stop frowning—but that daydream didn't come true.

Izuku stayed asleep, forced under by heavy amounts of what the doctors identified to be a rare sedative running in his blood.

Katsuki tore his eyes away from the sleeping figure to glance outside the small window of the room door. On the other side of the white doors were other officers from the U.A precinct gathered around speaking about the attack.

But one person in particular caught Katsuki's attention more than the others did in that moment.

The blond looked intensely at the profile of Shouto that showcased his burn mark and dark red hair.

The more he studied that shade of crimson on his colleague's head, another terribly absurd thought came to him. He knew he shouldn't ask it; it was tasteless. But was he was spooked and that alone was honestly enough to make anything seem possible.

So, he asked.

"...Todoroki Touya was confirmed dead, right?" He asked lowly, only for his captain to hear.

Toshinori whipped his head around, taken aback.

Katsuki turned his eyes to meet the large man, showing he was completely serious. Blue eyes stared at him completely confused and there was a stretch of silence that covered several moments between them.

"Yes, of course. They cremated his body and everything, Bakugou," the older man said in a hushed whisper, looking at Katsuki strangely. "The remains matched his dental records...there's no way that could've been faked."

Right. The dental records.

The small reminder pulled Katsuki back to the memory of seeing the images of the gruesome remains of the body. He remembered Shouto showing him in private what had become of his eldest brother and he remembered his stomach churning at the sight of the body.

The body that was now cremated and the remains buried in the Todoroki family gravesite.

"Right. Sorry I asked," he backpedaled quickly. "I think I'm just a little delirious from having a crowbar smashed against my temple, forget I said anything."

"No worries, consider it forgotten." His superior nodded, letting the strange question go as did Katsuki.

Touya was dead. It was a _fact,_ not a theory. Unless the red head somehow reassembled himself from the ashes, there was no way in hell that man would come back to start something with him—especially nearly a decade later. It just didn't make sense.

Why now? Touya left Shizuoka City eight years ago and never came back. According to Shouto he died in Makinohara, far away.

So, Katsuki wrote off hearing the 'golden boy' nickname. Touya probably referred to him as that to multiple people in the underground scene. It might've traveled and stuck due to the sarcastic implications behind it. It's not like it was a private nickname.

He washed his thoughts of the ridiculous notion and refocused on the sleeping Izuku.

"Is Mirio coming to get him?" He asked, sadly studying the detective's still body. "I know he's Izuku's emergency contact from last time we were here."

"Ha, no." Toshinori laughed a bit before waving his hand. "My worry-wart of a son did call after he got notified, but I persuaded him to stay in Yaizu. He just got the spot at the firm; it wouldn't be wise to keep making trips up here when he needs to demonstrate work ethic."

Katsuki looked awkwardly between the sleeping figure and the large body of his superior. "Who's going to take him home then?"

"I will."

More than a hundred emotions danced their way across the captain's face in that moment. His sky colored eyes stayed locked on Izuku with heavy amounts of regret, pity, but mainly sadness. Katsuki gazed upon his superior's face and watched the man he looked up to look down at the sleeping young adult with a thoughtful gaze.

"...I made a promise to myself to keep him safe at all costs after his parents passed," Toshinori's deep voice said barely above a whisper. "Boy didn't deserve all the trauma he went through."

This time it was Katsuki's turn to glance at Izuku's body again. He wordlessly studied the greenette's exposed scarred left side.

"Is his burn connected to that trauma?" He asked, knowing he was tip toeing a careful line of curiosity.

"Yeah..." The large man looked down at the floor beneath his feet. "He got it in the fire that took his parents. The firemen found him screaming, arm pinned underneath a burning beam that fell from the ceiling."

Without warning his mind painted the horrifying image of Izuku trapped underneath a burning beam. He could vividly hear the greenette crying and screaming, surrounded by hungry hellfire crawling away at his skin.

"That's...terrible…"

Toshinori did nothing but nod, seemingly lost in an overwhelming memory. There was a deep inhale that dragged throughout the atmosphere before the man stood up.

"Once this drug is out of his system, I'm going to convince him to stay in my guest room for the following three weeks until this blows over. It seems like it'd be the best option due to the kidnapping issue we seem to have at hand. We kept Aizawa under watch, so the same will go for Izuku."

Katsuki paused at one particular, jarring detail in that statement.

"Wait...three weeks?"

"Yes, Bakugou," Toshinori turned to look down at him with a worried face. "Didn't you hear the doctor? You both need to take three weeks off to recover from this. There's no way I'm letting you go back to work as injured as you are."

"But sir, I thought that was just a suggestion, I only need probably like three days—"

"—Bakugou, _no_. The doctor said three weeks. So you're going to take three weeks off," the deep voice cut him off. Katsuki blinked hard in disbelief suddenly feeling like his superior was treating him like a goddamn teenager.

"Captain, that's absurd—"

"—Lieutenant, I'm serious. If I see you anywhere near the precinct, I'm going to have people escort you all the way back to your apartment."

Katsuki fumbled in his words because he didn't want to disrespect his idol. But what the fuck? He never actually listened to what the doctors said all the way. Sure, the man's mouth said three weeks before but Katsuki took it with a grain of salt.

He worked up the nerve to object again, but the opening of the door caught both of their attention. Kirishima poked his head in respectfully, looking once at Izuku's resting figure and then back to his best friend.

"Hey, Katsuki," the redhead said in a quiet tone. "The doctor says you're officially all discharged. Ready to go?"

Red eyes shifted between his stern looking captain and the sleeping detective.

"...Sure."

He picked up the plastic bag containing his belongings and followed his best friend out of tiny the room. Something inside his chest pulled painfully the further away he got from Izuku, making him turn around. Katsuki spared one last long gaze at the sleeping greenette.

_...Please, be ok._

. . .

**NHK WORLD - JAPAN**

Second attempt in kidnapping a Shizuoka City officer?

Another unfortunate kidnapping attempt on an officer happened this past Monday. First attempt was Captain Aizawa and now a new, young detective. The kidnappers disappeared in a plateless black armored van that they used to T-bone the squad car and then ambush and drug the officer in question.

However, the attempt was thwarted on the spot by the very symbol of victory himself, Lieutenant Bakugou Katsuki. Just like with Captain Aizawa, he was able to rescue the other officer who we have now come to know as his trainee based on our inside sources.

These same inside sources believe that this is connected with the more recent arson cases due to the similarities in gas masks that were used…

**...Read More **

. . .

Katsuki locked his phone shut and tossed it to the side. The red device bounced lightly on his white sheets and he flopped backwards onto the bed.

"I can't fuckin' believe I'm being _forced_ to take a goddamn vacation," he mumbled out loud to himself.

No one answered him back in his empty apartment and it felt off. He tried to play music to fill the space but was unsuccessful. He was so used to being at the station with all his dumbass loud friends causing commotion or in his office that honestly was a safe space for him.

His cold feeling apartment, however, was not. It reminded him of a fact that ate away at his gut every time he was inside for too long: he was alone.

It was now officially Thursday following the attempted kidnapping. Luckily for everyone, Izuku had woken up on Monday evening and, like promised, Toshinori temporarily moved him into his guest bedroom.

Majority of the U.A officers had gone over to visit him in the tiny blue colored room, bearing gifts and flowers. Katsuki remembers nodding at him, unsure of what to say but the greenette had gotten up and given him a tight embrace and whispered "thank you for saving me" in the softest voice, only for Katsuki to hear.

It stirred up emotions inside of him that had settled like dust at the bottom of his heart.

He remembers hugging Izuku back, feeling thankful that he had somehow managed to save Izuku. With the detective safely in his arms, he forgot where he was for just a moment. He tightly hugged the greenette back. The workaholic buried himself into the curls like he had done secretly the night he slept over.

He had whispered back "just glad you're safe, dork" and they pulled apart to exchange grateful expressions. Katsuki remembers how his face grew warm staring into Izuku's eyes and the ghosted feeling of the warm hug lingered.

Katsuki tried his best not to think about the look Izuku gave him that day, but it was hard.

He was trying his best, but right now, currently, he was losing his goddamn _mind_ sitting in this fucking apartment by himself.

The blond sat up fully aggravated, plopping to his feet in a huff. Katsuki paced around for a bit, watched a couple of episodes of an anime he was behind in and even found himself doing floor crunches.

But it still didn't get rid of the cabin fever.

All he could think about was the possibility of something going wrong down at the station without him and it made him so fucking on edge to think about.

What if Denki somehow set the station on fire making coffee? Or Kirishima needed him to double check a case for him? Fool was half blind and barely wore his glasses. Plus, who was going to team up with Shouto for interrogations and play irritated cop and frighteningly irritated cop?

His team needed him, right?

He reasoned this out as he casually told himself he was going to take a jog around the block. He tied his black gym shoes telling himself it wouldn't hurt anything if he just...peeked in. Just to check on everyone—_especially_ Denki.

Katsuki grabbed his keys and put on his yellow windbreaker. He fully convinced himself a quick step in the precinct wouldn't hurt. Maybe they would see he was fine and then he could come back to work next week.

Right? This shouldn't be a big deal.

. . .

"_Katsuki_!? Are you shitting me!?" Kirishima hissed out, using his body to block the blond from coming inside of the office space.

"Oi! Move it, shitty hair!" Katsuki rebutted, trying his best to push past but was comically unsuccessful. Large hands pushed against his shoulders, holding him back from passing the redhead of equal strength. He groaned loudly from frustration.

"Look, I'm just coming to check on things and ask how everyone has been—"

"—Nu-uh, nope. _No_." Kirishima wagged his finger in his face. "Turn your frowny face ass around and go back to your apartment. _Now_."

The workaholic rolled his eyes and tried to quickly shuffle around again only to be met with the same amount of determination from his best friend. The lieutenant raised his sharp red eyes to glare into Kirishima's way too fucking amused ones and gave up.

A head of navy-blue hair peeked around the corner to view what was going on, catching the attention of Katsuki when the figure walked up to see what was happening.

"Kirishima, what is going on—wait,_ Bakugou_?" Iida gapped and blinked multiple times as if he was hallucinating. He adjusted his glasses up the bridge of his nose and stared at his superior in disbelief. "Dear lord, lieutenant. What are you doing here?"

Katsuki began to open his mouth when a loud happy sound echoed through the floor. Shortly after the sound of excited footsteps rushed over to the floor entrance to greet him.

"Bakugou is here?" Denki's high voice called out. "Hey, dude!"

The two blonds smiled at each other and Katsuki shot his friend a smirk. "Hey, Denki. I'm glad _somebody_ is happy to see me and not just turn me away." He pointed a glare at the redhead still block his way but just received back a shrug.

A loud giggle added to the growing commotion and Katsuki immediately identified it as Mina.

"Oh my god, this is hilarious! Katsuki, are you that much of a work addict that you can't even take a week off after being in a car crash?" She doubled over, leaning on the wall in laughter.

"N-No! I totally could if I wanted to, but I just don't fucking need to!" He sputtered out, face burning at the call out. He shook his head slightly, ignoring everyone that was chatting and finding humor in the situation.

He took the moment of distraction to try to silently shift around Kirishima, but the sergeant quickly caught him out the corner of his eye and held out his arms.

"Would you fucking move shitty hair!" Katsuki harshly yelled.

The redhead waved his arms in the air and kept on his friend as if his life depended on it. "Quick! Someone help me stop him!"

A large smile broke out across Denki's face as he joined in and hugged Katsuki, restraining the ash blond's arm tightly against his sides.

"Kaminari, you goddamn _traitor_," he grumbled under his breath, but all he received back was a smile and Kirishima joining in the stupid ass hug as well, squeezing him tightly.

"Aw, group hug!" Mina called out, running over to hop in. "Everyone! Quick, get in this!"

"Oh, _hell_ no—"

"What is all this commotion? Wait...lieutenant Bakugou?" A loud voice came from the left, up the stairs. All the officers looking at the funny scene unfolding turned their heads to see Toshinori coming from his upstairs office looking absolutely dumbstruck.

The canary blond took in the unexpected scene like he was at the zoo, and quickly all of his subordinates broke apart from each other and straightened out.

Toshinori shook his head and looked up to the ceiling. "Kami, give me strength…"

"Hey, Captain," Katsuki murmured, clearing his throat. He scratched behind his head when he realized that this just got hella awkward. "I just...uh, came by just to see how everything was going and if anyone needed any help. I can still do some desk work or patrols if need be—"

"Bakugou, go home for goodness sake," Toshinori sighed out. His blue eyes looking at Katsuki in disbelief. "I appreciate your vigor and spirit, but this is ridiculous."

"Sir, no offense, but what am I supposed to do for three whole weeks? You know I only take short vacations—"

"—Two days is not a vacation, lieutenant," The captain cut him off. "You have so much time piled up! At first I thought you were saving it to take a trip around the world but I'm realizing you just don't take vacation. Please, son. _Listen_. You were in a car crash, got shot and I can see how stiff your neck is. Go home and do what Midoriya is doing—sleep."

Everyone turned their eyes on him and Katsuki nodded dully, understanding there was no room to argue. His stomach knotted because he just couldn't stand being in that apartment alone. What the fuck was he supposed to do for three whole weeks?

"Kaminari, Kirishima, make sure he doesn't step foot past the main floor," the loud voice boomed. "That's an order!" And with that, Toshinori walked away shaking his head, followed by an amused looking Shouto and Momo.

Katsuki gapped in disbelief at all his colleagues aka traitors who were actually fucking barring him from going inside. Slowly, the crowd that had congregated broke apart and went back to work. Everyone went to their desks save for Kirishima and Denki.

...and Katsuki was admittedly fucking jealous.

His red eyes glanced at his locked office door.

"You heard the captain, bro," Kirishima sighed, looking way too smug. "Go home. Besides, we need you in one piece for the bachelor party!"

The wheels turning on the ash blond's brain came to an abrupt halt.

"Hold up," Katsuki rasped out, turning to his two friends looking extremely confused. There was no way he heard correctly. "What bachelor party? I thought we decided on not having one of those, that's for tackless westerners."

Kirishima looked at Denki in a mischievous manner and they both shrugged their shoulders.

"Er, surprise?" The redhead chuckled, slapping his best friend's shoulder playfully. "Let's pretend to be tactless westerners for a little while! I kinda wanna have some boys time shenanigans and unwind. Mina and I found a perfect little quiet venue where no pyro could ever find us up the coastline. We scheduled it for Saturday evening, and everyone going to the party is taking vacation time for that Friday for the party."

"It's gonna be fun, yo!" Denki nodded, in hard agreeance.

"...You're shitting me." Katsuki ran his hand down his face and crossed his arms. "I mean fantastic for finding a new venue, but you're fucking kidding about the party, right? That's such a waste of goddamn money. No one in Japan does that shit—"

"Can it, grumpy," Kirishima cut him off, having none of it. "Always try new experiences! We even were kind enough to think of you and scheduled it around your prescribed rest time. Denki is planning it for the last Friday of your break."

"Denki is planning this shit on top of it?!"

"Yup! I have been watching all the American bachelor films, and I know exactly how to set everything up!" The electric blond pointed proudly to himself and everyone behind him looked at him mildly unsure about it as well, but no one was going to dare say a word.

Katsuki opened and closed his mouth before giving an equally worried looking Kirishima a hard glare.

"...Kiri. You realize this is a terrible damn idea, right?" The lieutenant harshly whispered. "I leave for three fucking days and you let _Denki_ plan a goddamn American-style Bachelor party?"

"Trust me, I'm terrified too. But bro is kind of good at planning!" Kirishima shrugged, giving a goofy thumbs up. "Friends supporting friends!"

"Yeah, bro. Don't worry your pretty little blond head over it," Denki chimed in with an equally stupid looking grin that only made Katsuki worry even fucking _more_.

"Just go home and rest, or finish the rest of your jog, okay? Might as well enjoy it now before fall hits soon," Kirishima said with a small smile.

Katsuki looked at the other with a hardened expression before giving in.

"Fine, whatever...just call me if you guys need anything okay?" Katsuki pushed slightly.

"Will do!"

"I mean anything—"

"Leave already, man!"

Katsuki worked his jaw and slowly started to back away from the entrance of the 7th floor U.A precinct. He reluctantly waved goodbye to Denki and Kirishima, who eagerly shooed him off. He tried to tell himself that they had all the best intentions in mind for him and it wasn't too much of a foul.

Plus, it was nice to get to see everyone…

...well...almost everyone.

He pressed the down button on the elevator while silently thinking of Izuku. He could hear the joyful laughter of all his friends in the background as he got back on the elevator.

He gave a disappointed, defeated smile to Kirishima, who looked at him with a gaze close to understanding.

. . .

Friday and Saturday came and went and Katsuki was deathly bored. He hated it, but everyone was right, he was stiff as shit. He couldn't even push himself in a workout if he tried.

Instead, he lightly jogged around his neighborhood with a sprinkle of paranoia. When someone in a black hoodie ran too close to him on the park trial, he almost judo flipped them out of reflex but contained himself.

So, he decided that running in the park was out of the question.

While sitting inside these two days he started texting Izuku periodically, just trying to check up on the greenette. In this tiny space of time while talking he found himself a little more relaxed and it was nice to hear that the detective was finally all rested up.

As he sat on his couch Sunday morning folding laundry, peacefully watching the news there was a loud knock on his door.

The sudden pounding startled the blond, not expecting the noise. As it continued, it whole heartedly confused him because it was eight in the fucking morning. Who the hell was knocking this loud on his damn door?

"Excuse me, I have a care package for a Bakugou Katsuki!" A strained deep voice called out. Katsuki frowned suspiciously because it sounded fake and forced.

The knocking got louder as he rose up from his sunken spot on the black couch. He walked over slowly wondering what dumbass doorman let someone up here on the basis of a care package.

But when he glanced through the peephole, all he saw was the top of an extremely messy head of green curls.

Katsuki has never unlocked and ripped open his door quicker before.

Standing there, grinning brightly was Izuku in a fitted blue zip up hoodie and jeans. In his hands were two plastic grocery bags bursting with an assortment of food, that looked suspiciously like very familiar ingredients.

Red eyes settled on the small fading bruise on the freckled cheek from when Izuku was manhandled and it was a sore reminder that someone _did_ just try to kidnap him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Katsuki asked harshly while looking down the empty hallway, trying to see if anyone came with him. "Did you come here by yourself? You dumbass, you do realize someone just tried to take you?"

"Ah, I'm fine. Toshinori made sure I took a taxi," The greenette waved him off and pushed through inside the apartment with a sweet smile. "I just wanted to see how you were do...ing? Oh wow, _this_ is what your apartment looks like?"

Katsuki locked the door behind them and looked over his shoulder at Izuku. His green eyes were wide, and partially sparkling as he looked around his large space. The blond could tell that the other was extremely surprised by the level of luxury. Izuku slid off his gym shoes and walked fully into the leather furnished living room and gave a low whistle.

"From the way you treat this place I would have assumed it was closer to a prison cell," Izuku said astonished. "Honestly, I thought Kirishima had given me the wrong address when I arrived downstairs."

"Kirishima gave you my address?" Katsuki asked while frowning. But Izuku didn't seem to be bothered by it and just grinned in his direction.

"Yup! He told me to specifically knock and the door and say 'care package' for some reason? I guess it's an inside joke between you guys?"

Katsuki almost groaned when he could perfectly envision his dumbass friend thinking it'd be funny to send Izuku over under the basis of a care package.

"No. Not an inside joke at all, ignore him," he sighed out, defeated.

Izuku shrugged and walked further into his home, looking ecstatic to be there. The lonely workaholic admittedly watched the beautiful greenette carefully. Something inside of him stirred at seeing Izuku in his usually cold home that now suddenly felt the tiniest bit warmer with the youngest inside.

Bright, curious emerald eyes looked around at the large windows that gave way to the perfect view of the city and glanced up the black railing to the small second floor that held his bedroom. Then finally he peered around into the dining room that held the painting of a rose.

"Oh! My painting. You hung it up here?" Izuku asked shyly while rubbing his neck. "Hah, my sloppy rose feels so out of place in such a neat looking apartment."

Katsuki tilted his head, taking in Izuku against the backdrop of the city landscape through his windows.

"I think it fits perfectly," he whispered more so to himself, not necessarily talking about the painted rose. He could feel old emotions of want and need start to slowly rise up and he quickly concluded that it was _very_ fucking dangerous for Izuku to be in his home right now.

"You brought food?" He changed the subject quickly, walking up behind the greenette and leading him into the kitchen. "I'm starting to think you're trying to fatten me up, Deku."

"Maybe. Nothing wrong with a little pudge for the upcoming winter," the soft voice replied with a light laugh. "I got ingredients for your favorite! I figured we can cook together."

"You went out of your way to go pick up food to bring here?" He asked carefully.

"Yeah, it was no problem," was the only reply he got back as Izuku shuffled past him, looking way too happy. "Let's get started so we can have an early lunch because I am absolutely starving!"

The greenette walked around his kitchen as if he was at home. Izuku placed the grocery store bags on the marble countertop, gesturing with his hand for Katsuki to come stand next to him.

Katsuki watched him surprised because,_ yet again_, Izuku was more than ready to cook him his favorite meal without being prompted. It did terrible fucking things to him because he was starting to realize that the extent of Izuku's saccharine actions held no bounds.

As the ash blond took his place next to the smaller male, he didn't say too much. But when their hands brushed and they both said 'sorry', Katsuki quickly remembered the last thing Izuku said before everything got flipped.

"_A-About what I said last Friday...when I said I liked you…"_

He stared at the blush that was now softly spread across the freckled face as Izuku took the various vegetables out of the bag. Several questions to address what the other had said danced on the tip of his tongue. He wanted to know what the youngest had meant to say so fucking badly.

But the longer he looked at the small purplish bruise on Izuku's cheek he decided to stay quiet. The detective had been through enough, he didn't need another ambush. They were on a vacation, right? Which meant they deserved a moment of peace.

So, he didn't say anything.

"What's your favorite food, Izuku?" He asked quietly while starting to chop the green vegetables given to him.

"I really like katsudon," the freckled man said while walking over to grab a silver pot off the wall. "Why?"

Katsuki shrugged and clicked his tongue. "How about tomorrow we make katsudon together for dinner? It doesn't always have to be my favorite foods, y'know."

As he was chopping, he heard the pause of Izuku's steps and there was a long stretch of silence. Red eyes peered up to see what happened only to find Izuku standing there, looking surprised with indescribable dark red blush raked across his face.

"Y-You want me to come back tomorrow?" The soft voice asked.

"Er, only if you want to," Katsuki quickly backtracked, feeling his own blush starting to spread. "Otherwise don't worry about it, I know captain probably wants you inside at a certain time—"

"—I would love to." Izuku cut him off. "Y-Yeah, captain has me in the watch route, but I can come back tomorrow. Katsudon is it."

The greenette gave him another warm smile and Katsuki visibly relaxed.

The rest of the morning blurred together with the workaholic not minding the time or being in his apartment. They laughed between themselves as they prepared the food and Izuku showed Katsuki how to make the dish with just the right amount of spicy flavor.

As the food cooked, they moved to the couch and Izuku helped him finish folding his laundry and watched the news like it was a natural routine.

Katsuki looked over at Izuku on his couch and part of him wondered what it would actually be like to date someone like Izuku, someone who was so thoughtful and sweet.

He didn't know it at the time, but his mind already started plant a small seed of what it would be like to _actually_ date Izuku.

His phone rang buzzed halfway through eating and he took it out of his pocket discreetly.

**[E. Kirishima]: How's the call-in care package coming? ;) **

**[You]: Fuck off**

**[E. Kirishima]: You're welcome :) **

Katsuki was tempted to say 'thank you' when Izuku leaned in towards him and laughed at something on the TV screen.

. . .

The next five days consisted of Izuku coming over and them cooking all three meals together. On Monday, they had prepared katsudon together for dinner like promised and it was the cutest fucking thing Katsuki has ever seen. He watched Izuku fawn over the dinner like the secret to happiness was buried somewhere in the rice.

He made a secret mental note to learn how to make katsudon in his spare time.

In the span of these five days, Katsuki would never admit it out loud, but the chill he always felt at home slowly dissipated. It was chased away with the warmth of Izuku. His smile made the room seem brighter and his laughter filled the space with life he wasn't aware was missing before.

The greenette was silly and would dance around the apartment to music he was trying to get Katsuki into, but there was a hard ass line for the stoic man. He wasn't about to fucking prance around no matter how tempting that gorgeous fucking smile was.

Izuku started trying to get to know more about him and would ask small questions about stuff he liked to do. When Katsuki mentioned that he enjoyed keeping up with baseball, green eyes sparkled with excitement.

Which brings them to now, sitting on the floor leaned against his queen-sized bed frame looking through the three boxes full of his old baseball card collection.

"You have so many of these! This is so amazing, Katsuki," Izuku gasped out as he took out several laminated cards to inspect closer. "Wow, they're in mint condition too." Izuku gave a small whistle, completely impressed as he shuffled through all the various colored stacks.

"Yeah, I used to be really into collecting them when I was growing up," the ash blond replied with a nostalgic smirk. "Felt like a giant puzzle, y'know? So, I was always super into buying and trading them until I had the entire deck for the Yomiuri Giants. Then it just kinda snowballed."

"That's so adorable! I wish I could see a younger Kacchan trying to trade baseball cards, heh." Izuku bumped his shoulder playfully and Katsuki waved his hand.

"I was such a fucking hot head in highschool, you would've hated me. I'm pretty sure I bullied people into giving me some of these cards."

The youngest just smiled and continued to look through the dense collection of cards. He held up a particularly rare one that had a small reflective material on it, making it seem like some precious jewel versus a thin piece of paper in plastic.

"Do you like going to baseball games?"

"I love 'em," Katsuki replied automatically and pulled one of his legs up to his chest to rest his injured arm on. "I haven't been to one in ages though. I used to go to all the time when I lived in Tokyo. I think the last time I went to a real game was my senior year in college with some friends."

"Wait, Tokyo? You _lived_ there? I never hear you talk about it."

"Uh, yeah. It's...complicated," he mumbled, looking away from the affectionate green eyes. "I grew up there with my parents and went to college at the University of Tokyo."

Izuku scooted in closer to him out of reaction, lightly touching his upper arm with a warm bandaged hand.

"That's really cool! So, you got the big city experience even before moving to Shizuoka?" Katsuki nodded silently, trying to fight down the rising heat under his collar from the contact on his skin. "I guess that explains your low tolerance for bullshit."

"Whatever you say, nerd," the blond rasped out with a smirk. He leaned in slightly to the touch, finding himself not minding it as much as he thought he would.

"Would you ever be interested in going back for a game again someday?"

"Of course, that would be really awesome honestly," Katsuki replied back, not thinking much of it.

If he hadn't been so distracted by the pile of old cards in front of him, the young adult would've noticed how green eyes lit up with a small spark of an idea.

. . .

The next morning when Izuku came to the door he was expecting the greenette to bring piles of groceries like he usually did. Maybe even an old DVD in hand that he was going to force Katsuki to watch while they spread out on his couch together.

What he was _not_ expecting was dark green curls to be peeking out from underneath a backwards black baseball cap with a very familiar orange logo on it.

"I got us tickets!" Izuku exclaimed happily, bouncing slightly. "I know this is really impulsive to do last minute, but I was checking online last night and saw two tickets on sale for the Yomiuri Giants!"

Red eyes widened as he took in the person in front of him fully. The dork was actually fucking wearing a white and black jersey with the bright tangerine colored logo on his chest and black pants. Even his singular gold hoop earring was in place, something he hadn't seen since they went out to the nightclub together.

"Wait, what the hell Izuku? You got tickets? _For today_?"

"Well, we are on vacation, right? Why not?" The greenette smiled sweetly at him. Katsuki stood there dumbstruck. "I even, uh, stopped by a shop earlier today and picked up some shirts for us. You know, get the full experience, heh? I hope large was okay for your size. I couldn't really gauge it well."

It was only then that Katsuki finally peeled his eyes away from the freckled face to see the gear in Izuku's hand—gear that was meant for him. He didn't know what to say as he took the matching shirt and baseball cap from Izuku.

"Er, yeah, I wear a large," he whispered, stilling trying to take it all in. "What stadium?"

"Yokohama Stadium? I got train tickets and everything covered since this was my idea," Izuku replied back happily and Katsuki felt his heart skip a fucking beat for several reasons: the first being that Yokohama was in fucking Tokyo and the second being that yet again, Izuku proved to be this goddamn sweet angel.

"Izuku, that's a lot of money—"

"—Don't worry about it, please?" The shorter male tossed him a look that resembled a kicked puppy and it shut Katsuki right up. "I think it'll be really nice, plus I've never been! So, it's a win-win for both of us!"

_Damn this man. _Katsuki thought to himself when he felt his heart rate speed up but the longer those fucking puppy dog eyes begged him the weaker his already weak ass walls became.

Katsuki conceded in mere seconds, resigned to his new fate.

"You've really never been to a baseball game?" He asked as he placed the baseball cap on his head. "Did you grow up under a rock or something?"

Red eyes softened as Izuku's smile grew wider. "I guess Yaizu is basically a rock, I always wanted to go to one but just never got around to it."

"Fine, let's go dork. I refuse to allow you to continue living without knowing the magic that is a live Yomiuri Giants game." He flashed Izuku a stunning smirk and the dork nearly fucking squealed from happiness.

"Yes!" Izuku exclaimed rather loudly, clasping his hands together. Green eyes widened when Katsuki looked at him with a smirk. Quickly, Izuku cleared his throat, toning it down and did awkward finger guns. "I-I mean, _cool_. Totally chill and cool. The train leaves in an hour, so, uh, take your time."

The tall blond smirked wider at the lame rescue.

"Alright, let me change into this and we can head over."

Izuku barely contained his excitement.

. . .

When they boarded the train to that godforsaken city up north, Katsuki was more nervous than he anticipated.

He told himself that it's not like he was going to run into anyone he knew there. The chances of that happening were extremely low, Tokyo was the largest city in Japan after all. Still, the thought did nothing to comfort him as he sat on the train bouncing his leg with his arms crossed.

Izuku noticed this out of the corner of his eye as they chatted, taking in the blond's closed off body posture. A deep look of pensiveness was plainly written across the handsome features.

"Are you okay?" Izuku whispered lowly only for Katsuki to hear.

"Yeah, I'm fuckin' perfect," Katsuki mumbled out the lie. He tried to focus his thoughts on the fact that he was going to first baseball game in nearly six years and to ignore the possibility of running into any extras.

Or worse, his parents.

What if this was the day that Bakugou fucking Mitsuki decided to stroll her ass into Yokahama stadium? He could barely fucking stomach them during the mandatory holiday season let alone on what is supposed to be his goddamn vacation—

"You're nervous about something," the soft voice said, halting his thoughts. "Is there something about Tokyo that makes you anxious?...Is it the fact Takeyama lives here?"

"No," he sighed, leaning his head back. He glanced at Izuku who was giving a clear look of worry and it made the blond cave. He didn't want Izuku's day to be ruined because of his own issues. "I just...I'm happy you got these tickets and shit, but I'm just worried about possibly seeing...people that I'm not prepared to."

It was an honest answer.

"Well," the greenette started, shifting his hand to rest on Katsuki's nervously jittering leg. Red eyes shot downward at the point of contact and immediately stopped moving his leg. "If you see someone you don't want to interact with, we'll run the other direction full speed, no questions asked!"

Izuku gave a goofy grin and squeezed his leg reassuringly.

"No questions asked?" He parroted. Red eyes searched green ones with a hint of weariness but the affectionate expression he was given just let him sink deeper into the warm security of Izuku.

"Nope. Not a single one. Just running. I'll grab your hand and we'll just go!"

Before he could stop himself, Katsuki chuckled a little and broke out into a grin picturing himself running high speed away from his parents, hand in hand with Izuku. He imagined his mother's confused looking face couldn't contain the humor at the ridiculous thought.

"Thanks, you're fucking ridiculous. But weirdly glad to know you're willing to go to such lengths."

"Of course, anything for you."

His heart skipped a beat for the second time that day at the words. Katsuki's laughter slowly died off as he looked at Izuku in a more serious light. He waited for a 'just kidding' or some weird shuffle around the fondness of the statement.

But Izuku didn't take back then comment or even fucking try to make it sound different than it did.

It sounded like something you said to a boyfriend or best friend...and they were neither of those things.

Izuku retreated his hand back into his lap and fiddled with the long sleeves of his jersey nervously. The freckled man shyly smiled before looking forward.

Katsuki listened as the detective quickly changed the subject to something else but Katsuki could see his face turn a gorgeous pink color.

The blond felt his heart pull dangerously.

He started bouncing his leg again for a completely different reason as he stared at Izuku's cherry colored lips with deep want.

. . .

Izuku was off limits.

Izuku was his trainee and his subordinate and being on fucking vacation with him out of the workplace didn't change this fact.

The lieutenant repeated this to himself like a mantra until it was nailed in his goddamn head. He couldn't act on the intense urge to kiss the nerd despite how cute and sweet and adorable and kind and soft yet fierce…and talented...and sexy...did he already say Izuku was cute?

..._fuck_.

"Over here! I found our seats," the detective called out from in front of him. Dark green curls that poked from underneath his backwards baseball cap swayed ever so slightly in the breeze. Katsuki followed behind him diligently as they walked down the grey stairs that led into the stadium.

People in the same black, orange, and white colors flooded into the large dome, pumping Katsuki with adrenaline and excitement. Loud music blasted to rile up the crowd and the bright afternoon sun shined down on everyone, creating one of the most energetic environments the blond has stepped foot in after years.

They took their seats that were on the end of the row and Katsuki gave an impressed whistle. They had a perfect close enough view of the field and it made him wonder just how much money Izuku had spent on these tickets.

"Well, shit. Good snag on these seats, nerd."

"Right? This is going to be so awesome!" Izuku excitedly said. His hands were balled into fists on his lap and his eyes were wide looking around at everyone. "I can't believe I'm in Tokyo."

Katsuki paused and looked at the youngest curiously. "You've never been to Tokyo?"

"Hm, no?" Izuku gave an apologetic smile. "I honestly have never been anywhere besides Yaizu, a couple of the cities that are near there and now Shizuoka City...I-I never really got to do things I wanted to do in college."

Red eyes studied Izuku a little longer than needed.

The tall blond took in the nervous yet excited posture and the way Izuku's green eyes were sparkling like a kid when he looked at the man holding the different items of food. He particularly noticed the way Izuku's eyes lingered on the giant cotton candy the man was carrying.

"Oi, over here," he called out, grabbing the attention of the vender walking by. He waved the man over to their seats and ignored the confused sound of Izuku beside him. "Give me that big ass pink one right there," Katsuki said while pointing to the largest cotton candy attached to the man's hip.

"I thought you didn't like super sweet things?" Izuku asked, watching Katsuki exchange yen with the man for the large item of candy.

"Ain't for me, it's for you," Katsuki replied through a handsome smirk.

Green eyes widened astonished when he handed Izuku the tooth rotting food. "I-It's okay, you don't need to buy me anything!"

"Just shut up and take it, I saw you eyeing it." He quirked a dark blond eyebrow to emphasize his point, effectively silencing Izuku. A hesitant bandaged hand reached out for the fluffy artificial treat.

"Thank you," Izuku said softly, looking beyond happy and grateful. He shyly slid down in his seat and Katsuki watched how the youngest started to nibble on the treat with an unmistakable smile.

He made a secret mental note that Izuku liked cotton candy.

The game started soon after and they chatted quietly. Quickly, Katsuki learned that Izuku didn't actually know the mechanics behind baseball, which blew his fucking mind.

Turns out, Izuku was never really into sports. Growing up, his family didn't believe in having a television in the house so that's why he always did art for entertainment.

Without any hesitation, the eldest was eager to point out or explain what was happening and Izuku ate it up without an issue.

Katsuki, being so into the game, didn't notice how closely he was leaning in to whisper things to Izuku whenever a player came up to bat. He knew all their stats by heart, and it amazed the greenette to see the eldest so into something that wasn't his job.

Eventually by half time, without either of them noticing, Katsuki had his arm slung lazily around the back of Izuku's chair, leaned in closely and ready to explain anything the greenette had a question on.

"And now time for the kiss cam!" The loud voice of the announcer boomed over the speakers. The crowd started cheering and clapping and Katsuki rolled his eyes.

"This is the stupidest part to me," he grumbled to Izuku. "I never really understood the appeal of it. Who the hell wants to see two strangers kissing?"

"I think it's kinda sweet," the greenette replied with a smile. "Shows that love still exists."

Both of them looked up at the jumbotron that started playing light romantic song as the camera man zoomed in on different couples. The first was a man and woman in their thirties who were holding a small child between them, the second was an elderly man and woman. They kissed and the crowd went particularly wild for them with a loud applause.

"I guess," Katsuki whispered, tilting his head at the next series of people that kissed on screen. "I just feel like there are other ways."

He turned to Izuku to give him an unimpressed look when suddenly the crowd went extremely wild. Both glanced up to the screen to see which two poor souls had been chosen next.

But Katsuki immediately choked on his spit when he saw himself and Izuku staring right back at him.

"Son of a—" He yelled out, ripping himself away from Izuku like the man was on fire. He shook his head vigorously and went to make an 'X' with his arms. The crowd booed and Izuku put his hands up to shield his face from the camera.

"Aw, c'mon!" A young woman behind them yelled. "Do it in the spirit of the sport!"

"Yeah, aren't you guys a couple?" Another middle-aged woman called beside them. "A little PDA wouldn't hurt anyone."

"You all need to mind your fucking business," he hissed out. Waving his hand at the camera man to find another pair of people but the motherfucker just zoomed in more. He gave the man the finger.

The crowd started booing more and Katsuki felt Izuku sink further and further into his seat as if he wanted the ground to swallow him whole. Wasn't long before the crowd had formed a mob mentality and started chanting "kiss, kiss, kiss".

Both policemen gaped in disbelief.

Katsuki was ready to verbally berate the next person to speak up when he heard Izuku cleared his throat.

"M-Maybe a quick kiss wouldn't h-hurt," Izuku mumbled out, giving him an apologetic look. "They would leave us alone afterwards." Red eyes were wide, unsure what the fuck was happening but the heavy blush across the other's face softened his hard resolve.

"We don't have to do this, they can't make us kiss," he harshly whispered. He tried his best to ignore how the crowd started cheering when they turned to each other. He saw Izuku nervously pull at the long hem of the jersey he was wearing again.

A small flash of disappointment flashed across Izuku's face and it broke Katsuki.

The crowd's demanding got louder and Katsuki grinded his teeth when heat started swirling in his stomach.

The prospect of kissing Izuku again was more appealing than he ever wanted to admit. But to do it out of fucking peer pressure when he knew _damn_ well he needs to keep his distance from the greenette was absolutely dangerous.

He wearily looked at Izuku's blushing face and caved for reasons he wouldn't dare say out loud.

"Fine," he mumbled. "If it'll get these goddamn extras to shut the fuck up, let's do it. Short, quick, and simple." He gave pointed glares to the women in front of them.

"R-Right, like we did in the alley." Izuku hesitantly said, and for some reason it sounded like a lie.

Katsuki turned his body towards Izuku, looking directly into his eyes and he felt the air grow thicker and thicker. They maintained eye contact as they got closer and Katsuki felt something shift unexpectedly between them.

He tried to break the gaze but was wholeheartedly unsuccessful because those green eyes trapped him in their gravity.

Izuku was the first to slowly flutter his eyes closed and the temperature in the stadium suddenly felt incredibly warmer.

He could sense the nerves jittering off the detective but could tell the youngest was pushing through it.

The blond male swallowed shallowly and took a deep breath in before gradually leaning in. When he got close enough, he felt Izuku's warm breath tickle his face, making his heart race out of his chest.

Katsuki finally closed his eyes and leaned in fully to close the distance and he swore he felt small sparks flicker across his skin when the crowd started cheering loudly.

Izuku's lips were as soft as he remembered and on top of that, to make things worse, the man tasted like fucking candy. Cotton _fucking_ candy.

The last shred of resolve Katsuki had to not take things further with Izuku was now hanging on by an extremely thin thread.

The crowd clapped, cheering loudly with several 'awes'. Right when Katsuki was about to lean back and break the kiss, he was stunned to feel the greenette lean in and deepen it.

Red eyes shot open to see Izuku's eyes still shut and a delicate sugar-coated pink flush across his face. The detective tilted his head hesitantly and softly push forward in his chair, molding his mouth onto Katsuki's.

Izuku's bandaged hand rose to touch his face to gently touch his cheek as if the greenette had no more self-control left in his body.

Katsuki felt the last ounce of his restraint wash away underneath all his desires.

He slowly moved his lips back against Izuku's, and he could feel the steady rising heat between them ignite like a wildfire.

The dense tension that had built up over the past few months trickled over without either of them noticing. The kiss started off soft but melted into something absolutely needy and nothing like Katsuki has ever experienced.

He has never wanted anyone this fucking _bad_.

A groan ripped from the back of his throat when Izuku's mouth hesitantly opened and his tongue shyly dragged across his bottom lip asking for more.

And Katsuki gave him more.

He didn't know when exactly his fingers laced through the base of Izuku's thick curls—but they did. His calloused tips gripped the silky locks desperately as he forcibly tilted the man's head to the side to get a better angle. He pushed his tongue inside, and the sweet flavor of cotton candy exploded on his taste buds when their tongues danced around together.

Izuku let out a shaky breath that almost sounded like a moan and Katsuki absolutely fucking lost it. He was so far gone now and stopped paying attention to his surroundings.

Their kiss grew more desperate, eliciting low whistles from the people around them when Izuku accidentally knocked off Katsuki's baseball cap trying to grapple at soft blond hair.

"Well, there you have it, ladies and gentlemen! Love is in the air." The announcer exclaimed. The laughter of the crowd slowly pulled the pair off cloud nine.

But when they slowly broke apart for air, neither looked away from the other's eyes.

People cheered and smiled at them, but it didn't register fully to either male.

"...You taste like fucking cotton candy," Katsuki whispered, his hand settling on the nap of Izuku's neck. He knew he should move it away but the pull between them made him stay rooted. "Why are you always so goddamn sweet?"

"Sorry," Izuku replied back breathlessly.

"No, don't be sorry." Katsuki shook his head and licked his lips, picking up of the leftover taste of sugar. "_Never_ be sorry for that."

"Would you two like a photo together?" A photographer from beside Katsuki came by. The man smiled at them while holding an expensive looking polaroid camera. The blond male, still dazed, glanced between the stranger and Izuku, who was also still not fully functioning.

He felt something in his heart start to swell with want.

"Yeah," he spoke up, turning to Izuku. "Let's make it two? One for me and one for you?"

"O-Okay, that sounds good." The greenette nodded, going along with the idea but Katsuki could tell he was feeling the same way he was: stuck on what the fuck type of kiss they just had.

The pair of policemen turned in their seats for a photo, smiling with blushes still heavily visible across their faces. Katsuki hesitantly followed the pull in his chest that told him to throw his arm across Izuku's shoulders. He was happy when the youngest leaned in towards him and held up a peace sign.

The photographer snapped two photos for them and shook it out until a faint image appeared. Katsuki took out his wallet and gave the man the yen he asked for and ignored the soft protesting of Izuku.

When they got handed the photos, both looked at the image carefully, trying to examine what just happened.

Or more importantly, what had just changed.

That one touch, that one kiss, had shifted everything and Katsuki didn't know what to think anymore.

Izuku was a damn good kisser and it made something that was starved inside of him wonder what the curly haired man was like in bed if _that_ was just a sample.

His deep want for Izuku and logic were wrestling for dominance.

. . .

They were spared any awkwardness by the game returning and the Yomiuri Giants winning. Katsuki got into cheering and screaming so much that the heated moment was washed away.

Sort of.

There was a line crossed that could be felt but neither policeman spoke up to address it then and there. Instead, when Katsuki kept his arm on the back of Izuku's chair, the greenette leaned in towards him.

But neither acknowledged the proximity.

He could see green eyes glancing down his swollen mouth and Izuku could clearly see Katsuki's eyes drag up and down his body whenever the detective left for the bathroom and came back.

The lieutenant felt a familiar intensity shake their dynamic and the palms of his hands were fucking _itching_ to touch Izuku again.

When the game ended, they exited out of the stadium with thick tension that was obvious to any onlooker. Katsuki kept licking his lips to try to taste the residue sweetness until it was officially gone.

And he admittedly wanted more.

"Hey...Izuku?" He whispered while they were walking in the thick crowd towards the train station.

The greenette looked up at him with a blush and it took everything Katsuki had not to just swoop down and take those perfect looking lips in his grasp again.

"Yeah?"

"Wanna walk around for a bit before heading back? I know you've never been to Tokyo so I could give you a mini tour."

"That sounds nice actually," Izuku said with a small smile and Katsuki felt his heart do a goddamn back flip.

"Here, let's go this way first. There's a bakery around here that I know you'll go fucking nerdy for." He flashed a signature smirk and received a breathtaking grin in return.

. . .

While watching Izuku walk around Tokyo excitedly taking pictures, Katsuki kept trying to reason with himself that the gorgeous greenette was off limits. He was his goddamn subordinate. No matter how much he wondered what Izuku was like in bed, they couldn't cross that line.

When they walked inside the bakery and Izuku fawned cutely over the small bunny shaped treats Katsuki's reasoning that Izuku was off limits wavered ever so slightly. Seeing the joyous expression across the freckled features did something to his heart that was both painful and nice to feel.

Then the reasoning weakened even further when the greenette tossed him another perfectly shy smile as they accidently bumped into each other while walking in the crowded streets. He was reminded of how shy yet confident the detective was.

And the reasoning finally went right out the window when he watched Izuku bend over to pick up something, and his thoughts dived straight into the gutter.

. . .

They boarded a late train back to Shizuoka City and Katsuki couldn't stop studying the small details about Izuku.

Silence comfortably enveloped them as they sat on the train, tired from the long day. The sun was setting and twilight colors of purple and orange flooded into the small space through the glass windows.

Amber colored eyes gazed softly at the orange halo outline where the sun kissed Izuku's ivory skin. He kept his vision locked on the small dimple that showed whenever Izuku smiled about some comments he made or how his viridian eyes contrasted perfectly against the orange sunset.

After the two-hour ride, they got off the train and walked back to his place in silence.

Traces of their heated kiss lingered on his lips and it made the workaholic take a small step back from all the chaos in his mind to make an important realization in his head.

"You're staring again," Izuku whispered to him. Shy eyes glanced over to him holding a countless number of emotions.

"You always fucking say that to me," Katsuki replied through a deep rasp. "Why?" His red eyes looked into Izuku's green ones and they didn't break the gaze as they got on the elevator silently.

"Because I don't think you know what you do sometimes...so I'm just bringing it to your attention, in case you want to stop."

Red eyes darkened slightly as he looked at Izuku across from him in the small space in a challenging manner. The workaholic felt something low and powerful simmer in his lower abdomen when Izuku chewed on his bottom lip.

He knew he should kick the detective out and tell him to go home. Some type of switch had been flipped and it was evident in both of their eyes.

But he didn't say a word about it.

"I'm well aware of what I'm doing," he said instead. Katsuki leaned back against the grey wall. His eyes raked up and down the smaller male's figure, studying every curve with a mild hunger. "At all moments."

As the elevator rose up floor by floor and the blond could've sworn that the temperature spiked a degree warmer with each floor that got closer and closer to his home.

"Even now?" Izuku said, his own eyes starting to look hazy. "It's dangerous to keep looking at me like that, Katsuki. I might start to get the wrong idea of what you want again. Just like when you were staring at me in the bar."

The elevator dinged and Katsuki was the first to slowly exit, mulling over the words.

Izuku trailed behind him silently as the eldest stared at the silver key in his hand like he was about to open a whole different door. Izuku stopped short next to him, looking pensively out the hallway window behind them.

"This was a nice day," the greenette said quietly. He looked at the setting sun lower itself underneath the blue horizon. "But I guess I should be heading back to Toshinori's, it's getting late."

Katsuki pushed the key in the door and stared at the golden doorknob in deep thought.

"...Should you?"

The words dropped from the blond's mouth and both of them paused at the implication. But the longer Katsuki thought about what he said, he found himself fueled by the growing desire to kiss Izuku again.

"I-It would probably be for the best. Something might happen."

The tall lieutenant turned to the man beside him, his hand still gripping the door handle tightly, waiting to open it. He glanced down at Izuku's mouth and then slowly trailed his eyes up to meet hungry green eyes.

"I've been questioning what really is for the best recently," he said truthfully. "Haven't you?"

Katsuki felt himself take a step over the line he knew damn well they could never come back from if crossed. Silence washed over the hallway as he waited for Izuku to cross the line with him.

An impossibly ravenous looked flashed over that innocent looking face, and he felt the Izuku he ran into at the bar slowly start to emerge.

Not so naive green eyes assessed him carefully.

"Yeah, I have. But...I've never had good self-control, Katsuki."

The eldest clicked his tongue.

"...I don't think I'm necessarily asking you to have _self-control_ right now."

Izuku didn't say anything more verbally but his eyes translated a thousand different questions.

Permission, danger, and a deep thoughtfulness ignited between them. Katsuki felt his body grow warm and the greenette dryly licked his lips.

Both thought about the earlier kiss and what would happen if their lips met again and both questioned the thick tension that was painfully clear.

A flame of intensity clawed at their throats.

Izuku moved first.

Soft lips crashed against his as the shorter male snapped the taller male's neck downwards with all his strength to meet him. Katsuki bit back with equally fierce force as they desperately worked their lips against each other.

Katsuki swallowed every small gasp and whine that Izuku let slip out in the heat of the moment as he tried his best to devour the smaller male. Traces of sugar from Izuku's mouth slipped over as he pushed his tongue inside of the other's welcoming warm cavern.

Izuku was always so fucking _sweet_.

An unyielding deep want coiled tighter and tighter in his already too fucking tight pants as Katsuki fumbled with opening his apartment door open until it finally gave. Warm flashes of ecstasy shot up his spine as they crashed backwards into his apartment like the reckless tidal wave of a force they were together.

Izuku's bandaged hand tightened in soft blond hair, making a fierce snarl rip out of Katsuki's throat when the youngest shoved him against the nearest wall. There was barely any mercy when the greenette bit Katsuki's lip to the point of almost drawing blood and rolled his hips into the already rock-solid hard-on of the lieutenant.

It made Katsuki give a wicked grin into the kiss.

He quickly learned Izuku was not only vicious but fucking hungry as well.

And that fact alone only fueled his burning desire to get the detective naked in his bed as fast as fucking possible.

Consequences be _damned_.

Without wasting another second, the tall blond wrapped his large hands around the slim waist that was desperately pushing into him and kicked his door shut with a loud slam. He pushed Izuku into the opposite wall with a sharp thud and pinned the smaller male against the wall.

"Fucking finally," Katsuki hissed into their desperately kissing mouths. Izuku moaned in agreeance, his hot breath making the temperature inside of Katsuki climb higher and higher.

"I was gonna do it, y'know," he groaned out, feverishly moving his mouth down the delicate freckled neck and sucked until he heard that pretty keen. "I was gonna take your gorgeous ass home that night. Kiss and fuck you all night long until you couldn't walk for a fucking _week_."

"Offer is still on the table, Katsuki." Izuku hastily nodded, his arms hooking around the blond's shoulders.

The strong lieutenant reached down and hoisted Izuku up, forcing himself between the perfectly thick muscular thighs and gave a harsh grind of their hips together. Both felt the hitch in their breath as Katsuki's rough fingertips dug into Izuku's legs and grinded their clothed cocks together.

The pent-up workaholic was relentless in his attacks on the freckled neck as he jerked and rolled his hips upwards, rutting rhythmically into Izuku.

The loud pulsing banging against the poor wall grew louder and louder as they melted together. A litany of moans and deep groans fell into a reedy sympathy, filling up the apartment.

Katsuki gave a particular rough suck to Izuku's neck causing hot rapture to spill into the other's core. When Izuku started to shudder against him, the friction nearly pushing him over, the detective's hands grappled at the lieutenant's jersey.

"Shit, take this off. Please, take it off right _now_." Izuku demanded harshly, pulling harder and harder at the offensive item of clothing.

The blond smirked when Izuku crushed their mouths together again and he kissed the man in his hold right back with a thousand times the fury.

The blond tightened his grip on the smaller one, using all his strength not to drop him as Izuku hooked his strong legs around his waist and dug his nails into Katsuki's shoulders.

They didn't come up for air as they stumbled into the living room, trying their best to make it towards the bedroom.

But at the rate this was going, Katsuki highly doubted they were going to make it that far.

They fumbled down onto the black couch with a light bounce, making Katsuki finally pull back and look down at the thoroughly ravished greenette with a heated glint in his dark red eyes.

"That guy you went home with wasn't enough, was he?" he growled out, his voice low and demanding. He moved swiftly to remove his shirt over his head and tossed it on the ground without a second thought.

Green eyes widened at the visual of the full unfiltered chiseled chest of his superior and immediately glazed over with lust.

"No," Izuku breathily replied, shaking his head vigorously. "Not at all." Pride swelled inside of Katsuki's chest when Izuku opened his legs wider like a good fucking boy and he took his rightful place inside of them.

Katsuki hummed, immensely satisfied with how flat out thirsty Izuku looked. The greenette assessed him up and down, grazing over his large muscles like he just wanted to get fucking _wrecked_.

"I can be enough for you 'zuku. I can make you cum over and over until you're fucking crying and begging," he rasped out giving several slow rolls of his hips into the other.

"Fuck, Katsuki—" Izuku's voice broke with a high moan as he locked his legs around the other's narrow hips, rocking his body with the rhythm. "I've been thinking about this for so goddamn _long_."

"Oh yeah? What else have you been thinkin' about?" He asked, a hand reaching underneath Izuku's jersey to capture a hardened nipple and the other hand buried itself into green hair tightly. "Tell me fucking everything."

"I want you inside me," Izuku moaned, arching into the touch of the hand tweaking and pinching his sensitive bud. His body jerked with each pull on the sensitive flesh as electric waves shot down his spine and to the tips of his fingers. His toes curled at the addictive tantalizing feeling.

"I-I wanna feel your cock stretching me out, suck you dry and let you use me all night long. I wanna kiss you and ride you until you empty it all inside me," he kept rambling between Katsuki's pleasure filled ministrations on his body.

"You wanna get fucking creamed with my cum Izuku?" The blond hissed out as he harshly pulled on Izuku's hair, forcing the youngest to desperately arch into him more.

"Yes, _please_!"

"I think we can manage _all_ of that—how much cum can this ass of yours take?" Katsuki relished the heated tension of their clothed lengths grinding together, biting his lip when waves of pleasure erupted throughout his lower body.

"More than you think," Izuku said seductively, making Katsuki dive over the deep end.

The blond leaned forward to kiss the greenette again, growing harder and harder as he listened to all the pretty ass whines Izuku gave off. He ripped his hand from underneath the jersey to grope a handfull of Izuku's backside and it was fucking _built_.

Multiple ways to bend Izuku over and eat him out until he was fucking dripping cum surged through his mind.

"Damn, your ass feels as amazing as I thought it would," he said into their kiss, hand kneading into the muscle.

"You can't say that just yet. You're not fucking me, Katsuki."

"Shit—you're completely right, let's fix that _immediately_."

He quickly kissed the detective again and ate up the needy sounds. The blond was fully mesmerized at how Izuku's figure flushed against him and how his legs quivered with each roll of his own hips.

"I can't wait to see this beautiful fucking body of yours," Katsuki mumbled into their joint mouths and he felt the slightest pause from Izuku in the midst of their passion.

"...Beautiful?" Izuku whispered quietly, but Katsuki didn't think much about it. He nodded as he reached down between their bodies and started to palm Izuku's erection through his pants. He swallowed the irresistible moan that rocked out of Izuku eagerly.

"Really fucking beautiful—you're so fucking gorgeous, Izuku. Now, let's get you out of these damn clothes."

He broke the kiss and Izuku gave him a half nod of understanding. The detective's hands moved down to the hem of his shirt but when he made the motion to pull it over his head he paused heavily.

This time Katsuki noticed.

He leaned back further to finally get a full view of Izuku's face and it was different. Instead of pure lust clouding the greenette's eyes, he saw hesitation mixed in as his hands gripped the hem of his shirt unnaturally tight.

"Izuku…?"

"Sorry," the greenette said, shaking his head and snapping himself out of his momentary daze. "K-Kiss me again," he spoke with a stutter that made Katsuki frown. The blond was about to speak up but Izuku leaned upwards to lock lips with him again.

But it felt different.

The heat that had been pooling in his lower stomach started to cool down as he felt Izuku's ministrations turned desperate—but not in a good way.

It started to feel forced.

The youngest lifted up and pushed Katsuki back against the couch with all his strength like he was determined to continue.

The blond didn't do anything, but he watched carefully as the greenette straddled his waist with a heaving chest that screamed 'fuck me'. However, the longer Katsuki stayed in tune with the emotions rolling off Izuku, he felt hesitation thick as their sexual tension.

The greenette's hands raked up and down his chest and they brushed past his own erect nipples. While it felt good, Katsuki could easily tell something was off.

Izuku moved again, gripping the bottom of his shirt with determination.

And once again, he faltered.

Warm passion transformed into a distinctive level of trepidation. Katsuki sat up on his forearms and looked up at the hesitant male in his lap.

"Damnit," Izuku finally hissed out. "What's wrong with me?"

He let go of his shirt that seemed to be stuck to his body by some type of powerful force. A mildly shaky hand lifted up to grip dark ruffled curls in an exasperated manner and his green eyes glanced around wide in disbelief.

"Izuku," he said in sterner manner, trying to catch the attention of the distracted man. "What are you thinking?"

He waited for some type of a response back but didn't get one.

Instead, he watched with growing worry as the detective started mumbling to himself and gripped his hair tighter. The greenette cursed under his breath and got off of his lap with an urgency.

Red eyes followed as the youngest turned his back and started pacing ever so slightly.

After several awkward moments, Izuku finally turned around to look at him but conflicting emotions were evident in his eyes as he bit his lip.

Katsuki felt himself growing in panic when the greenette started pacing again, mumbling getting louder.

"_Izuku_." He called out, standing up from his seat on the couch when alarms started to flash in his mind the more unraveled the greenette became. "Izuku, you gotta speak. What's wrong?"

He started to worry about the uncharted territory they had crossed into and if he had done something to make Izuku feel pressured.

The detective turned back around, looking at him with apprehensive eyes.

"I-I'm so sorry. I thought I could...I really, _really_ did." Izuku's leg started jittering and Katsuki's eyebrows knitted together. "Like you have no idea how badly I want to but…" he trailed off at the end, his throat going dry.

"But _what_? If you want to, why can't you?" Katsuki pressed, and Izuku looked away and started clutching his left side. The heat inside the blond's core cooled down unceremoniously like someone had thrown cold water onto his face.

The detective said nothing but ran his hand down his tired face, and it tested Katsuki's patience.

This is why he didn't fucking deal with this type of shit anymore.

"Izuku...you were trying to fuck me desperately a little over two months ago and we basically dry humped each other in a damn night club. And now _today_ happened. Why are you backing out _now_? I don't fucking get it."

"It's different now," Izuku finally spoke up, his voice was tremendously strained and something inside of Katsuki boiled with irritation at the vague explanation.

"Different _how_? What changed?" He said and his own throat started to feel tight.

The longer he looked at Izuku something inside of him felt hurt. He wanted the man in front of him so badly and now shit just fucking flipped out of nowhere.

Did Izuku not want him anymore? He's pretty sure the greenette still slept around and he knew for certain he fucked Mirio last he was in town. Was it something with him? Because that would be terrible, considering how head over fucking heels he was now.

"Is it because I'm your superior?" He tried, hoping to understand a little.

"What? No. That's never stopped me before." Izuku shook his head but his leg jittering continued.

"What the fuck does that _mean_—" Katsuki strained out of frustration, feeling confused.

The lieutenant took a deep breath in and closed his eyes, pressing his palms together to re-center himself. He opened his eyes again to see Izuku close to tears and it wrenched his heart in a painful way.

"Look, I'm not...good at making connections and shit, okay?" He spoke slowly, trying his best not to lose his patience. "I actually really fucking suck at it but, it's different with you. So, I need you to verbally break down what is wrong so we can communicate...okay?"

"...I can't let you see…" Izuku's voice was wobbly and painfully strained.

"See _what_?" He grinded his teeth but the detective just shook his head and turned away. "Goddamnit, Izuku. You're a grown man, spit it out!"

"My fucked up body!" The greenette whipped around, screaming at him. "I can't let you see it, okay!? It was different when I wasn't...when I wasn't going to see you again. It's not the same now," his voice cracked and Katsuki watched with wide eyes as hot tears started to stream down the freckled cheeks.

"You're not some stranger who'll take what he wants then leave or some guy that I feel platonically about! My feelings are at stake now, do you get it!?" Izuku finished and his chest convulsed heavily, shaky breaths leaving him.

Katsuki watched as all the emotions Izuku had been holding inside spilled over unfiltered and the greenette became unraveled, his composure completely lost.

Silence prickled at their skins while the only sound to be heard was Izuku's heartbreaking sobs through clenched teeth.

The eldest had no damn idea what to say to that because he had never considered that Izuku thought of his body as 'fucked up'.

Yet here they were, Izuku's equanimity out the window after admitting what he thinks about himself.

"Y-You're…You're perfect," the youngest continued with a hoarse voice. "I-I like you. _A lot_. But I look like this with all these ugly burns and scars covering my body and you look like _that_," Izuku gave a large motion to Katsuki's bare chest to emphasize his point. "I couldn't…I couldn't take it if you decided you didn't like what you saw..."

Katsuki took a deep breath because Izuku was so goddamn _wrong_.

He wasn't perfect and he didn't give a shit about scars or burns. He just wanted Izuku.

Beautifully complicated fucking Izuku.

The greenette shut his eyes and started clutching his left side as he broke down, wrecked sobs coming out full force now.

Katsuki carefully walked up to him. He stepped slowly, being sure not to startle the man standing in the middle of his living room. He could sense the intense flight reaction just waiting to take off and that, truly, as the last thing he wanted.

He didn't want Izuku to leave.

Katsuki stopped in front of the crying man and carefully placed his hands on the other's heaving shoulders to steady him.

"Izuku," he spoke softly, "I don't care about stuff like that, I would never judge you."

"You don't know that." The greenette shook his head and took several steps back until he was out of Katsuki's embrace. "You haven't seen _everything_."

"That's ridiculous—"

"No, it's not. It's very, _very_ real, and it has happened before. I don't have a beautiful body and—" Izuku took another deep, shaky breath in and Katsuki waited for him to finish his sentence, searching the freckled face with a pleading expression.

Green eyes glanced up from underneath wet dark eyelashes and all the rawness that was swirled inside made the lieutenant's face twisted with an equally vulnerable expression.

"I haven't...you...I haven't felt this way about anyone in years_._"

_Me either, _is what Katsuki wanted to say but his heart hammered against his chest and his throat was tight from trying to keep it together. His eyes begged for Izuku to understand that he wasn't fucking like that. He would never judge someone for their scars.

But Izuku's fears clouded his own mind and he couldn't escape the dark thoughts even if he tried.

"I need to leave," the greenette whispered, quickly turning around when the tension got too thick. "I'm so sorry, I need to leave."

Before Katsuki could gather his thoughts on what was happening, the greenette turned into the narrow hallway by the door and collected his shoes. He bent over hastily and all of his belongings, keys, their photograph and his phone fell to the floor.

A wrecked sob escaped past the fleeing man's lips as he scrambled, grabbing what he could and shoved his items in his packets.

"Izuku, _wait_!" Katsuki tried to call out, his own voice finally cracking in a pitch he's never heard himself in. He hurried trying to reach out to stop him. "W-We don't have to fucking do anything, don't—"

But he wasn't even spared a second glance as the door slammed shut in his face.

"...don't leave…"

Katsuki stood there, stunned at the abrupt departure. His thoughts raced as he gritted his teeth, trying to hold back the stinging feeling that was growing in his eyes.

"Damnit!" He yelled out, fist colliding with the wooden surface of his door. He ignored the pulsing pain in his hand as the image of Izuku in tears appeared in his head.

The ghost touches of their passion were carved into his skin as he replayed everything in his head.

He looked around confused, searching for answer as if it would be etched in writing on his blank walls. His _empty_ walls in his _empty_ fucking apartment that was so warm with Izuku's presence.

Now it just felt a million times colder and lonelier without him after the last few days together.

He turned around, glancing down at the ground to see a singular polaroid picture dropped on the ground, forgotten.

He picked it up and his heart grew heavy looking at how happy they looked.

How happy they looked _together_.

An empty feeling washed over him after several moments. He took a seat back on his couch that was still warm from lingering body heat from where Izuku once was.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and pulled up the greenette's contact to text him.

**[You]: You dropped your picture...do you still want it?**

**[Izuku M.]: Yes, sorry. I'll grab it from you at Kirishima's party Friday**

Right. The party.

Katsuki felt his heart churn and he licked his lips, still tasting the residue sweetness from kissing Izuku. The taste of the sugar sat on his tongue long enough for him to work up the courage to type out his next text with full honesty.

**[You]: I really like being with you Izuku. Let's please talk this through at some point? **

He waited for what felt like an eternity for Izuku to text back as he stared longingly at the photograph in his hand, studying the shy dimple on the freckled cheek.

When the phone finally buzzed again a new burning resolve had started to form in his mind.

**[Izuku M.] I enjoy being with you too. This was a nice vacation**

He reread the text and noticed the greenette had selectively responded but that was enough to solidify his new resolve.

Izuku liked him and he liked Izuku. They both fucking knew it.

Katsuki stared harder at the photograph in his hand with a raw expression, and the gears in his head clicked everything into place as a new realization dawned on him.

He understood that he had spent the last few years running away from anything he ever considered to be love, fueled by his own insecurities.

But today was enough to make him slow down and think.

The day spent with the detective solidified in his mind what he wanted, or more so what he needed.

And it was Izuku.

He'd be damned if he's going to let Izuku run from this as well, chased away by his own fears. There was something undeniably strong between them and if he had to chase the greenette down, then fine—_fuck it._

Katsuki was willing to chase.

**[You]: Vacation isn't over yet. See you Friday.**

* * *

**[Katsuki]:** When you walk away, you don't hear me sAY PLEASE OH BABY—DON'T GO—  
**[Izuku has left the chat]**

Leave a review! :D I love to hear ya'll thoughts and see reactions. They make my day ^_^ Thanks again for reading and the lovely reviews so far!

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**Preview for next chapter:**

"Izuku, balances me out…I don't know why or how but," he licked his lips, pausing. "I like him, Kiri. So, it's important to me that you understand what I'm saying, okay?"

His friend looked at him softly. "I understand you, man. My lips are sealed. What happens tonight stays here tonight." Kirishima grinned at him, placing his hand on his shoulder. "But are you ready to have some fun?"

Katsuki grinned and unbuttoned the top of two buttons of his shirt. "Oh, you fucking bet."


	10. Heat

**AN: **Helloooo!

This very special chapter is dedicated to my better half, nmatthews, who also used her magical beta editing skills on this chapter.

Please make sure to listen to "Clap Your Hands" by Whilk & Misky. It's one of my all time faves since 2016 lol

Enjoy!

**Warnings: Alcohol use, adult themes and scenes.**

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**Chapter 10 - Heat **

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Katsuki decided to give Izuku space the remainder of the days leading up to the party.

He thought carefully about what the greenette had said and his break down. Reliving the whole ordeal painfully wrenched his heart and he just wanted Izuku to feel as beautiful as Katsuki thought he was.

It was absolutely fucking heartbreaking to see the person he now considered to be the most gorgeous person inside and out to refer to himself in such a way.

So, Katsuki wasn't about to stand for that shit. No, not one bit.

He had it fixed in his head that he'd be damned if he let Izuku's insecurities stop them from pursuing the burning heat between them, but he also didn't want to come across as _too_ aggressive. Maybe more a mild aggressive if he dialed it back a bit.

But that was a big ass if—he was Bakugou Katsuki after all.

So, he waited, and he plotted.

He worked out vigorously each day, content in his apartment alone while brainstorming various ways to get closer to Izuku without making him uncomfortable.

And he came up with _quite_ a few.

Turns out, being on vacation and thinking with a clear, unstressed mind allowed a lot of thoughts to come easier to him.

One of these thoughts was that if he was going to try to coax Izuku out of his own head and into his arms, at the very minimum he needed to make sure he looked damn good while doing it.

He remembered walking into a small salon hoping they could work a damn miracle. The small petite woman asked him what he wanted, and he had just shrugged and said, "make me look irresistible."

Katsuki paid the woman at the shop a hefty tip as she shaped up his hair with her recommended style. Katsuki remembered when she turned him around in the chair, he was pleasantly surprised to see how the new style looked on him.

She cut his hair down low by his nape and sides, tapering it neatly so that it transitioned smoothly into the mass of thick blond spikes on the top of his head. Katsuki grinned into the mirror absolutely fucking satisfied with the slightly edgy new look.

All the women and some men in the hair salon catcalled him after he finished paying, only adding to his growing confidence.

Later in the day, Katsuki decided to keep the ball rolling and actually go shopping. Something he rarely did on his own. Usually it took Mina and all her vigorous pestering to even get him into buying a new shirt and pants. It's not like he went out frequently, so he had his set of dress shirts that he enjoyed wearing whenever he needed.

However, on this occasion, Katsuki decided he needed a shirt that was not only good for showing off his arm day efforts, but it needed to come in a particular shade of crimson that would compliment and extenuate the color of his eyes.

After all, red _was_ Izuku's favorite color.

He smirked at the shopping bag when leaving the high-end boutique that day.

The perpetual workaholic then spent the rest of the few days off looking up art and poetry shit that he had never even thought of before a damn day in his life. But the idea of Izuku smiling while he possibly listed off some nerdy stanza made his heart unwillingly soar.

Which brings him to the present, Friday evening sitting in Kirishima's bedroom at nearly 5:00 pm. He was waiting for his best friend to finish getting ready while the redhead blasted some loud ass music from the bathroom.

The blond looked down at his clothes and duly noted the sharpness of his attire, slightly nervous.

He was sporting a deep rich shade of crimson that he knew matched his eyes perfectly and appeared to be the same shade of red as the rose Izuku painted. The short sleeve shirt had a slightly deeper, dark red subtle floral pattern all over in a classy manner and tucked neatly into his ripped black jeans.

"This is going to be so fun, yo!" Kirishima called out from the bathroom. Katsuki smirked in the direction of the open door. "I can't believe by the grace of some deity we've gotten you to go out _twice_ in the span of a year."

"Don't get used to it, dipshit," Katsuki mumbled while putting on his platinum watch. "This is only happening because you're getting married this weekend."

"Yeah, but still! You even bought a new shirt and got a whole new haircut," Kirishima grinned at him through the mirror of the bathroom as he washed his face. "I don't think I've ever seen you wear print."

"I'm just trying out a lot of new things tonight," Katsuki said with a half-smile and a double meaning. His thoughts wandered off to Izuku and felt a small inkling of nerves, but his smile softened the more he thought about trying to win over Izuku. He had an arsenal of nerdy ass poetry ready to spew and he couldn't wait to see that shy smile again.

"Speaking of new things," Kirishima walked out of the bathroom, now fully dressed and ready. "You seem surprisingly nervous yet calm tonight. It's hella off brand for you."

His friend's sharp red eyes assessed him suspiciously and Katsuki immediately felt slightly defensive.

"Don't be fucking nosy, Kiri," he bit out, turning around to hide the blush that was blossoming on his face.

"Coming from the king of being fucking nosy!" Kirishima barked out with a loud laugh. "C'mon, tell me, man. Before the party bus gets here and it's just raunchiness all night."

Katsuki wearily looked at his friend, who was just brightly grinning at him.

The blond had something on the tip of his tongue that he had been meaning to tell the red head about for the latter half of his three-week vacation and he figured now was a better time than any. Especially if he was going to be serious in his pursuit of Izuku.

"I need you to listen to me very carefully, Kiri," he said in an even, commanding tone. "There's something I need you to take very serious, okay? No dumb shit or whatever, do you get it?"

Kirishima quirked a red brow at him, unimpressed. "Let me guess...this has something to do with you making out with Izuku live on television?"

Katsuki immediately blanched at his friend, fully not expecting the blunt statement.

"Wait—what the hell!? How do you know about that!?" He hissed, panic slowly rising.

"Dude, the game was broadcast across the damn country. Baseball is Japan's most watched sport," the redhead sighed while sitting next to him on the bed. "I mean, granted, not a lot of people per se watch it, but you know I do! I would never miss a Giants game. I was about to leave and do something during the kiss cam segment, but Mina started screaming the second I tried to get up."

The blond male cursed under his breath because, _shit_. He had considered someone might have seen him but not all the kiss cams get televised, most of the time they're recorded over with commercials.

But if Kirishima saw, who the fuck else could've?

"Fuck...damnit it all," Katsuki groaned out, bringing his hand up to his face and clutching his hair. "This wasn't supposed to be fucking public—"

"Dude, it's chill. Don't worry!" Kirishima tried to calm Katsuki down and place a hand on his shoulder, but it helped nothing.

"No, it really fucking _isn't_. Izuku is an officer that's under my command like you and the last thing I need is a sexual misconduct charge on my hands right now—"

"Katsuki. Really, calm down," the redhead pressed more. "Every officer at the U.A precinct knows you're not some creep or a predator, alright? Not a single soul in that building is going to think you're taking advantage of Izuku...especially with how hardcore you two have been dancing around each other."

Katsuki cut his red eyes to Kirishima and his comrade just gave him a knowing look. He couldn't even try to deny that fact if he tried because it was so painfully true.

"It's still a bad look," the blonde male mumbled tiredly. His worried thoughts calmed a bit knowing that the support of his team was there...but it still made him concerned.

"Honestly, I was relieved to see you guys work out some of that tension. It was getting suffocating."

Katsuki said nothing but sink his face further into his palm. They were so goddamn _reckless_—

"Well, if it's any peace of mind, it was very obvious you two were pressured into it. You could swing it and say that you guys were just putting on a show," Kirishima tried his best to console. "It was honestly kind of adorable but, _goddamn_. That shit got PG-12 really fast."

The best friend puffed out his cheeks when the blond got impossibly quieter.

"...I take it something happened after a heated kiss like that, huh?"

"Yeah...to say the least," Katsuki finally let out, turning his face towards his friend. "We didn't, er, have sex. But we got really fucking close honestly."

Kirishima hummed thoughtfully, looking at the other carefully. "What happened?"

"Izuku has some things that are holding him back," Katsuki tried his best to keep it vague, not wanting to spread any of Izuku's private business unnecessarily.

"Ha! I bet you can relate to that, huh?"

"Too much," the blond laughed slightly, making the redhead chuckle with him. Katsuki pulled his face out of his palm and placed his hands on the dark fabric of his pants.

Thoughts of Izuku swirled around together in his mind. From the moment he laid eyes on him at the bar to the last time he saw the greenette storm out of his apartment like a fucking hurricane. Izuku was always good at leaving an impression it seemed like.

"I had a lot of things holding me back from him these past few months as well," he whispered.

The redhead paused and looked at him as if shocked.

"Wait..._had_? Like past tense?"

"Yup, past tense," Katsuki nodded, a smile slowly slipping on his lips the wider Kirishima's eyes got.

"Oh, _shit_—are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Yeah...there's just something about him." Katsuki felt his face grow warm but he felt the need to share his feelings. It felt like releasing an immense pressure he let build up and it was such a relief to say how he felt about Izuku out loud.

Beautiful fucking Izuku.

"Like his eyes...I've never seen anyone with eyes that color and they're so goddamn stunning," he whispered more so to himself, but Kirishima leaned in fully captivated. "And his hair is so fucking perfect. Coupled with that goddamn laugh and just—_fuck_. I just...I just want to—"

"—Fuck him?"

"—Hold him."

They spoke simultaneously but as soon as the words left Katsuki's mouth, he whipped his head around at Kirishima. A quick beat of silence passed between the two, shocked at how the other finished the sentence.

"What the _fuck_, shitty hair!?" The blond frowned deeply, fully glaring at a now gaping Kirishima covering his mouth like he heard something downright scandalous.

"Oh my god! _Hold him_!? You got it so bad, dude! Wait, is that why you got your hair styled!?"

"Shut up! This is why I barely talk to any of you guys about this type of shit. I swear to Kami you're so immature—"

"—Hey, hey, it's cool, man!" Kirishima held up his hands, trying to calm down the now furiously blushing blond. "I think it's very manly that you express your emotions like that. But I get where you're coming from. I'll make sure things between you guys stay private within U.A., okay? I always got your back."

Katsuki nodded, pulling down his defenses again. He looked thankfully at his best friend for the swear of secrecy and precaution.

Kirishima stared back at him, and the redhead saw a look he hadn't seen in four years written plainly across Katsuki's face. He briefly wondered if he should say something about it, but he didn't need to bring it to his attention. So, he said the next best thing to confirm what was already crystal clear.

"He's really special...huh?"

They exchanged soft knowing expressions and Katsuki ran a hand through his new haircut.

"Izuku balances me out…I don't know why or how but," he licked his lips, pausing. "I think I like him, Kiri. So, it's important to me that you understand what I'm saying, okay?"

His friend looked at him softly. "I understand you, man. My lips are sealed. What happens tonight stays there tonight." Kirishima grinned at him, placing his hand on his shoulder.

As if on cue, both of their phones buzzed, receiving a text within the new, shared '~Bachelor Squad!~' group chat from Denki.

**[D. Kaminari]: Party bus is here bros! Get your cute asses out here!**

Katsuki shook his head and Kirishima grinned like he was on his way to Disney World.

"But, outside of everything. Are you ready to have some fun?" The redhead smirked at him, eliciting a chuckle from the blond.

Katsuki grinned and unbuttoned the top two buttons on his dress shirt.

"Oh, you fucking _bet_."

They stood up and grabbed their overnight bags to head out. The closer they got to the door, the deeper Katsuki's resolve set in. He was finally going to get the chance to see Izuku after several days of silence.

And he fully intended to make up for the lost time.

. . .

When they got on the black party 'bus' it was everything Denki had informed them it was going to be.

Absolutely a damn _mess_.

It was medium sized, black, and inside was flashing colorful neon lights. Loud music hung over their heads while the smell of alcohol hit Katsuki square in the face.

He sighed because everything about this just reeked of Denki's antics.

Stationed inside was a handful of Kirishima's college friends he'd met a couple of times, already several shots in. One guy he remembered as Tetsutetsu was taking turns on the stripper pole that was directly in the middle of the bus.

"Yo! Bakubro!" Denki called, stumbling over to his tall ash blond friend. "Your hair is different. But like a good different and holy shit, your outfit!"

"I know, right?" Kirishima snickered, elbowing Katsuki's shoulder playfully. "Someone's trying to make sure he just radiates B.D.E."

"B.D.E.?" Denki tilted his head curiously. "Why would Katsuki want to radiate Business Development Executive? He's not a businessman?"

Both red eyed men blinked blankly at their electric blond friend.

"Denki...no, that's not what it means," Kirishima sighed, face palming.

"What does it mean then?"

"For me it means Big Dick Energy. But for you, it means Big Dumbass Energy," Katsuki mumbled, shaking his head. "And let me tell you, you have a lot of it pikachu."

"Hey! That's mean to say!" Denki pouted, but laughed along with the two friends.

Katsuki noticed out of the corner of his eye as a tall figure approached the trio, drawing their attention.

"Hey guys!" A college friend of Kirishima's called 'Ren' greeted. The man's eyes were a soft shade of rare silver and his short hair was a deep hue of blue with subtle waves. "I'm so stoked to get into this."

"Hey dude! Long time no see." Kirishima gave him a small hug. "I'm so glad you could make it out."

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world, man," Ren laughed.

In this moment the bus started moving, cueing for everyone to take their seats.

"We just gotta pick up Sero and the little green bean. Then we're all set go to night life city Hamamatsu!" Kirishima announced and the handful of people inside started clapping.

"The little green bean? Who or what is that?" Ren questioned.

"We got a new detective at the station a while ago," Kirishima answered with a bright smile. "He's a real hoot when a little tipsy. Also, very artsy. You'd get along well with him."

"Well, the more the merrier! This is going to be amazing," Ren grinned. His silver eyes cut towards Katsuki in a friendly manner and Katsuki returned the gesture with his own tight-lipped smile the best he could.

He was honestly antsy about seeing Izuku, especially with ramping up his hair and wardrobe. He hoped that the nerd would respond as positively as other people else seemed to be doing.

Katsuki silently followed behind his best friend, taking a seat next to a chatty Ren. The blond tossed his overnight bag in the corner on top of the other assortment of duffle bags without much thought.

As everyone inside got comfortable with talking, drinking, and forcing one shot down his throat, the spirit in the small bus area was extremely lively as their group grew larger.

The bus stopped at Sero's and the tall lanky man immediately whipped out a wedding present for Kirishima.

The present ended up being a black slash that said 'Groom To Be' in large gold glittery letters and it made everyone laugh at the goofiness of it. Sero made Kirishima swear to keep it on all night long and Kirishima, of course, just gave two thumbs up.

When the last stop came, it was Izuku's home.

The bus parked in front of a very familiar glass building and standing there ready to go was Izuku. When the greenette walked inside the bus, Katsuki felt his breathing nearly stop.

Izuku looked fucking _gorgeous_.

The short greenette stepped inside with a shy demeanor but his clothes read anything but.

He was wearing khaki colored pants, and a dark blue, airy flowing long-sleeved button up that had white rose print on it. The fabric clung tightly to his waist, emphasizing his narrow hips and other...assets. The white t-shirt underneath could be seen through the open buttons and _Jesus fucking Christ—_Izuku's ass somehow looked more perfect in those particular pair of pants.

He heard a low whistle come from Ren beside him.

"Well, goddamn. Green _indeed_," the silver eyed man whispered to Katsuki, eyeing the small gold hoop in Izuku's ear. "I suddenly have the urge to eat my vegetables. _Very thoroughly._"

"Don't say shit like that about him," Katsuki sneered at the comment automatically. He knew Ren was a flirt and he never minded it before, but this time he really _really_ fucking minded it.

The silver haired man looking surprised, but then stared at the ash blond curiously. He studied him as if trying to figure out why Katsuki, the man who vowed never to date again, seemed offended by a small comment.

Katsuki said nothing more but he could feel Ren's gaze on his face, which he chose to ignore. As his red eyes were still locked onto Izuku's freckled face, he watched as the person of his desires turned slightly to lay sights on him.

The reaction was everything Katsuki had hoped for and it made his heart squeeze.

Viridian eyes widened, doing a full double take. Izuku took in his appearance, eyes tracing the outline of his arms, hair, and smirk. He could see Izuku try to say something but stumbled.

"Good to see you again, Izuku," Katsuki said through a handsome smirk which seemed to ground the blushing greenette a bit.

"H-Hey! Good to see you too," was the soft reply he was given. Izuku looked visibly stunned, taking in the full appearance of the man in front of him.

Kirishima pulled himself out the conversion with Sero and Denki to grin at the scene unfolding beside him.

"Yo, Izuku!" The redhead called out, breaking the greenette out of his seemingly dazed stated. The youngest turned around, giving a soft smile and a wave. "Wild, right? Who would've thought we'd see the day where Katsuki actually cared about style?"

"Y-Yeah," the greenette nervously agreed. His voice sounded fresh to Katsuki after going so long without hearing it. "Your hair and, um, that color. It looks fantastic on you, Katsuki."

"Thanks. You look great as well," the blond replied giving a charming smile. Izuku blushed and quickly turned away, clearly mildly stunned.

Katsuki cursed to himself because he realized this was going to be harder than he thought. The greenette was clearly still in-flight mode.

He watched as the younger male purposefully sat far across the bus next to Denki and other people. Katsuki couldn't help but feel a little pained about it, but took a deep breath in. He wasn't going to allow himself to get discouraged.

As the bus set off to Hamamatsu, Katsuki allowed himself to loosen up and get comfortable in laughing and yelling with everyone as they started off their night.

During the rowdy ride, he noted how Izuku started to loosen up too. His laugh mixed in with everyone's chuckles and he introduced himself to all the new bodies on the bus.

Katsuki noticed as his cheeks turned a light pink color from the heat in the closed space and how he shyly declined getting on the stripping pole when Ren encouraged him too.

But most of all, it didn't go unseen how green eyes kept flickering over to him the entire time and how they made eye contact several times.

. . .

"You only booked one fucking room?" Katsuki hissed as their party of at least nine damn people all stood outside of their hotel door.

"Watch it now, grumpy," Denki wagged a finger at him, unimpressed. "I looked very long and hard for this. It's what the Americans would call, a _bachelor pad._"

"That does nothing to make me feel better, I hope you know that."

The group erupted in laughter and Denki swiped the green hotel card. He pushed open the door with excited vigor, giving way to a giant room that was filled with sunlight pouring in from the large windows all around.

"Holy shit!" Kirishima exclaimed in a high excited pitch, eyes wide. "My dude, this is incredible! Thank you so much!" He rushed inside, examining all the expensive carpets and several long lush couches. He turned his head to the side to see a giant Alaskan king-sized bed sitting perfectly, basked in the sun rays.

"I call the bed!" Kirishima rushed out, running to the other side of the room across the marbled floors.

An eruption of people pushing to claim different couches and trying to convince Kirishima to share the big ass bed echoed into the room.

Katsuki watched, extremely amused to see everyone so excited to get settled in.

"Well, there goes all the beds and couches," Izuku laughed slightly from beside him. "I guess it's the floor, huh? Or maybe the balcony."

"I wouldn't mind either of those options," Katsuki replied, watching Ren and Tetsutetsu fight over one of the couches.

He eyed Izuku's profile and how the young detective was giving a genuine smile looking at everyone in the room. The air between them felt thick with tension still when Izuku didn't say anything back.

"Hey, Izuku," he carefully whispered, turning to the greenette as they walked in and set their bags on the floor. Green eyes looked at him in a hesitant manner, clearly aware that there was a lot of unfinished business between them.

"Yeah?" Izuku said with a fake tight-lipped smile, clearly trying his best to save face. A million things to say danced around in Katsuki's head like an intricate ballet but he decided that this, with so many other people around, wasn't the place to address the elephant in the room.

So, he led with something else.

"I have your photo," he said with a smile. Katsuki reached down into his pocket and pulled out the small Polaroid of them.

Izuku's face lit up, slightly surprised and there was a small grimace of awkward that came across his face as he took the object from the other's hand.

"Right, the photo. So sorry about that outburst by the way." Izuku glanced his eyes downward, studying the image.

"We should find time to talk about that," Katsuki said, looking down at the other carefully. He noticed how Izuku glanced his eyes away and his body language shifted to closed.

"Okay," Izuku whispered only for him to hear. "Later. Just not here with other people."

"Sure, that's fine." Katsuki took the inch he was given and decided to shift the conversation, seeing Izuku relax a bit.

"Are you going to put a date on it?" He smirked at the other, bending down slightly to lean into Izuku's space. Izuku blinked at him, clearly surprised by the flirtatious aura and it only made Katsuki smirk more.

"Uh, maybe," Izuku laughed a bit, ignoring the chaos of their party taking more shots in the background. "I usually put some type of special thing about the person on Polaroids. It's just a little thing I do."

Red eyes looked at Izuku curiously, wondering what other Polaroids of people he had. "What are you going to put for me?"

"I'm not sure," Izuku whispered honestly.

"How about...Kacchan?"

"K-Kacchan?" Izuku's head whipped up so surprised and a deep blush appeared on his face in an instant.

"That's the cute nickname you gave you me, right? I decided I kind of like it." Katsuki's red eyes stared into Izuku's and he could tell the greenette was completely taken aback at the new air he had to him.

Which truthfully, only egged him on more. By the time this trip was over he was going to make that damn blush on Izuku's face permanent.

"I think _'first baseball game with Kacchan' _would be an appropriate thing to sign on it."

"I-I guess so, huh?" Izuku laughed, turning away and nervously rubbing his neck. He looked at Katsuki out the corner of his eyes trying to pinpoint what had shifted but a call for attention from the other side of the room cut them off.

There stood Kirishima with his hands on his hips, looking dumbly tipsy already and ready to get started for the night.

"Alrighty, everyone!" The redhead called out. "Denki has made a map of a very special thing called the Red Riot bar crawl and you best believe we're going to have some good ass fun tonight!"

Everyone in the room started clapping and shouting out in excitement.

Kirishima continued with vigor, clasping his hands together. "Let's get the ball rolling!"

. . .

The night continued on with a joyous air and Katsuki did all the subtle little things he could think of to make Izuku feel more comfortable around him. All while still trying his best to flirt with the younger male.

Turns out Izuku was getting whiplash whenever Katsuki would throw him a compliment or pay for his drinks and food while they were out.

The blushing greenette looked confused yet pensive about it the gestures but slowly the awkward air around them started to fade the longer they went in the 'Red Riot Bar Crawl.'

Gradually, Izuku was chatting with him more and Katsuki would charmingly smile at the other, trying his best not to overstep. He noticed several times how Ren seemed to watch them carefully, but he didn't say anything to the silver-eyed man.

Turns out, Denki actually knew how to plan a damn party. Katsuki was more than pleasantly surprised to say the least.

The ash blond was having an enormous amount of fun watching everyone goof around as they walked all over the downtown Hamamatsu area.

Kirishima's 'groom to be' slash got them a lot of attention and several free rounds at the different bars they were exploring in the Red Riot road map.

Which brings them to now, nearly eleven at night, in the warm early fall air. The sky bled from an orange dusk to brilliant deep blue and all the bright stars were clear in the sky.

Katsuki took note that everyone was either mildly tipsy, drunk or in Denki's case, belligerent.

"Where does this map end, Denki!" Ren called out; face flushed from laughter. "My feet are starting to hurt in these dress shoes!" They were all walking and talking. Izuku was giggling about something Sero was telling him and the sound of a guitar strumming in the background.

"It's a surprise! You just have to wait and find out!" The electric blond replied with a small smile. Katsuki just shook his head as Kirishima threw his arm around his shoulders.

"Dude, you have to be more direct," Kirishima whispered loudly in his ear, his breath dosed heavily in the smell of sake. "Try to use your strong suits. You know he's been eyeing you like _all_ night. That haircut is really working wonders, man."

Katsuki rolled his eyes and folded his arms. "I'm just taking my time. I have a method, but I can't really do much when we're in front of other people and he's fucking acting skittish around me."

"You gotta make him feel comfortable first! Also, you gotta stop acting so closed minded about P.D.A. man. Just let loose!"

"And how exactly am I supposed to do that?" The ash blond sighed, looking longingly at the back of Izuku that was walking far ahead of him. He had so many things planned in his head and trying to flirt in a large group was a lot harder than he anticipated. Especially when they couldn't even address the issues on the table.

"Oh, wait! I love this song!" Ren suddenly called out from the head of the group as they passed by the source of the guitar sound.

Standing in the middle of the street was an older man dressed in comfy looking clothes. He had his guitar case open, collecting tips and a mic set up as he strummed a lighthearted song into the night.

Immediately, their entire party gravitated towards the sound as Ren and Denki stumbled over to the area the man was at. The two drunken friends started dancing with each other, looking like they were pretending to be professional dancers.

A crowd slowly started to form, and the man's eyes lit up as more money started to pour into his black case.

Izuku took out a large amount of yen from his wallet and placed it into the case, which stunned the musician.

"What a kind soul you are," the guitarist complimented, giving Izuku an honest look.

"I'm a big supporter of the arts," Izuku replied with his award-winning smile. The sight made Katsuki smile because Izuku was an artist himself and seeing him support others...well, it only dug his ditch deeper.

The ash blond then walked up next and placed close to the same amount of money in the suitcase. He gave Izuku a small smile and green eyes studied him like he was seeing him in a new light.

"Ah, another supporter of the arts!" The guitarist laughed giving him a small smile, showing his crooked smile.

"Something like that," Katsuki chuckled while shrugging. "This one right here inspires me to be."

Izuku looked at him carefully but Katsuki only gave a half smirk, leaving him to interpret it how he pleased. He stepped to the side when Sero started dancing with Kirishima all over the place. The crowd began to rhythmically clap their hands together and the guitarist started to pick up a new sped upbeat.

"I'm getting married to the love of my life this weekend!" Kirishima drunkenly slurred out pointing to his slash.

Katsuki tilted his head at how happy his friend looked, and he felt truly happy for him. He turned his head to the side to see Izuku slowly clapping along to the beat but staring at Kirishima in a manner that translated familiar longing.

Katsuki briefly wondered what Izuku was thinking.

"You two should dance!" The guitarist called out.

Everyone's eyes turned towards them. If this were any other day the ash blond would berate every single motherfucker that pressured him into doing something he didn't want to—but this was not one of those days.

Because it was something he did definitely want to do.

"Oh, I don't really think that's a good idea," Izuku awkwardly chuckled, trying to wave it off. Green eyes looked at him nervously and Katsuki only gave him a quiet expecting look.

"C'mon! In the spirit of changing seasons, dance together. It's good luck!" Kirishima supplied, looking between them mischievously. "It's proven that friends who dance together have happier relationships."

Katsuki smirked back at Kirishima in a sudden moment of understanding. Izuku's eyes bulged at the sudden left field comment and immediately started waving both of his hands and shaking his head.

"Oh, no, that's really okay—"

"Dance with me," Katsuki cut him off. He turned his body fully to face Izuku. "It'll be fun, and you know it."

Izuku looked around and the guitarist gestured them to come out on into the circle of people that was now gathered around with several people jamming out in the air of the moment.

"We don't have to, Katsuki."

The ash blond slowly started moving towards the center of the circle and flashed Izuku an attractive grin. He felt really fucking stupid right now but Kirishima said to let loose, right? So, embarrassment be damned.

"I want to dance with you," he called out, reaching his hand out towards Izuku who looked at him in slight amazement. It brought the blond back to the balcony where Izuku was trying to get him to dance in the rain but now they had roles flipped.

He felt really fucking ridiculous as he started swaying side to side a bit to encourage the greenette and he could see Izuku's eyes slowly start to follow the movement.

"Just take my hand...don't worry," Katsuki softly encouraged.

He watched as a small smile appeared on Izuku's face and the greenette started laughing when more bystanders encouraged him to go. Izuku gave a final sigh of defeat before stepping forward and looking at Katsuki's open hand waiting for him.

Izuku reached out and took his hand back and Katsuki could've sworn he felt his heart burst.

Their fingers automatically intertwined, and the ash blond fully pulled Izuku out into the center of the floor, resting his other hand on the greenette's waist.

"I'll play a special song, just for you two patrons," the guitarist called out, switching to a completely different song. "I think you'll both like this one."

The musician switched the cords he was strumming and started humming in a melodic voice that filled the air with romance.

Izuku's bright green eyes looking up at him accompanied by a small tipsy pink flush. Katsuki couldn't even control his own smile as they started moving to the high tempo beat. Other people joined into the song, stomping their feet and clapping their hands as Katsuki twirled Izuku around in a playful fashion.

The greenette started bursting with beautiful laughter that Katsuki could only pinpoint as Izuku's bright unique energy as the greenette fully started twisting and joining him in dancing.

They melted into the night with each other until Izuku closed his eyes, letting go of his surroundings. Katsuki relished in the feeling of Izuku holding onto his arms and he squeezed Izuku's waist ever so slightly.

A slow melody in the song occurred as the musician dipped his voice low and slowed down the beat in his stomping foot and strumming his guitar. The pair slowly started to ease into a softer sway back and forth with their hands intertwined.

"I never would've guessed you could dance like that, Katsuki," Izuku laughed.

"There's a lot about me you wouldn't have guessed," he replied back with a smirk. He squeezed Izuku's hand in his own and the greenette looked at him softly. He could feel the other warm up to him and it finally clicked in the stoic man's head that Kirishima was right.

It was okay to let loose, especially if it came to Izuku.

"I like dancing a lot," Izuku smiled shyly. "This is really fun, especially seeing all these people having fun around us." Green eyes glanced around at all the couples and friends surrounding them. While looking at the beautiful freckled face gaze upon the others in the scene, the ash blond's heart squeezed tightly.

"It must be the changing seasons like Kiri said," Katsuki supplied. Izuku smiled at him and an idea jumped in his head. He licked his lips before speaking carefully. "Do you like fall a lot? You seem like the type."

Izuku laughed, leaning into him a bit more. "I love fall honestly. It's my favorite season."

"I guess that makes sense. Fall is a special season. It's said that, uh, the sun took a step back, the leaves pulled themselves to sleep and Autumn was awakened, right? Hard not to like something as pretty sounding as that." Katsuki whispered lowly.

He felt Izuku stiffen in his arms and green eyes looked up at him in more shock than before.

"Did...did you just quote—"

"Raquel Franco?" He smirked down at the other. "Yeah. I did."

"I didn't know you knew poetry like that," Izuku whispered. Jade colored eyes searched his face and the proximity of their bodies allowed Katsuki to feel the hard thumping coming from inside of Izuku's chest.

"I might've taken the liberty to look some stanzas up just for you," he confessed, his own heart hammering. Crimson eyes looked into Izuku's thoughtfully, hoping that it didn't come across as too much. "Do you like that poet?"

"...I love them."

Their movements slowed progressively until they were standing still in the thick crowd hand in hand with Izuku looking at him astonished but full of admiration.

"...Katsuki. You're..." the greenette started, not breaking the heated eye contact. Katsuki could feel the low simmer of heat start to boil inside of him as he waited for Izuku to speak his next words. The greenette opened his mouth and then closed it again.

Steadily, the dazed look of infatuation faded when Izuku averted his gaze away from him. Katsuki made a desperate expression._ Fuck_ they were so close—

Then Izuku's face twisted in confusion as he looked around in the crowd some more.

"Wait. Where did everyone go?"

Katsuki blinked once, not expecting that to be the next thing to come out of Izuku's mouth. But he looked around as well, and there wasn't a single one of their friends within sight.

"Fuck," he cursed. "Don't tell me we lost that herd of drunken idiots?"

The ash blond twirled around confused, trying to pinpoint someone familiar but there was none. The dense crowd of people who had gathered clouded his vision and slowly he was sent into a small panic.

"Maybe they moved onto the next bar?" Izuku tried to offer, looking around as well. "We should probably move fast though. There was only stop left before the final destination Denki had planned."

"God, this is such a fucking headache," Katsuki groaned. "Okay, let's get going. We're the two most sober out of everyone and I rather not file a police report while off duty."

Izuku nodded in agreement and like natural instinct, the greenette adjusted his bandaged hand that was intertwined with his own. Katsuki looked down as the other seemed to stay holding onto him and not letting go as they pushed through the crowd and continued on the roadmap they were given.

He said nothing, not wanting to break the moment but internally his heart was filling up fast with heat and want because Izuku's hand fit so perfectly with his own.

. . .

They rushed as fast as they could with Izuku leading the way, looking at the Maps app on his phone. Denki had been clever enough to share the pins in order of the bar crawl route with them and when they arrived at the first place, they couldn't find the rest of their party.

But Katsuki didn't mind.

Why? Because Izuku was clutching his hand tightly, not exactly registering the action but not really seemingly bothered by it either.

It confused the ash blond a bit. But he wasn't about to say shit about it. He couldn't tell if it was the tequila that had Izuku staying intertwined with him or the clear fact that the greenette liked him and they were still skirting around it.

So, he didn't say anything. Just slightly squeezed Izuku's hand and offered to buy him a shot before they got to the final destination.

Which was a strip club out of all places.

Izuku agreed to the shot, laughing about wanting to let loose some more. He gave a bright grin and they downed the burning liquid together, holding hands the entire time.

They walked into the club together with Izuku fully clutching to him, face warm and mumbling about something that Katsuki didn't quite understand, but it was fine.

He asked the bouncer about something called the 'Red Riot' bar crawl that included a bunch of drunken asses wandering in here with a man in a slash and the large bouncer laughed hard.

"Yeah, they're all in the V.I.P section," the bouncer supplied, giving them a wink. "Have fun you guys."

Katsuki led Izuku through the bright neon filled lights and they stopped at a section that was roped off, but inside he could hear loud calls and very distinctive laughs.

"There you guys are!" Kirishima cried out as they walked into the V.I.P. area fully. "We were all wondering if you guys were gonna just dance there all night or something."

"I bet they wouldn't be against that," Ren chuckled, looking at Katsuki knowingly. "I don't think I've ever seen Katsuki actually dance with someone."

"Can it, Ren," the ash blond grumbled. He led Izuku further into the room and slowly all eyes looked down at their jointed hands.

Izuku, despite teetering on the edge of drunkenness, was the first to notice the stares and yanked his hand out of Katsuki's quickly.

Red eyes glanced down, surprised by the abrupt action and Izuku immediately turned his face away. The greenette held his left hand against his chest and tried his best to laugh off the action.

The blond looked at Izuku's profile that was dusted in pink flush. He wanted to say something along the lines of 'it's okay to hold my hand, nerd. I _really_ fucking like you' but kept it to himself when suddenly a woman entered the room with a bright sparkler and two full wine bottles.

"Special night for a groom to be I heard!" The brunette woman smiled at everyone, eliciting loud cheers and claps.

Katsuki watched as Izuku took a seat down next to Ren and followed the greenette, sitting in the open space between him and Kirishima.

"It is a very special night!" Denki chuckled, standing up. "Now, gentlemen, I present to you the surprise of the night. It took a lot of convincing to get this done but I hope you can all enjoy it—"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the door was kicked in with a loud thud, stunning everyone. Ren spilled his drink all over himself and Izuku leaned into Katsuki out of reflex.

"—Everyone put your hands up!" The deep voice of a man shouted into the room.

Two new figures, one man and one woman, dressed in police uniforms barged into the room. The woman pouring drinks looked around and winked at Denki before shuffling out quickly, closing the door shut behind her.

"I'm going to need everyone to stay still and quiet because you're all under arrest." The woman commanded; authority thick in her voice. Everyone froze, fully surprised at the turn of events.

The brown-haired woman swung a pair of handcuffs around her fingers but something felt off. Katsuki squinted suspiciously when he started to notice that the handcuffs didn't look quite like the regular grade ones he carried, and his eyes widened even more when he noticed the pink fluff on them.

_Oh, what the fu—_

"Yeah, you're all under arrest for disturbing the peace." The man spoke up, walking straight up to Kirishima and holding up his own pair of fuzzy handcuffs.

"And how are we disturbing the peace, officer?" Kirishima smirked leaning in, fully playing along.

"It's a crime to have this many sexy men in one room." An attractive smirk appeared on the 'officers' face. "I don't think anyone can really think _straight_."

Izuku's mouth dropped open in disbelief. "Did Denki get police theme _strippers—_"

Before anyone could blink the man and woman who were now clearly Identifiable as strippers started playing loud music on the speakers and swaying their hips to the beat. All of their party started cheering and cat calling the two as they fully unbuttoned their uniform shirts.

"We have a very special game to play tonight and it's important that you all plead the American Fifth and stay silent while this show gets on the road." The woman gave Sero a wink as she started doing a small dance that ended with her shirt all the way off, revealing a black bralette.

Katsuki gave a feral grin as he watched both the man and woman get into stripping down into their fucking police themed outfits and he had to give it to Denki_—_this was _definitely_ one of the most fucking theme appropriate things.

"I'm gonna need everyone to pick a straw and the person with the shortest straw is going to get a very special dance from the both of us," the man spoke. He pulled out exactly nine sticks and started to make the rounds. Everyone took one, while downing more of their drinks.

The woman shifted a free chair into the middle of the room giving everyone a seductive gaze. Katsuki's red eyes watched as Tetsutetsu seemed to be praying to Kami that it would be him but when it came time to draw his own straw Katsuki noticed it was long.

He looked around and everyone assessing their given straws and his eyes widened when he noticed Izuku's was the shortest.

The greenette looked visibly pale.

"Looks like we have a winner!" The man gave Izuku a heated gaze and immediately walked over to him. "C'mon handsome, take a seat in your throne."

Katsuki couldn't tell if it was the warm feeling of alcohol in his blood, but he didn't like the idea of Izuku getting a dance from two strangers, but he pushed down the feeling.

They weren't together, so who the fuck was he to stop Izuku from having a good time? This night was supposed to be raunchy and it looked like it was about to be ratchet than he anticipated.

The man and woman each grabbed one of Izuku's hands, fully coaxing him up out of his seat, ignoring the objections from the curly haired male.

Everyone cheered as the woman brought out a white garter and pushed Izuku into the chair.

"C'mon green bean!" Ren encouraged but Izuku gave a tipsy shy smile. He raked his hand through his curls and blushed heavily at the attention he was being given.

"We're gonna need you to take your pants off, cutie," the male stripper said and Izuku visibly stiffened all the way.

Suddenly the need to step in rose inside of Katsuki.

"O-Oh I don't...feel okay with that. Maybe someone else can take my place—"

"—C'mon, it's all in good spirits!" Ren encouraged and Tetsutetsu backed him up.

Everyone in their drunken state started chanting Izuku's name, but Katsuki didn't. The ash blond frowned because it didn't seem like anyone else was picking up on the underlying hesitation radiating off Izuku.

"He doesn't have to do shit he doesn't feel comfortable with," Katsuki hissed at the blue haired man beside him but Ren didn't seem to catch the hint. "Izuku, I'll switch with you."

"Don't be a party pooper!" Ren elbowed Katsuki in the side. "It's Kirishima's bachelor event. Him taking off his pants for a while is going to be the least embarrassing thing that'll happen. I'm sure no one will even remember. Plus, I wanna see what he's got underneath those clothes."

Right when Katsuki was about to tell him to fuck off, Izuku made a strangled sound in his throat when the female stripper leaned into his space, dangling the frilly piece of fabric off her fingers.

"Okay," Izuku caved, not looking at anyone. "No one's going to remember this anyway and I don't wanna bring down the mood."

Katsuki was about to object because it was so fucking clear he was doing this out of drunken peer pressure and not because he wanted to. The greenette nodded to himself and mustered small tidbits of courage on the spot.

Everyone started clapping again and Katsuki watched Izuku's face carefully as the small male let the stripping duo start up some music.

The pair began to do their dance routine on him, and it was admittedly very lewd. The two sets of hands raked over Izuku's clothed chest and the young detective laughed at the police related puns that were being tossed his way.

"I think a crime of public indecency is in order," the man smirked down at the greenette, who was now smiling, fully enchanted by the performance. "Or maybe we should arrest you for reckless endangerment for packing a set of guns like this without a license on you." At this he gave Izuku's well defined biceps a small squeeze.

The greenette laughed with everyone else, fully losing himself in the moment. So much so, that he didn't seem to mind when the male moved in front of him and made a grab to shimmy off his khaki colored pants.

Izuku closed his eyes and lifted his hips in the chair, eagerly. The motion sent _very_ specific visions into Katsuki's head.

The pair slid Izuku's pants all the way down to reveal green, tight hugging boxers but most of all it revealed a large scar peeking out from underneath his boxers on the left side for everyone to see.

Izuku, seemingly too drunk to notice didn't see the reaction of the strippers, who both tilted their head at it. And then the pin dropped.

"What's that on his leg?" Ren asked none-too-gracefully. The words fell into the air and everyone's attention was drawn to Izuku's left side. The greenette heard the words clearly and it seemed to be the antidote to his tipsy state of mind.

Like slow motion, Katsuki watched dread sink into Izuku's features and the freckled man seemed to sober up rather fast. It pulled Katsuki's heart to try to make it better and he felt the heat of mild anger flare inside of him.

The stripping duo missed a beat in the performance, and it was so fucking obvious to everyone that they were thrown off by the large piece of raised skin peaking from underneath Izuku's boxers. Their eyes locked onto the small burns and scars that climbed up Izuku's limbs.

The professional duo put on their emotional masks and continued to work Izuku's pants off. The man lifted Izuku's leg up in a flirtatious manner to slide the lace garter on Izuku's thigh. But his eyes kept noticeably darting to the burn mark on the pale skin, making him break character several times.

It was then that Katsuki looked at Izuku's face...and it was dejected.

Izuku was no longer having a good time.

That was enough to make the ash blond snap.

"Move the fuck out of the way," he growled, standing up quickly. Katsuki aggressively shooed the two strippers away, earning confused looks from everyone but he didn't give a damn. "You guys are shit and I can do this way better than both of you."

Everyone in the private room gasped but then slowly started to howl and cheer. Izuku looked at him like he had grown a third eye but Katsuki devilishly smirked at him.

He'd be damned if he'd let some extras make Izuku feel fucking self-conscious.

"Oh, hell yes," Kirishima clapped loudly. "Now, _this_ is a show I would gladly pay for!"

The song skipped to the next one as the Katsuki kept his burning red eyes locked on Izuku. They said nothing because honestly neither of them knew how this was going to go, and Katsuki was just improvising at this point.

The blond turned around and grabbed a pair of handcuffs out of the shocked male strippers' hand. He put the metallic item in his mouth, dangling them loosely. He didn't dare to break eye contact with Izuku as he approached the greenette slowly, unbuttoning his shirt all the way down by the time he stood proud in front of the other.

Red eyes searched the star dusted face for any hint of fear or hesitation, but there was none. All he found were pink tinted cheeks and heat swirling around in those mesmerizing eyes as they looked at his chest with a hunger.

The beat dropped Katsuki decided to follow his gut and sink fluidly to his knees in front of Izuku. He was only encouraged further to run his hands up carefully the freckled thighs and Izuku's breath audibly hitched.

Katsuki's eyes darkened as he ran his palms up Izuku's legs because he felt a sensation he wasn't expecting. Or more so there was a lack of one he was anticipating with a man. But the smooth skin underneath his course fingertips made a new fact about Izuku click into place.

This motherfucker _shaved_.

His fingers toyed with the lace object clinging to the smooth skin, pulling the fabric back and making it snap loudly against Izuku's skin. The greenette gasped sharply but didn't seem to object, and it added to Katsuki's growing ego.

He took the handcuffs out of his mouth and dangled them closely to Izuku's face.

"Why settle for a fake when the real thing is right here, 'zuku?" He smirked greedily at the younger male, fully drinking in the look of absolute thirst that was dripping off of the other.

"Well, damn, Bakugou," Sero laughed. "I didn't know you had all of this in you."

Honestly, neither did he. But he wanted Izuku so fucking bad, but more importantly he wanted Izuku to feel as attractive as he thought he was, which was motivation enough to push him out of usual comfort zone.

He watched fully satisfied as the greenette's irises saturated to nearly all black looking at his open shirt, a small sliver of green on the outer rims.

Katsuki sunk himself in between Izuku's legs, reaching to grab Izuku's wrists with his hands. Then he tentatively leaned in to whisper in Izuku's ear only for him to hear.

"If you want me to stop let me know," he said slowly so that even a tipsy Izuku could understand. "I mean it. At any time just say stop and I'll stop, okay?" The freckled male nodded against him, giving him the green light and a mischievous smirk settled onto Katsuki's face.

He snapped Izuku's wrists in front of him, expertly cuffing him in a second. And it didn't go unseen how much Izuku seemed to enjoy it, his breathing switching to the telltale shallow pace.

Katsuki smirked wider as he leaned back and stood up, getting fully into character. He looked around at everyone before clearing his throat.

"I'm the goddamn commander here, am I right?" He said in a deep voice, stern with authority. The entire room shouted, and it sounded like there were suddenly more than eleven people in the room.

"Yes, sir!" All the U.A officers called back in drunken unison. Everyone immediately cheered and clapped for him and started chanting his name.

"And when I say 'jump', you say?"

"How high!" His teammates called back. He smirked at Kirishima with a mischievous glint in his eye, before turning around the poor greenette cuffed in the chair, looking absolutely fucking flustered.

"Now, Izuku," he called out in a voice several octaves deeper. The velvet undertones of his vocals caressed Izuku's ears and the younger detective leaned in slightly like he was hypnotized. Katsuki kicked his foot up on the chair, directly in the small space between Izuku's legs, earning a strangled noise in the back of Izuku's throat.

Emerald colored eyes widened even more when the lieutenant placed a hand on the back of his chair, and soft blond bangs tickled his face as Katsuki leaned in fully. His breath tickled over Izuku's lips and the temperature in the room grew hotter.

"When I tell your sexy ass to touch me, you say?"

"_Absolutely_."

The quickness in his own breathy response seemed to stun the green man but Katsuki looked like a predator who finally caught his prey.

The song switched in the room and Katsuki moved back fully, leaving Izuku feeling cold and like he wanted more. Immediately, the lieutenant finished undoing the last few buttons on his shirt in a fluid motion as he spun around to the beat in the song.

He ripped his shirt off, tossing it down to the ground in a powerful motion. He lost himself in the moment and started rocking and moving his hips to the beat, dancing much like he did earlier going full seduction mode.

His deep crimson eyes darkened dangerously as he lowered himself to the ground and slapped his own thighs, commanding Izuku's undivided attention. With the encouragement of loud catcalls from the other men in the room Katsuki bit his lip and winked at the man handcuffed in the chair as he fully seated himself in Izuku's lap.

Handcuffed hands rested on his bare chest as Katsuki smirked down at the man in the chair. Izuku looked as if he had forgotten how to breathe. He ran his hand through Izuku's hair, snapping his head back forcefully to meet his gaze. The blond gave several intoxicating rolls of his hips and six pack directly into Izuku's now flushed smiling face.

"Keep your eyes up here if you can, Deku," he teased when a nimble finger traced his defined chest, lost in the moment.

"Of course, sir," Izuku replied back instantly and Katsuki felt heat rush directly into his groin at the authoritative reference. He quickly maneuvered Izuku's hands above his head by the chain of the cuff and pulled his own head through the loop of Izuku's arms.

Without being told, the youngest immediately clung to Katsuki's broad shoulders. Izuku's hands sunk deep into blond spikes as Katsuki effortlessly shifted their positions to wrap Izuku's legs around his waist.

"Don't you fucking let go," Katsuki called down to the other and he got a burst of laughter in return the second his hand dipped low to squeeze the plump behind of the other.

He stood proudly tall, lifting Izuku as if he was light as a feather with one arm hooked under him. He tilted the chair back giving several heated hip rolls directly into Izuku. The greenette's face turned an impressive shade of red as he tilted back completely, green curls dangling loosely while bursts of laughter echoed in the room.

"Don't hurt him, lieutenant!" Kirishima playfully called out when Katsuki fully lowered them both onto the ground and spread Izuku's legs wide, fingers playing with the frilly lace on his thigh.

"I'll only hurt Izuku if he asks me to," Katsuki grinned wickedly down at the man beneath him. "Isn't that right, freckles?"

Izuku nodded dumbly, green eyes glazed over with lust at the implication. Katsuki kept on giving a show, fully showcasing how well he could grind his hips to the high tempo. He swiftly ducked his head from underneath Izuku's arm and gave a light squeeze to the two thighs in his hands.

Without thinking Katsuki looked at the garter on Izuku's muscular leg and lowered his head to give a soft bite to the area of skin. He raked his teeth carefully into the plush skin and gave a deep groan in his throat because _fuck_ Izuku was so goddamn soft.

If they were alone, he would decorate this man's legs in hickies until he was fucking satisfied with his work.

Red eyes locked heated onto green as he carefully and slowly sunk his teeth into Izuku's skin, making sure the other saw every single thing he was doing. He wanted Izuku to see it all. His tongue darted out unapologetically as he traced a small circle with the wet appendage, loving the whine he received.

He shot a predatory grin as Izuku's chest started heaving the second he took the white piece of fabric into his mouth and slowly started to drag it down Izuku's smooth leg.

His smoldering warm red eyes looked at Izuku, translating all the hunger and want that was burning in his chest unfiltered as he left small bites and licks all the way down until he removed it all the way from off Izuku.

He came up to full height on his knees and spun the garter around his finger while smirking at a dumbstruck Izuku. He eyed the clear erection the other had in his boxers but Izuku didn't seem to care a single bit. Katsuki couldn't decide if it was the alcohol or if Izuku was really fed up trying to hide his attraction to him anymore.

He hopped it was the latter.

"Holy shit…" Tetsutetsu called out, applauding slowly. "That was…"

"...like an extremely complicated birds of paradise dance?" Ren commented, looking at the overwhelmed Izuku still handcuffed on the ground.

"A really fucking _hot_ birds of paradise dance."

"I wouldn't be surprised if Midoriya was somehow pregnant after that," Sero interjected.

"Ain't that the truth." The male stripper from beside Kirishima nodded in agreement, taking a long sip of wine that he had poured for himself halfway through the show.

"I'll make sure to bring a box of condoms to the wedding!" Kirishima snickered out, slurring his words slightly.

Katsuki cooled himself down, breaking the extended heated exchange him and Izuku were having. After hearing the words, he turned around to slingshot the garter at Kirishima's face, making the redhead yelp and spill some of his wine.

Izuku cleared his throat, still blushing furiously. He looked embarrassingly at the two strippers who seemed to be discussing the scene they had just witnessed. He held up his hands and gave a small grimace.

"Excuse me. Which one of you has the keys?"

. . .

The rest of the time in the VIP section shifted to outrageous drinking and more fun with the strippers as everyone took a turn getting a dance, or now, giving a dance because of Katsuki's improvisation.

He noticed how Izuku stopped drinking, sobering up but green eyes kept flickering over to him all night or how the freckled man sat closer to him, wringing his hands nervously about something. It came across as though Izuku was in deep thought about something and Katsuki noticed several times how Izuku rubbed the top of his bandaged hand as if wondering something.

When the club closed at 2:00am, the group stumbled back to the hotel singing drunken songs and laughing about the night. When they entered into the lobby, Izuku lingered closely to him the entire time while everyone else was deeply engrossed in gossip.

"—What do you _mean_ Momo hasn't been flirting with me this entire time!?" Denki cried out while clutching Sero's jacket.

"Dude," Sero laughed while Kirishima doubled over clutching his stomach. "Why would you think Momo would be flirting with you? Out of all people?"

"She comes to my band practice and all of our shows! Like literally every single one!"

"She into your lead singer, pikachu," Kirishima barked out, tears forming in his eyes. "She's been trying to get close to Jirou this entire time. How could you not see that?"

"I couldn't see past that gorgeous smile," Denki gave a fake sob. "She's been using me to get close to Jirou this entire time!?"

The group echoed with small laughs and Izuku smiled at the scene. Right as he did this, Katsuki saw Ren's dark head of hair turn around as if something just crossed his mind.

"Ayo, green bean," the man called out drunkenly. "I have a question...or two for you." Ren stumbled close to the short male, leaning into his space.

"Sure, what is it?" Izuku didn't look bothered, giving his normal friendly smile.

"What was that shit on your leg?"

Both Katsuki and Izuku immediately stopped walking.

"Why the fuck would you ask that?" Katsuki hissed, getting into Ren's face. Izuku grabbed him by the sleeve of his shirt, pulling him back but that didn't stop the boiling over of his anger. He tried his best to calm himself down because the other male didn't _know_ but that didn't stop Izuku from beginning to sink into himself.

Ren looked at Katsuki strangely at the intense reaction, but in his alcohol clouded state of mind, he didn't pick up on it.

"It's just a question. It was really gnarly looking. Do you have that stuff everywhere on your body or something?"

"It's just a scar," Izuku tried to dismiss but drunken Ren pressed forward, giving him an unimpressed look.

"That was way more than a scar."

"Hey, Ren," Kirishima called when he looked back and saw the pissed off telltale look plastered across Katsuki's face. "Lay off a bit, will ya? I know you're drunk and all but that's none of your business."

"Why is he acting all secretive about it though?" Ren scrunched his nose. "I just wanna know. I wasn't expecting it with someone who looks like him to look like _that_ with his clothes off—"

"—Would you fucking shut up!?" Katsuki snapped fully in a loud bark. Silver eyes widened and the few people in the lobby this late at night paused to turn at the scene. Katsuki glanced around, glaring at the onlookers to keep walking but he saw Izuku now fully clutching his left side.

_Goddamnit_.

"...Sorry, dude," Ren mumbled, putting his hands up in defense. "Was just asking a question." He slowly started to backtrack, giving an exasperated look and went to catch up with the rest of the party at the elevators.

"Hey, ignore him," Katsuki said with a sigh, turning to Izuku but the greenette didn't lift his eyes to meet him. "Ren is a drunk dumbass right now, much like everyone else here tonight. Nothing he says is valid."

But Izuku didn't respond. He just gave that tight lipped fake smile and nervously fiddled with his hands. As all the members in their party started to get on the elevator, Katsuki noticed how Izuku didn't.

"Izuku?" He called out curiously, holding open the elevator.

"I...I think I'm gonna go catch a wave of fresh air outside for a bit," Izuku finally said, hands still clasped tightly. "I'll catch you guys in a bit, okay?"

Katsuki gave a worried stare to the freckled male, his heart beating fast but Kirishima's large hand rest on his shoulder.

"Okay, we'll see you soon! Don't stay out too late." Kirishima supplied but Katsuki stayed looking at Izuku until the elevator doors shut.

. . .

A 'bit' went by and Izuku still didn't make his way up to the hotel room.

Everyone else started to get settled in their claimed sleeping spots and taking turns showering while Katsuki waited, fully clothed, in one of the chairs staring at his phone.

When nearly 2:45 am rolled around and Denki's snoring was at its most peak annoying factor, Katsuki decided to leave to go find him.

He wandered around the silent hotel until he found the greenette sitting cross-legged by the pool, staring into the water in deep thought.

The bright lights shining from within the pool gave a light blue luminescent glow to the outdoor setting in the depth of night. Katsuki approached quietly and then took a small seat next to Izuku, who didn't even seem surprised by his presence there.

"How are you feeling?" Katsuki asked after several beats of silence. Green eyes stayed looking downwards, studying the small ripples that the falling leaves created inside the pool.

"I'm okay," Izuku replied back softly. "You should head to bed though, it's getting late."

"...I can tell you're not okay, Izuku."

Green eyes shifted towards him finally and there was a heavy undertone of blue sadness like the color reflecting off his face. Katsuki felt his heart twist in the worst way while he cursed Ren's name in his head.

"Just...comments like that bother me," Izuku sighed, holding his left hand tightly. "I let myself get too comfortable and of course that was the repercussion. I should've just gotten out of the chair."

Katsuki clicked his tongue and let out a huff. "Fuck what Ren thinks. That man flirts way too much for his own good and he's unbelievably shallow. You still got a damn good strip tease don't you think? Despite your scars?"

"Yeah, I guess I did." Izuku laughed at this, tucking a small curl behind his ear. "Y-You've been incredibly kind all night, Katsuki."

"It's just what you deserve," he answered honestly.

"You don't have to show me pity though, just because I had a breakdown in your apartment."

At that the blond stared at Izuku in disbelief, brows creasing deeply in his forehead. "What the hell makes you think I'm showing you fucking pity?" He hissed, making Izuku turn away from him. He stared harder at Izuku's profile and saw a sadness there that was heart wrenching.

He sighed and looked at the water again.

"Do you really think I went out of my way to do all that shit tonight to pity you?"

"You wouldn't be the first," Izuku sarcastically snorted. "It's just...I'm confused. I don't know what I want right now, and everything feels really unclear."

"Well, here. Let me make something very clear for you," Katsuki said, putting a hand on Izuku's thigh. Green eyes flickered down at the touch, and then slowly lifted up to meet him.

"I am not fucking pitying you, Izuku. I admittedly have been trying to make you see how desirable you are, but that's because I _really_ fucking want you," he confessed in a hungry manner, trying to hold it all in. Green eyes looking at him longingly but still hesitant. "I want you in a way that would be more than just some cheap fuck, you know? And I don't give a damn about scars. I'm not that type of a person. I never have been."

"...I just don't understand why you would want me," Izuku said softly. "You seem so perfect."

"I'm like the farthest thing away from perfect, dork. Have you seen my temper? I nearly chewed Ren's face off like some dog out of a knee jerk reaction."

"But you are perfect, Katsuki. I thought I told you to google yourself?"

The blond just smirked and shook his head in disagreement. "All of that is how the public sees me. The media will paint whatever image gives the highest ratings. What's real is what's here in front of you."

Red eyes searched into green and his mind could only think of one way to wash away Izuku's self-conscious behavior. Izuku thought he was this perfect symbol of victory and feared that Katsuki would reject him because of that. So, he thought of the only way he knew how to dispel those illusions of perfection.

"You clearly didn't take a very close look at me those two times you saw me shirtless, did you?"

"Uh, I think I took a pretty close look?" The freckled man gave him a puzzled expression, not understanding where the question came from.

"Naw," Katsuki shook his head and started unbuttoning his shirt for the second time tonight. "I don't think you did."

This time when Katsuki took off his shirt he carefully placed it off to the side and took a deep breath in. He turned his body fully to Izuku and used his hands to move the greenette's torso to look directly at him.

"If you look carefully you can see all the battle scars, I've obtained from being an officer, Izuku," he said softly. Green eyes then fixated on his chest and Katsuki could see the greenette actually fully take him in for the first time without a sex haze clouding his thoughts.

"You see this one right here?" He continued, pointing to a raised gash on his side. "This is from this one time I got stabbed by this fucking bank robber I was chasing. Fucker got under my vest and tried to go straight for my vitals."

Izuku frowned deeply but stared at the gash in deep thought. He could feel Izuku's defenses lower at the humanization.

"And these three in my arm here? I got them from when I went undercover with Kirishima once and I got stabbed three times. That was a crafty son of a bitch there. We were under the impression that the mark was this shady gruff looking guy and it ended up being some ninety-year-old woman."

Izuku snorted in disbelief. "No way."

"_Way_. That woman was the king pin the region for a long ass time, rivaled that asswipe Yotsubashi that we're after right now. She's ironically serving a life sentence right now."

"Not much of a life she has left, is it?"

"I don't know about that," Katsuki laughed. "She's hard as shit to kill. She's been doing just fine in prison it seems like."

Izuku covered his mouth laughing at the thought and the sound was so melodic to the blond's ear.

He watched as the dejected aura that was enveloping Izuku earlier faded away with each story he told about his scars until he finally came to the new one on his upper left bicep.

"And this one," he started, pointing to it very carefully. He saw Izuku's face falter a bit knowing what it was.

"This is my newest addition, but I ain't pressed about it. I actually kind of like it because it reminds me of when I saved the person...the person who wears his freckles like fallen stars and carries stardust in his eyes."

Izuku's breath hitched and he stared at Katsuki's face, searching deeply.

"...I don't think I know who made that quote."

"I did," Katsuki replied back with a soft smile. "I made it for you."

Izuku looked away shyly and it made Katsuki reach out and take his hand, pulling his attention back to him.

"Look, what I'm trying to say is whether this arm of yours is bandaged, unbandaged, scarred or not…" He paused, licking his lips and his eyes darkened. He leaned in, allowing his voice to sink several octaves lower. "...I would still worship every inch of your body if you gave me the chance."

Gradually, a familiar heated look appeared in Izuku's eyes. But the longer Izuku stared at him he felt the hesitation slip in again slowly.

The greenette bit his lip and looked at him. "I-I...I just don't know…"

"You just gotta take a leap of faith. I know you want me," he whispered in a raspy voice, leaning into Izuku's space closely. He squeezed their joined hands and his own heart skipped a beat at the proximity. "I can feel it. _You can feel it_."

"You just gotta...jump in and not overthink," Katsuki said. His eyes darted off to the side to the pool beside him and a thought slammed into his brain. He immediately thought it was insane but the more he sat on it and looked at Izuku the more he felt like it might not actually be that bad.

Was he possibly going crazy? Sure, he really fucking thought so at this point. Liking Izuku these past three months has not only driven him up a wall but pushed him into doing things he didn't allow himself to do any more.

He stood up, earning a confused stare from the cross legged greenette. He gave a small charming smirk to the male below him as he started taking off his pants. "Gotta jump in just like this."

Greene eyes bulged as the blond stripped down fully to his orange boxers, revealing more knife and gunshot wounds he never saw before. But that wasn't the immediate concern.

"K-Katsuki!? What are you doing!?" Izuku harshly whispered, looking around frantically.

"A leap of fucking faith, Deku," he snorted like it was obvious. "I'm taking a goddamn leap of faith. Something I should've done a really long time ago."

Katsuki gave a handsome smile as he took several steps back and a deep breath in and closing his eyes. He plunged forward into the cold water, creating a loud splash and echo into the starry night.

When he came up, he gave his hair a flip backwards and wiped the water from his eyes.

He was expecting to feel silly or even flat out stupid, but he honestly just felt so refreshed to finally let go fully. He let out a deep laugh that stunned Izuku fully before gesturing for the other to climb in with him.

"C'mon. Now it's your turn," Katsuki called, pushing his dripping wet bangs out of his eyes. Izuku shook his head, thinking that Katsuki might've bumped his at some point in the night or even still might be drunk.

"Lieutenant, this is _insane _for you."

"Don't call me lieutenant right now, freckles," Katsuki retorted, splashing water onto Izuku's sitting figure. The greenette gaped at him but didn't say anything. "I'm not your commander in this moment. I'm an idiot who apparently likes your dumbass enough to jump into a pool to get a metaphorical point across."

"Now, get your cute ass in here with me. It's dark, and we'll be submerged in water if you're worried about feeling too exposed."

The greenette hesitantly considered him before shifting in his seat.

"C'mon, Izuku...just...take a chance with me," Katsuki pleaded, holding out his hand for Izuku to take. "_Please_."

He flashed another smile and he could feel himself breakthrough Izuku's defenses. Izuku slowly lifted his own hands and stopped at the first button on his shirt, making Katsuki hold his breath.

"O-Okay," Izuku shakily whispered and fireworks nearly went off in his Katsuki's mind. "Okay. Right. I-It's dark."

He watched Izuku unbutton the first two on his shirt feeling like it was all a dream that was too good to be true—

"Excuse me? What is going on here?" A deep voice interrupted, shining a way too fucking bright flashlight in Katsuki's face. "Sirs, pool hours are closed."

_Goddamnit, what the literal hell_—

A very stern looking older man came out to the pool and gave both Izuku and him disapproving looks. Izuku dropped his hands from unbuttoning his shirt like he was on fire.

"Sorry, we were just taking a midnight dip," Izuku said quickly, rising to his feet and motioning for Katsuki to quickly get out of the pool.

"It's past three am, this is no longer a midnight dip," the scrutinizing man said with his eyebrow quirked. "I'm going to need you to exit the area."

The tall blond hit his head against the side of the pool in frustration. Hard. Hard enough to make himself fucking drown. What type of shit luck? They were so, _so_ fucking close.

He got out of the pool, dripping wet and towering over Izuku, who was now regarding him in a different light.

They were led out of the pool area and Izuku tried his best to stifle a laugh as they rode the elevators up with water dripping off his body.

There was a small shiver that ran up his spine but the shy laugh Izuku gave made it all worth it.

. . .

Katsuki waited for Izuku to step out of the shower to motion him over. The tallest was holding a bundle of blankets in his arms with gentle red eyes. He noted how the greenette had packed long sleeve grey sweats to sleep in and it made Katsuki think heavily about Izuku's view on his body.

"How about we actually sleep on the balcony?" The blond offered, being sure not to wake anyone up. "I think I kind of like that idea you proposed. Beats sleeping next to Denki on the floor with his obnoxious snoring."

On cue, Denki gave a loud snore that jolted Sero half awake. The brunette man looked tiredly at the electric blonde before grunting and turning over.

Izuku made a quiet chuckle before nodding. "Okay, that sound good."

Katsuki carefully opened the glass sliding door and they both walked into the welcoming warm night. They made a makeshift pad under the dark navy-blue sky and Katsuki was the first to get underneath, dressed only in a loose tank top and shorts.

Izuku snuggled under the lightweight blankets and rested his head down on the pillow, turning to face Katsuki who was staring at him like he was the only person in the world at the moment.

"What are you thinking about right now?" Izuku whispered, seemingly wide awake.

"You," Katsuki chuckled being careful to lift a hand and brush a small curl out of Izuku's face. Green eyes fluttered closed for a moment and when they reopened there was some type of small spark within them. "Do you wanna pick up where we left off down at the pool?"

Izuku stiffened and averted his gaze, making Katsuki quickly clarify what he meant.

"It doesn't have to be sexual or whatever. I just want to make you feel comfortable around me. Plus, it is dark out, like you said earlier. It'd be perfect."

Izuku looked at him with newfound faith, thinking about the day and he nodded slowly. The greenette lifted up on his haunches and Katsuki sat up on his forearms, waiting patiently.

Izuku's hand reached down to lift the hem of his shirt but he hesitated just like the day he did in Katsuki's living room. But this time, the blond had already thought of a way around it.

He waited without pressure and he could sense Izuku's same fears hold him back from lifting up the shirt. Katsuki rose up to his knees as well in front of Izuku and covered the mildly trembling hands with his own.

"...Want me to do it for you?"

Izuku didn't lift his eyes to meet his, but the youngest nodded his head slowly.

With great care Katsuki slowly moved the greenette's hands to the side and slowly and carefully shed Izuku from his pull over sweater.

The first thing he saw was freckles.

The second thing he was scars, a wide variety of them too. The white bandages on Izuku's left arm wrapped all the way up to his shoulder but even then, raised burn tissue spilled over, leaking into his shoulder and chest. Other burn scars scratched from his left side towards the center of his body like an angry hand made of flames clawed across Izuku's chest and it almost made Katsuki wince at the imagery.

He watched as Izuku's chest started heaving up and down the longer he studied all the small discolored spots, burns, cuts and scrapes were littered on his body.

Some of the cuts on his chest caught his attention because they didn't exactly look like Izuku would have received those in a fire. It took like someone has gashed his body deeply with a knife.

But despite everything, there was only one thing Katsuki really cared about.

"Wow," he finally whispered, setting the forget sweatshirt down on the blankets. "Your freckles are legit everywhere."

Izuku's body frozen and he looked up to stare into Katsuki's welcoming eyes. "My freckles? That's what you see right now?"

"Yeah, you heard me. Your cute ass freckles," Katsuki chuckled as he started to trace across Izuku's body as gently as he could. "You basically blend in with the sky right now. It's kind of impressive."

Red eyes look in the torso in front of him a little longer before seeing Izuku's clearly puzzled expression. "What's with that face, Deku?"

"There's just a lot for you to see right now. I wouldn't think freckles is the first thing you'd comment on."

"I see you, Izuku," He said slowly, bringing his hand up to rest on Izuku's cheek. "I see everything as one big picture all the time. Right now, I see all the little things but they're all you. I just see you."

Tears started to catch on the lower rim of Izuku's eyes and the freckled man slowly lifted his own hand to cover Katsuki's, holding it tightly. The ash blond watched with a painful, twisted heart as Izuku leaned into his hand and shed a hand full of tears from his eyes.

Then that's when it all clicked together.

"...The people you sleep with don't really make you feel beautiful...do they?" Katsuki whispered, running the pad of his thumb to wipe away several falling wet tears.

Izuku gave a short, dry laugh at the comment.

"It's been years since anyone has made me feel beautiful," he whispered in a strained voice that made Katsuki want to go find someone to nearly strangle.

How the hell had Izuku gone _years_ without someone making sure that he felt fucking appreciated?

"It wouldn't be like that with me, y'know," he spoke up, resting his free hand on Izuku's waist. "I wouldn't be some meaningless fuck or anywhere near that shallow shit. I would make sure you feel as amazing as I think you are."

"You think I'm amazing?" Izuku smiled sadly at him.

"Of fucking course, I do, Deku. You're a badass detective who can take down people within several minutes—me included." They both gave a lighthearted chuckle at the comment. "On top of that, you're really fucking talented and can cook like no one's business."

"You're making me sound way better than what I actually am," Izuku muttered while wiping away a couple of the tears that fell from his green eyes. "I'm not that great. My past is...complicated. I'm not the best person by a long shot. A really _far_ long shot."

"I don't care about your past," Katsuki sighed right before he wrapped his arm Izuku's midsection, pulling him in close. "I just care about the you you're trying to be right now, and I think he's fucking beautiful...and the sweetest person I've ever met."

Izuku leaned into him fully, resting his head in the nook of his shoulder and Katsuki fully wrapped his arms around Izuku in an embrace that he felt they both needed.

He slowly leaned back down onto the plush blankets and pillows, guiding Izuku to lay on top of him. He pulled the small blanket above them carefully and fully covered Izuku's bare chest. He traced his fingers up and down the other's spine and he could feel more raised skin and scars but caressed them, nonetheless.

They laid there for several moments, Katsuki studied the way the stars twinkled above them and the quietness of the night trickled into the peaceful setting. He felt Izuku's heartbeat start to quicken the more he rubbed the others back and then he felt something else start to press into him.

He stopped rubbing Izuku's back, fully realizing what exactly was poking his thigh. His eyes widened and he leaned back a bit to get a better look at the other's face. Izuku pulled back with a face full of redness. They looked at each other in a knowing manner before Katsuki reached up and caressed Izuku's hair.

"Sorry, it's the body heat," the greenette tried to apologize halfheartedly but Katsuki reach around quickly and pulled the smaller figure flush against him.

"It's completely fine," Katsuki rasped out, licking his lips when he felt his own heat start to swirl low in his belly. "Can I touch you? Just a little bit?"

Izuku's sharp green eyes darkened and then slowly nodded while leaning down.

Katsuki's heart started to race, trying to escape his chest as he captured the full pink lips with his own once again. The heat in the moment combusted immediately as Katsuki gave a needy yet really fucking relieved sigh into the kiss. Izuku's hand entangled in his hair as they worked their lips against each other.

This time, Katsuki fully wrapped both of his arms around Izuku's bare chest with the full intention of not letting him go any fucking where this time. He worked all his need and want that had been building up in the kiss aggressively.

Katsuki bit Izuku's lip and he used his powerful hips grind upwards, brushing their erections together. Izuku's chest flooded with warmth as Katsuki shifted to make him straddle him fully, knocking open his legs with his own.

"Of course, you fuckin' taste sweet," Katsuki chuckled into the kiss and Izuku feverishly moaned in agreement, grinding down into him, fully giving himself to the burning fire sparking quickly.

"You want me to _really_ touch you, Izuku?" Katsuki groaned out the more he rubbed their strained cocks together. "Let me make your gorgeous ass cum, I'll make sure you feel good."

"O-Okay," Izuku gasped out, reacting to Katsuki's hand dipping low, two finger tracing between his backside.

Katsuki gave a small growl as he fully ran his fingers in between Izuku muscular cheeks, teasing the entrance with light pressure and Izuku closed his eyes and moaned.

The greenette buried his face in Katsuki's chest trying to hide the blush creeping on his face but failed. He pushed back ever so slightly into the fingers that were now giving him a full imagery of a heavy implication.

Katsuki felt Izuku's mouth start to move down and lightly bit his own erect nipple through his black tank top and the reaction was instantaneous. The blond man moaned loudly as the wetness seeped through the thin fabric, but he used his other hand to quickly snap Izuku's head up by his hair.

"Not me tonight," Katsuki commanded out as he ground upwards into the warm body, rubbing up and down the other's sensitive area. "It's about you tonight. I'm gonna make you feel beautiful right now, 'zuku. No touching me."

The younger male was about to object but Katsuki pulled on his hair harshly, earning a small hiss.

"Am I understood?"

"Yes, Kacchan," Izuku moaned, shuddering against him. Katsuki felt his dick jump at the immediate obedience in combination with the nickname. _Fuck_. Izuku knew how to play that well. He made a mental note to explore that shit later.

Immediately the other let out small moans and gave into the feeling of pleasure that was being driven into his body.

Green eyes fluttered closed as Katsuki started rocking harder into him, making Izuku's mouth hanging open in a small 'o' shape. Without letting go of green curls, Katsuki removed his hand from underneath the blanket.

He earned a deep groan of need from Izuku at the loss of heat. But the second his fingers started to trace the wet pink mouth, the greenette made a sound of approval.

"Can you get them wet for me 'zuku?" Katsuki asked in a husky voice that sent shivers in Izuku's body. The other male nodded slowly, making Katsuki give a wicked grin.

He pushed the fingers past the plump lips, hand tightening in Izuku's hair as the other began to eagerly suck on them. Red eyes watched fully blown in lust as the delicate tongue lapped the two fingers it was given.

Izuku hollowed out his cheeked on instinct, sliding his tongue in between the digits and it drove Katsuki nearly mad.

"Fuck, you're good at that. I'll be sure to give you something else to suck on later," he growled. His heart sped up even more as he watched Izuku's eyes turn half lidded and the heat in his body swelled tightly.

The blond removed his fingers from Izuku's mouth with a wet pop and a trial of wetness from Izuku's mouth to his fingers lingered heavily.

He forced Izuku's legs wider with his own as he propped himself on his feet and spread his knees widely. The blond released the thick curls in his grasp to reach down and pull Izuku's boxers and sweats down in one fluid motion.

He began circling the entrance with his two wet fingers, teasing with light pressure. The sensation sent pulses of electric heat up and down Izuku's body as Katsuki started to push in slowly.

"F-fuck," Izuku gasped out as his hands grappled for Katsuki's shirt. He moaned when the blond instantly found his prostate, wasting no time.

"Katsuki, that feels so good," Izuku strained out, his breath quickening and moans spilling from his lips.

"It's only gonna get better, just wait." Katsuki bit his lip and gave a hard push against the little pleasure button deep inside Izuku, eliciting a high moan.

The sound was everything Katsuki fucking dreamed of, soft, breathy and needy all at once. He watched the freckled face as if he was spellbound, trying to memorize all the ways Izuku's face twisted in pleasure.

He began a slow rhythm as he pushed his fingers deep inside the tight body, and damn, Izuku was much tighter than he ever anticipated. It felt like Izuku's body was trying to suck him into the heat greedily. He stifled a moan when his own cock was stimulated from the greenette rocking his body desperately backwards against the digits.

"Euphoria looks really fuckin' good on you 'zuku," Katsuki hungrily rasped out as he began to pick up the pace. "Lemme see that pretty face," he growled right before grabbing Izuku's jaw with his free hand.

Green eyes squeezed shut tightly as more sounds of rapture were fucked out of his body with reckless abandon. Katsuki abused the spot inside of Izuku mercilessly, drinking in all the helpless cries.

Izuku began to shudder as ripples of pleasure raked through his body. He rocked his hips move into the blond below him. The heat began to grow hotter inside of both of them as Katsuki kept pushing and pulling on all the beautiful parts of Izuku.

Red eyes dangerously darkened when Izuku's moans started to become more pleasure filled and louder. The freckled face was painted with a deep flush and the rock of their erections together became jerky and desperate.

Izuku kept giving out breathy whines as his chest heaved up and down from the tidal waves of ecstasy that were slowly rising and falling in his body. The feeling grew more and more intense and heated with each slam against his sweet spot until Izuku thought he was going to go cross eyed.

"I-I think I'm gonna cum, Katsu—_fuck_!" The greenette cried out loudly when Katsuki reached down and tightly grasped the base of his thick cock. The waves of pleasure slammed in Izuku's body, begging for release.

"L-Let me cum! _Please_," Izuku cried out as the fingers inside of him didn't let up and the rough hand gripping him tightened.

"Not yet, I want to savor this." Katsuki hissed as he used all his strength to reach deeper and faster.

"K-Katsuki, I need to cum," Izuku pleaded, the electricity in his body shooting all over to different parts of his body. The smaller male bit his lip and curled his toes as he stayed tethered to the edge of his orgasm.

"You look so fucking beautiful like this, y'know?" Katsuki grinned up at the now heavy breathing man. "So fucked out and _needy_."

His mind engraved the entire image of Izuku above him and it was perfect. Long dark eyelashes casted the perfect shadow onto his jade color eyes making them seem a deeper color. The pink wet mouth was shuddering and begging a mantra of _'Kacchan, Kacchan, please' _as he abused the tight hole.

"You see how fucking amazing you feel right now?" He groaned out, pressing hard into the spot deep in Izuku that made the greenette see white. "That's how great I think you are."

"Ah! Kacchan, please—hnn!" Izuku tried to start but his erratic breathing drowned his words underneath all the pleasure that was exploding and teetering in every inch of his skin.

"You gotta do something for me first, Deku, before I can let you cum."

"A-Anything!" Izuku strained out, fingernails digging deep into Katsuki's shoulders. "I'll do anything,"

"Gotta promise me this won't be the last time," Katsuki whispered, eyes nearly black. "I wanna do this more and I don't _ever_ want to hear you refer to yourself as anything but drop dead fucking gorgeous." He emphasized each word with a needy thrust into the smaller body.

"I-I won't!"

"Are you sure? I don't like liars, Izuku."

"I _promise_."

Green eyes opened between the warm pulsing of the fingers driving him open and looked directly into dark crimson.

Deep inside the jade colored eyes, Katsuki found the trust he had been trying to gain all evening. The view of such raw vulnerability made him falter his grip on the thick shaft.

The loosened grip allowed all the burning heat strained inside of Izuku to spill over and he cried out with a loud moan. Spurts of cum were ripped from his cock in shaky jerks as his orgasm wrecked his body. The overpowering sense caused his frame to shake until he dropped his head against Katsuki's hard chest.

The blond male could've sworn that he nearly came just from the feeling of Izuku whimpering and shuddering against his body. He withdrew his fingers as the greenette rode out his powerful orgasm on top of him, whispering his name and clutching at his black tank top.

It took several moments for Izuku's body to cool down until the only sound was their labored breathing.

When the feeling of euphoria settled into both of their cores, Izuku shifted off of Katsuki and looked at him like the blond was everything he had been waiting for.

"That...was amazing," Izuku whispered and Katsuki smiled. Green eyes then looked down the ribbons of white liquid all over the bottom Katsuki's of chest. He gave an apologetic gaze.

"I'm sorry for cumming all over you."

Katsuki snorted and playfully shoved Izuku's shoulder.

"Don't be. I'll return the favor eventually." He shot the greenette a mischievous smirk, loving the way Izuku smiled wider.

"Let me go change and I'll be right back," Katsuki said as he stood up and headed back inside quietly.

He stepped over all the sleeping bodies but didn't see the way Kirishima peeked an eye open with a small smile.

. . .

When he came back out, he was happy to see Izuku kept his shirt off and snuggled under the blanket waiting for him.

Katsuki climbed underneath the awaiting warmth and was even more happy to feel Izuku cozy in closer to him. He smiled softly as he watched the greenette try to fight off the sleep making his eyes droop low.

"Sleepy?" The blond asked in a hushed whisper as he pulled the freckled man closer to him. Izuku hummed and nodded tiredly.

"Yeah. But I don't want to go to sleep," the youngest mumbled. "Is it weird that I just want to stay in this moment with you?"

"No. Not weird at all," Katsuki chuckled when Izuku kept trying his best to stay up but was unsuccessful. "Just go to sleep, Izuku. I'll be here when you wake up."

"I like that idea," the smaller male mumbled as he started to fully drift off.

Red eyes watched as the other fully fell asleep in his arms and he brushed green curls out of Izuku's face carefully.

"Goodnight, Izuku."

* * *

AN: This is probably the fluffiest thing I've written in a while. Wedding and...other stuff next chapter. ;)

I hope you enjoyed! Please let me know what you think below! Thank you so much for reading :D

**Preview for next chapter: **  
...( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


	11. Fever

Hi All~! Welcome back! We're just gonna jump right into this one, cause it's a special treat. Special wonderful thank you and shout-out to nmatthews on AO3, my lovely friend and beta. She puts up with me calling chapters 'short' and then slinging 16k words her way.

*bird man hand rub* Let's get started!

**Warnings: Peak horniness. Adult scenes and themes.**

* * *

**Chapter 11 - ****Fever**

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Katsuki remembered how soft of a kiss Izuku gave him when he woke up the next morning.

The stars hid themselves to give way to the bright, blue morning sky. Warm early autumn air hugged his skin as Izuku cuddled into his side with a raspy, "Good morning."

Katsuki remembered smiling.

Waking up next to the stunning green haired man was something he felt like he could get used to. Katsuki remembered studying the way Izuku's emerald eyes caught the sun's rays, making them shimmer like the precious jewels they were.

The happiness inside of them was so beautifully clear and he could feel Izuku's trust in him shine through.

Their group had started to pack their bags up to head back to Shizuoka City, signaling their vacation fully coming to a close. But Katsuki wasn't upset about it. The blond realized these last three weeks were exactly what he needed, and he felt incredibly lighter. Katsuki was fully looking forward to what the future could possibly hold now that he took a leap of faith and let go.

All for Izuku.

The ride back to the city was peaceful with the majority of the party nursing severe hangovers. Katsuki remembers laughing at how sensitive to the light Sero and Denki were acting, sporting sunglasses and pulling their hoodies tight over their heads.

The happy freckled man sat closely next to him on the bus, chuckling with everyone but brushing the side of his hand softly against Katsuki's. The small touch felt like fire on his skin, and it seared deep want into his core.

It didn't help that the visual of Izuku's face beautifully twisted in pleasure was ingrained in his mind rather vividly. On top of that, there was a hunger in his chest that was demanding to see that intoxicating expression again _so_ fucking badly.

It felt as though Izuku triggered some sort of irreversible fever inside of him and the only way to soothe the burning was to get the green-eyed man alone again. Preferably with his legs spread wide open, and begging Katsuki to ruin him.

Propelled by this deep need, the second they stepped foot back on Shizuoka City soil, Katsuki whispered in Izuku's ear for him to come back to his apartment with him before the wedding that evening. However, the greenette just gave him a shy smile and politely declined. Izuku admitted to having to go finish a secret painting for Kirishima and Mina he had planned as a wedding gift.

Katsuki remembered nodding, slightly disappointed but actually intrigued to see what Izuku was planning to paint for his two closest friends. It made him smile. Izuku just fit in so well with his life and it did all the terrible yet wonderful things to his heart that he used to hate. But now it felt right.

It felt _good_.

Later that evening he received a text from Izuku that made his heart nearly soar out of his damn chest.

**[Izuku M.]: Took your advice Kacchan :)****{Image attached}****.**

The image was the photograph of them at the baseball game with sharpie written along the bottom. Izuku's slightly lop-sided handwriting read _'First baseball with Kacchan'_ and it was the cutest shit Katsuki thinks he's ever seen.

**[You]: First of many I hope :)**

Which brings him to now, getting dressed in the backroom of the small venue for the wedding with all the groomsmen. Kirishima and Mina had found a fairly upscale hotel on the shoreline to host for the night, providing hotel rooms for anyone who might be drinking.

Everyone was in a good mood and it felt as though he was walking on literal fucking sunshine.

"Damn, I'm so nervous," Kirishima whispered as Denki did his gold cufflinks for him. "I can't believe this is finally happening. It's felt like years."

"It _has_ been years. Honestly, it's a miracle Mina would marry an idiot like you," Katsuki snickered in a joking manner, walking up behind him. "But, I'm really happy for both of you. You guys deserve this." The two best friends interchanged soft looks before breaking out in a small chuckle.

Katsuki stared into the long body length mirror, assessing all of the groomsmen's matching attire. Their black and white tuxes with black ties complimented well with their red rose corsages and the bright smiles on their faces.

"You look like you're doing good by the way," Kirishima said through a small smirk.

"I feel good," Katsuki replied. He ran a palm down the front of his buttoned blazer. "I feel...different. A good different. Lighter almost."

Kirishima's smile widened as he looked at how relaxed his friend _finally_ was.

At that moment, there was a sound of the door opening and half of the heads turned to glance at who it was. In walked Shouto and Iida, looking the same as the rest of the groomsmen. The large, navy haired policeman was laughing while Shouto looked slightly strained, but laughing, nonetheless.

Not that anyone else would notice, but Katsuki did. Only because he's known the other for such a long time. He knew the ice prince's expressions like the back of his damn hand by now.

"Are you okay, Todoroki?" Katsuki asked carefully. He saw the giveaway sign of a hunch in the other's shoulders that signaled that he was fuming over something.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Just got finished talking with my family," Shouto replied through a slightly forced smile. He turned his mismatched eyes to Kirishima, looking fairly grateful. "Thanks for inviting everyone by the way. It's nice to have all of us finally all together after so long."

"It was actually Mina's idea!" Kirishima laughed through a grin. "Your siblings and mom seemed really nice from all the times they've come to the police picnics and well, your dad _is_ the chief. It would be kind of rude not to invite him. But I honestly didn't think he was going to show up."

"I mean, it makes sense. My father would _never_ pass up on the opportunity to try to out dress Yagi." At this everyone chuckled, including the youngest Todoroki. But while Shouto seemed to find humor in it all, there was still a strain in his smile.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay, Todoroki?" Katsuki pressed again, locking his red eyes on to the other young adult.

"Yeah I'll be fine. Today is about Kirishima. I'm not going to let my dad overshadow that." This time Shouto said it with more of a stern tone, taking a seat in the plush chair in the dressing room. "I've been looking forward to this for a long time, can't wait to see Kirishima trip on his feet during the first dance."

When the room sparked with laughter, filling up to all the corners, Katsuki decided to let it go. If Shouto really did say that it'd be fine, then whatever. He just didn't want any Todoroki drama spilling into his best friend's day.

They continued about, shuffling and moving between themselves until Denki kept looking over to Shouto, as if something was on his mind. The electric blond approached with his hands tightly intertwined, and he shyly tapped the tall, heterochromatic male on his shoulder.

Shouto turned around, looking at the other curiously. "Is there something wrong, Kaminari?"

"Uh, no," Denki replied with a small smile. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry about that last time, by the way. Y'know, being insensitive and forgetting about Touya."

At this, Katsuki stiffened at the mention of the eldest Todoroki sibling. Something about Touya's name was still throwing him off. While he had let go of the 'golden boy' comment it still just...didn't sit right. He cut his eye towards the two men behind him chatting and listened carefully.

"Don't worry about it, I was being too defensive." Shouto dismissed with a light air and a forgiving expression.

"I-If you don't mind me asking, how did Touya pass away again?" Denki whispered rather low, trying to prevent from ruining the mood in the room. "It felt very unclear to me and I never really wanted to pester you about it."

"Ah, it's fine. He died by suspected arson three years ago in Makinohara. It was more or less tied back to a very elusive, influential drug gang." Shouto took a deep breath in while looking down at his dress shoes. "My guess is he was probably a member of their gang but made someone angry. Then they decided to get rid of him."

"Shit, like they set him on fire?" Denki harshly whispered, looking terrified but Shouto shook his head.

"No. They chained all the doors shut on the building and set off a detonator that triggered a fire. It killed nearly everyone inside."

"_Nearly_?!" Denki exclaimed in disbelief. "Whoa...whoever survived something like that must've been severely messed up for life afterwards but kinda lucky?"

"Well, there was only one survivor from what I can recall. I think they were comatose for a while so the police couldn't get any answers from them...but, now that you mention it. I can't actually remember the survivor's name off the top of my head—"

"Hey, _hey_! No fire talk at the wedding! _Please_?!" Kirishima yelled out, killing the conversation. He whirled around staring at the pair of friends with a desperate look in his eyes. "I'm already nervous enough and I don't need to be thinking about death—_arson_nonetheless."

"Right, sorry about that, bro," Denki gave an apologetic look but Katsuki never took his eyes off Shouto.

An eerie feeling climbed into his chest because he wasn't aware that's how Touya died. He knew the body was disfigured beyond physical recognition, so he never asked too many details in the first place with it being such a sensitive topic, but..._arson_?

There was something ominous about the mention of Touya _and_ fire in the same breath.

It felt like there was a chilling ghost hovering over his skin and it was making the hairs on arms stand up. The haunting sensation gripped his attention rather hard. There was something off about the mention of arson and that made the new information hard to shake.

But before Katsuki could analyze this more, a knock on the door stopped his train of thought. This time Kirishima's father stuck his head inside with a kind expression to everyone in the room.

"Eijiro, we're ready for you all," he spoke, and small smiles bloomed on to all the groomsmen's faces.

Katsuki directed his eyes towards Shouto one last time and pushed down the cold emotion that was gathered in his body. This was Kirishima's day. No ghost of whatever dead Todoroki was going to distract him from making the wedding the best he could for his friend.

He watched as Kirishima took one last jittery look at himself in the mirror, making sure everything was perfect. The reflection held him and Katsuki looking back. The blond placed both his hands on his best friend's shoulders and leaned in, looking at him through the reflective glass.

"It's your day, relax, shitty hair," he tried to comfort. "This is the one day your hair _actually_ doesn't look like you got mauled. So, just breathe."

"Wow," the groom chuckled. "I never thought we'd see the day where you of all people are telling me to relax." Both of them broke out in large grins as everyone else started to shuffle out of the small room.

"Well, we're here. Now, give me a hug you dumbass and let's get out there."

The two friends hugged as everyone fully emptied out of the room. When Katsuki tried to let go, the redhead didn't. He made a slightly awkward sound when his comrade didn't release him until he felt Kirishima's hand slide something in his blazer's pocket.

"Okay, I'm good now!" The groom grinned brightly, ignoring the dumbstruck look on Katsuki's face. "I'll see you out there!" Kirishima shuffled out quickly and Katsuki reached down in his pocket to see what the fuck did this dumbass just do.

When he pulled out the mystery item, it was a small red tube of strawberry flavored lube.

"Are you fucking serious!?" He yelled after his friend and a loud, deep roar of laughter echoed into the hall.

Katsuki grumbled as he shoved the newly acquired item as deep as humanly possible into his pocket. His cheeks began to burn thinking about the suggestive innuendo of it along with thinking about a certain freckled man who was probably sitting outside right now.

But the longer he considered it, he concluded lube wasn't the worst thing to have on him tonight. Strawberry wasn't an awful flavor either. He actually enjoyed it a lot. So, he straightened his jacket and headed out to put on a good face for the wedding.

. . .

The ceremony was as breathtaking as Katsuki imagined it was going to be.

The hall was decorated in delicate white fairy lights with red and pink flower petals sprinkled up and down the wooden floors. The setting gave a warm rustic atmosphere as the sound of elegant piano music filled the large hall. When it came time for Mina to walk down the aisle, even Katsuki had to admit he was starstruck. He watched how enamored Kirishima looked as she approached dressed like a divine angel.

Mina's dress flowed down the aisle behind her like a refreshing stream of water as she paced herself all the way down the long hall, guided by her father.

While standing up next to his best friend, Katsuki glanced over all the enchanted looking faces sitting in the rows. Several were people he knew, some he didn't. They were all staring in awe and taking pictures, but he was looking for one particular curly head of green hair.

And when he caught sight of beautiful freckles, Katsuki smirked the second Izuku's eyes made contact with him. But he almost scowled when he saw Mirio sitting next to him with his arm placed around the back of Izuku's seat. However, the tiny blush and knowing smile Izuku gave him planted reassurance in him.

The ceremony continued and when it came to a close, everyone nearly cried. Even Katsuki could feel tears hugging the rims of his eyes, which really fucking surprised him. The bride and groom exchanged vows, rings, and "I do"s making Katsuki's heart squeeze to see such an intense, pure display of love up close.

Everyone stood up and clapped the second Mina started rejoicing, holding up her bouquet of pearl white roses.

"Everyone that's single get to the middle!" She yelled out and immediately an entire crowd of women rushed to the middle. But the pink haired bride huffed displeased. "I said _everyone_! You too men!" The hall broke out in chuckles and then slowly a couple more people shuffled in the center.

Katsuki stayed standing by Kirishima's side because there was no way in hell that he was going to participate in the pushing and grabbing for a goddamn bundle of flowers. However, Mina's sharp golden gaze glared at him without fear.

"_Especially_ you, Bakugou," she called out loudly, putting him on the spot. Mina wagged her bouquet at him with her hand on her hip in a cheeky manner. "You've been the most painfully single person in the room for the last _four_ years. Your ass along with that stick that's been lodged up there better get front and center."

"You don't have to say that type of shit so loud," he hissed harshly, fully frowning when several snickers from U.A. officers echoed in the room.

Kirishima grinned and pushed him towards the middle of the floor where all the young adults were pooled together. He noticed how everyone seemed excited to try their best to catch the symbol of new love. He walked up carefully to Mirio and Izuku, politely greeting them both.

He stood tall on the opposite side of Izuku, finding it mildly amusing how short the youngest looked between him and Mirio.

"You look really nice, Katsuki," Izuku said, turning to him with kind emerald eyes. "The red roses as corsages were a really nice touch."

"Thanks, dork. But I think you have me beat. You look fucking gorgeous in that color tie." Katsuki glanced his eyes downward at the freckled man with a handsome smirk, ignoring the inquisitive stare from Mirio his comment elicited.

Izuku _did_ look gorgeous, and he felt the need to tell him. The stunning man was wearing a jade colored tie that was neatly tucked underneath his grey vest that hung over his white shirt. He even took the liberty to replace his usual gold hoop earring with a small jade stone stud.

"Are you going to try and catch it? I'm still debating if I want to." Izuku said, tilting his head slightly and it looked so fucking cute to Katsuki. He couldn't stop how wide his smirk got even if he tried.

"Of course not," the blond replied, rolling his eyes slightly. He leaned down into the other's space, the thick smell of Izuku's crisp rosy cologne filling his senses. "I don't really believe in all the overt romanticized shit like catching flowers signaling that you're next to get married or whatever."

"Ah, don't be such a pessimist, Bakugou," Mirio interjected in his upbeat perky voice. "It's a fun tradition for those who of us who actually like romance. Just don't touch the roses if you have no intentions of wanting a relationship, it's pretty simple. Someone else might appreciate them more than you."

Red eyes cut immediately to Mirio, and Katsuki's face was consumed by a nasty scowl.

_Did he just imply what I think he fucking did?_Katsuki bristled and narrowed his gaze at the other blond. He didn't miss the underlying condescending tone that was dripping off Mirio's words.

"I-I think you can do and believe whatever you want!" Izuku awkwardly tried to defuse the intensity of challenge that was smothering the air. He looked nervously between the glaring set of blond men with a smile, holding his hands up. "If you're not really into catching the bouquet, I get it! If you are, go for it!"

A pained expression bloomed on Izuku's features when Mirio's arm suddenly slung around his shoulders.

"I'm just teasing him, Izu! Bakugou knows I didn't actually mean it offensively. It's just flowers." A fake smile graced those plastic looking fucking features. If this wasn't a day of love and happiness the explosive blond would've made a full out fucking scene. He bristled at how Mirio slung his arm around Izuku so openly and it felt like a slap in the face.

Izuku looked warily at him and he could feel the greenette start to sink into himself with a hint of embarrassment at the situation.

"Okay, everyone get ready!" Mina called out, taking place in the dead center of the room in front of the large mass of bodies. She whipped around her long train with her back facing the crowd. Everyone watched with growing anticipation as she held up the snow-white flowers in the air.

Katsuki felt the mass of singles starting to push and the jabbering was getting louder. The ash blond groaned in annoyance when one woman actually stepped on his goddamn toe. This shit just wasn't worth it to him.

But when he looked at Izuku and saw Mirio whisper some shit in his ear he felt conflicted.

Maybe it was worth it.

"One...two...three!" Mina called out loudly. She tossed her arms back with a huge thrust, hurling the bundle of flowers off into the air. The pink ribbon tying them together flowed gracefully with an arch motion as the roses dived straight into the chaotic crowd.

...and fell straight into Izuku's arms.

The crowd gasped and green eyes widened, looking equally as stunned.

Izuku opened his mouth to say something but all the attendees gathered around started to pat him on the back. Everyone congratulated him with soft smiles and squeals on being the one to be next to get married.

But something in Izuku's face dropped at the mention of marriage. Green eyes looked at the white roses in his hands as if it triggered a memory.

"Hah, you always did have great luck with this type of stuff, Izuchan," Mirio complimented with a friendly looking grin and Katsuki wanted to tell him to fuck off. Did he really call Izuku fucking _Izuchan_?

He didn't know if it was his own jealousy or possessive side, but he was a hair away from screaming at Mirio.

He wanted to tell him so badly that if the guy he sends goddamn roses and poems to wasn't interested in dating him by now—_lay off_.

"Of course, right. I'm always such a lucky person," Izuku smiled with a hint of sadness. Green eyes flickered between the two men, suddenly looking conflicted and it made Katsuki's heart fall into his stomach with a harsh drop.

Everyone else began heading out of the grand hall towards the reception area as Kirishima and Mina, hand in hand, started to lead the way.

Izuku cleared his throat and gave both men an apologetic look. "I-I'm gonna head out to the bathroom. I'll see you guys inside at the reception?"

The pair of blonds nodded and Izuku clutched the flowers in his hands firmly. He turned away with a tight smile and there was a visible stiffness in his shoulders.

When the short greenette was out of ear shot, Mirio whipped his eyes towards Katsuki. This time there was an unfiltered burning anger in them.

"I thought I told you to stay away from him, Bakugou?" Mirio hissed, blue eyes looking unforgiving and slightly hurt.

"And who the hell gave you permission to dictate who he talks to? You don't even live in the city, you're all the way in Yaizu," Katsuki sneered, upper lip curling at the disapproving look being shot his way.

"You don't get it," Mirio sighed, shaking his head and crossed his arms. "I've known Izuku my whole life and you've known him what? Barely four months? I can tell what's best for him and these endless hookups he's addicted to aren't good for him. You don't understand Izuku's destructive patterns—but I do. I'm not saying this out of jealousy. I'm just trying to save all three of us a major headache. You included, Bakugou. He needs _stability_."

Blue eyes looked at him desperately trying to plead something underlying to the other blond but Katsuki wasn't about to listen to him. He had real fucking feeling for Izuku, and it was fair game.

"You can save the lecture, Mirio," Katsuki dismissed. He wasn't about to sit here and listen to someone who was so hopelessly infatuated with the same person he was taken with. "Whatever is between Izuku and I is just that—_between us_. I'm a grown man so I'll make my own decisions. You should let Izuku make his own as well and respect the ones he has made."

Without sparing another glance, or even trying to hear the other out further, Katsuki turned on his heel coldly.

He followed out the last couple of people staggering out of the wooden hall, never turning around to see the envy filled blue gaze that followed him.

. . .

Katsuki sat at the long table with the rest of the groomsmen, watching silently as everyone listened to the romantic music that Kirishima and Mina were slow dancing to. The interaction with Mirio washed away slowly as he witnessed the purity of affection Kirishima and Mina had for each other.

The blond never thought anytime soon that he would be touched by looking at two people dance together, but the way the newlyweds gazed at each other quickly changed his mind.

Both of their eyes were completely lost as they cradled each other in their arms. It was as if they had finally found the meaning of life in this destructive, chaotic world. He watched them staring as if they were the only two people in the entire room.

Warmth flooded inside of Katsuki, and it spread all over his chest. The feeling of security and love took over his body and he immediately thought back to the balcony with Izuku.

The blond then shifted his gaze to look at the person who filled his thoughts sitting across the room with Ochaco.

But he was surprised to see the freckled man staring at the couple in the same deep longing manner. Izuku fiddled with the white roses on the table like he was musing over something. Katsuki curiously watched as Izuku ran the pads of his fingertips against the delicate texture of the pedals.

And like a spell of sorts, or as if Izuku could read his mind, captivating green eyes slowly shifted to look at him from across the room.

The younger male's eyes softened immediately when they made knowing eye contact. Izuku gave him a fond smile that made Katsuki's heart beat nearly triple.

The blond carefully mouthed the words, "nice catch" across the room to Izuku while gesturing to the bouquet. The curly haired man blushed deeply, looking away shyly and jittering his leg. When the bright colored eyes returned to look at him, Izuku smiled wider while mouthing back, "thank you."

"He is really handsome," a whisper came from beside him. Katsuki turned his gaze to look and see Ren giving him an attentive, smug look. "I'm sorry about what I said last night about his scars when I was drunk."

"Don't worry about it," Katsuki whispered back, looking back towards Izuku who was now fully engrossed in the slow dance again. "I will beat your ass though if you say something like that again."

"Fair. I can cosign that," Ren chuckled under his breath. "I think it's nice that you finally found someone you care about that much."

_I think so too._Katsuki replied in his head as everyone started clapping when the couple's first dance ended.

The DJ signaled for everyone to start dancing with a new song as Kirishima and Mina gestured people onto the dance floor. Katsuki gave Ren an apologetic gesture as he excused himself from the table.

He walked over to Izuku steadily, and when he finally stood in front of the shorter male, he couldn't help himself as he held out a hand.

"Want to dance?" He asked in a raspy voice with a smirk.

Izuku smiled as he set the flowers down on the table and took his hand.

"Of course," the greenette replied in a melodic tone with a peaceful look strung across his face.

They blended together like swirling colors on to the floor with the pack of guests. Katsuki felt himself go silent when Izuku rested his head against his chest as if to listen to his heartbeat, saying nothing.

The smaller male intertwined their warm hands making the heat between them build slowly as they stayed pressed together. Izuku wrapped his free arm around his shoulders and Katsuki rested his on the small of Izuku's back, running circles along it.

They wordlessly swayed along with the slow song and Katsuki for the first time in his life felt like he found someone good for him. Like a puzzle piece that perfectly complemented his own complex self.

The blond tilted his head down to see green eyes closed, fully in the moment.

"I've never been to a wedding," Izuku confessed quietly while listening to the beating inside of Katsuki's chest. "It's so beautiful to see this type of stuff."

"Yeah, it is refreshing, huh?" Katsuki laughed slightly. "I usually never found myself touched by this kind of stuff...but looking at Kirishima and Mina dance was different."

"They love each other so much…" Izuku whispered barely audible. "I-I forgot what that looked like up close...or felt like."

"It's okay, I did too. Looking at them gives me some hope that my person is out there…whoever they may be."

Izuku halted their dancing to look up at Katsuki with vulnerable, wet eyes. Shock hit Katsuki hard, not expecting the tears hanging onto the edge of Izuku's doe like eyes.

He panicked, thinking he said something offensive and just when he was going to ask what was wrong, he felt a hand tap his shoulder.

The exact person he expected was standing there, looking falsely kind.

"May I borrow your dance partner?" Mirio asked with a signature tight lipped smile.

Katsuki looked around at the packed dance floor and took a deep breath in. If they were anywhere fucking else, he would he yelled, "No, we're having a goddamn moment!"

But this wasn't the time or place to make a fuss.

So, he looked down at Izuku, who was quickly wiping his eyes, covering up the emotions he let spill over. The greenette gave him an apologetic look but nodded softly. Katsuki then reluctantly let go of the one person he wanted to hold.

Red eyes watched Mirio look at Izuku in the same way he fucking felt and something inside of him soured.

"He's all yours," Katsuki bitterly whispered, making Izuku do a double take at him as he walked away, not looking back once.

He could feel the rigidity in his shoulders as he made his way over to his circle of friends dancing on the other side of the room. Katsuki tried his absolute best to not let it get to him because they weren't a fucking couple, but he just had all these goddamn feelings for Izuku that were so fresh.

Did he see fucking tight ass lawyer Mirio as competition? No, of course not. He could run circles around the man if he wanted to.

But there was something still undoubtedly hurtful when he turned back to see the pair assume the same position, they were just in. Only difference was Izuku's body language translated friendly as they began dancing to a more upbeat song.

So, Katsuki tried his best not to let it bother him as he stuck to his group of friends for the rest of the night. He remained completely oblivious to the way green eyes kept looking over at him for the rest of the evening.

. . .

"Dude, did you check out the free bar?" Denki slurred, gripping onto Ren with a flushed face. "They have so much good stuff downstairs it's amazing!"

"Yeah, great find guys," Sero complimented to the couple, who was sitting down now at the white clothed tables, tired. "This is the perfect venue. Nice and quiet too."

"We made sure to find a place that had not only a good reception hall but a good bar," Kirishima chuckled, while holding on tightly to his now-wife's hand. "I knew all you budding alcoholics would want one."

"Hey!" Denki yelled while hugging onto Ren. "I object to that, _greatly_!"

Katsuki laughed as he swirled his wine glass in his hand, sipping slowly on the bitter taste of red liquid. One by one people started to either leave, being too danced out or getting tired. They all said their goodbyes to the couple as they exited, dropping items off in the mountain of gifts as they left out.

"What's your favorite gift so far, guys?" Ren smiled at the couple while putting an arm around Denki's waist.

"I think Izuku's portrait of us is my favorite!" Mina said, clasping her hands together. "He did it so beautifully, it's amazing!"

Katsuki smiled and nodded as he stared at the piece of painted canvas that was propped up on the gift giving table. It was an extremely well-done acrylic painting of the couple, their colors of pink and red blending together to meld into cherry blossom petals as they smiled lovingly at each other.

Izuku was so talented, it was astonishing.

"Speaking of the green bean, where is he?" Kirishima questioned lightly, queuing everyone to look over the thinning crowd.

"Last I saw that big blond dude was hovering over him—oh! There he is—" Ren spoke.

Katsuki laid his sights on a suddenly retreating Izuku, who was weaving between people, clutching the white roses in his shaking hand tightly. The greenette was walking with a quickness in his step and was out the back door in a flash.

"—and there he goes." Ren winced when the doors slammed shut.

"Is he okay?" Mina asked quietly, tilting her head.

"He might just really have to pee. He had a couple of drinks," Kirishima supplied, shrugging his shoulders but that explanation didn't sit right in Katsuki's stomach. He eyed the clock that was close to 11:45 pm and frowned.

His dark blond eyebrows furrowed together at how fast Izuku shuffled out of the wooden doors, not sparing a word or goodbye to anyone. The skittish behavior set off warning bells loudly in his head.

He then shifted his gaze to a very tired and frustrated looking Mirio sitting down at the table, pinching the bridge of his nose.

An elbow quickly nudged him from the side, making Katsuki turn around to see Ren's silver eyes staring at him with a sharp gaze.

"Your cinderella is leaving from the ball, prince charming," Ren whispered only for him to hear. "I don't know about you, but I know a runner when I see one. He left like his carriage was about to turn into a pumpkin."

Katsuki worked his jaw with a sigh because Ren was right.

Izuku was running. _Again_.

"I'll see you guys at work on Monday," he announced as he stood up.

Several 'aw's were cued but everyone said their goodbyes, nonetheless. He gave Kirishima and Mina quick hugs and nodded in Ren's direction as he followed across the large reception hall to leave out the back door.

He wasn't about to let Izuku get away that quickly. No, not after last night.

. . .

Katsuki didn't know whether to laugh or be concerned when he finally found Izuku ironically sitting at the downstairs bar.

The basement setting was dimly lit and people were stationed all around at the tall stools talking with drinks in their hands and smiles on their faces.

Soothing midnight music was playing in the background, giving a low vibe to the scene as the tall blond approached, fully taking off his black blazer. The greenette was sitting in the far corner, hunched over in the bar stool, his head tucked away in his arms with an orange drink next to him along with the bundle of white roses.

The closer Katsuki got, the clearer a quiet string of sniffles became. He felt mild anger spike in his chest towards Mirio, but it was overpowered by concern for Izuku.

The blond cleared his throat as he leaned against the black countertop next to the crying man. "Well, isn't this ironic."

The messy head of curls lifted up, looking taken aback and surprised to see him. Katsuki flashed a smirk Izuku's way, signaling a conditioned response from Izuku. The greenette smiled as he wiped a handful of tears off his face and sat up a little bit.

"Hah, wow," Izuku laughed dryly. "I guess all things come full circle, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess. But something is a little different than last time," Katsuki pressed his lips together as he leaned in closer to the green haired beauty sporting strained red eyes. "Why are you crying, Izuku?"

The youngest shook his head, curls bouncing with the motion. He waved his hands and mustered up a sad smile. "No reason. Just...emotions are stupid."

Katsuki resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the lie. "If you said this to me a month ago then I might've let it go, but after last night you know I'm not going to."

Izuku looked away from him to stare at the orange liquid and Katsuki sighed, deciding to say what was already painstakingly obvious. "Did Mirio say something to you?"

When Izuku stiffened he knew he was right and when Izuku didn't elaborate he knew exactly what it must've been about.

"...It was about me, wasn't it?" Katsuki said slowly, watching Izuku's features carefully and his stomach tightened when Izuku nodded his head hesitantly. That fucking _bastard_.

"He...he kept pushing certain things. I wish I didn't catch these damn flowers," Izuku groaned, pushing the bouquet away from him resentfully. "I didn't know how to get him to stop so I tried to tell him how I felt...about you. But...he didn't understand. He never gets it."

"What did he say exactly?" Katsuki asked as kindly as he possibly could but he was close to livid knowing Mirio had done something to make Izuku cry. Over him, nonetheless. It wasn't any of the other blond's goddamn business.

"He more or less told me I need to reel it in. You know, control myself and urges better. Listen to what he says."

Katsuki bristled at the insinuation. He knew when someone was slut shaming, no matter how subtle the fucking blow was.

"Did he really say that shit to you?"

"Less tactful and a bit more colorful, but yes. That was the gist."

Katsuki took a deep breath to subdue the raging volcano in him that was threatening to erupt. He had never been closer in his life to tracking someone down to go verbally assault them.

"He can't tell you what to do with your body. You know that, right? He's just upset because he's clearly in love with you."

"He's in love with the idea of me," Izuku corrected bitterly, swirling his orange drink in its glass. "He likes the version in his head that he can mold to do whatever he wants. The one that doesn't act so _damaged_. He doesn't like me, just my potential to become _that_ Izuku."

Katsuki let silence grow in their conversation as he took in the words earnestly because they allowed him to understand Izuku and Mirio's dynamic a bit better. However, there was a single word that stood out to him that made his heart pang dully in his chest for Izuku.

"Do you think you act damaged?" He asked gently when Izuku finished his fruity drink.

"No," the greenette said, shaking his head. "I think I act like someone who survived thus far, and I accept my mistakes. Mirio...he doesn't accept them. He...he just wants to try to make me go back to my old self but…"

"...Your old self doesn't exist anymore...does it?"

"Not at all." Green eyes looked at him, the tears completely dried up but the melancholy emotion that accompanied them was still left behind. Izuku sighed, sitting up in the chair all the way to rest his head in his hands defeated.

There was something about the sight that made determination bubble inside of Katsuki. Izuku shouldn't be crying, not on a day like this where they were supposed to celebrate new love—_creating_ new love.

He listened as Izuku continued, "But, Mirio's nice. He only has good intentions, and only wants what's best for me. Plus...I haven't made the best decisions for myself in the past. So, maybe he's right. I shouldn't make them anymore. Maybe I should just do what he says," the greenette said softly, still not looking at him. "I just don't know, I-I thought I had it figured out, but this night got confusing. Maybe just nice is what I need."

Katsuki 'tsk'd rather loudly as he leaned in closely to Izuku. The green haired man sat up straight at the proximity, confused as to why Katsuki was suddenly getting so close. But the longer the fire colored eyes burned into him, Izuku felt his throat go mildly dry.

"Yeah. He's nice...but I don't think nice is all you want," Katsuki's voice said with a low rasp, reaching deep into the other. "You can make whatever decision you want to so you can fill your needs. Don't listen to him." Izuku blinked, coming down from his confused state and Katsuki smirked when he realized he had caught the other's undivided attention.

"Right? If nice was all that you needed, you wouldn't have walked up to me at that bar that night asking for something _very_ specific. I don't think just _nice_ is really your type."

Katsuki let his smirk widen when he saw a subtle rose color shade work its way across freckles. He had the other where he wanted him, and he'd be damned if he let Mirio and his bullshit get in the way of what he had just spent the last week trying to build.

Izuku looked into his eyes, searching. Katsuki could see those spring colored irises surge with familiar need.

"...And what would you say my type is, Katsuki? What do you think I need?"

"_Me_," he said boldly. The blond leaned in closely to Izuku, making sure to keep their eyes locked. This near he could hear the shakiness in Izuku's breath. "You know it. I can give you _exactly_ what you're craving and more unlike just _nice_ Mirio. He's worried about you having one-night stands or whatever, but you know damn well what we have isn't going to be one night."

The greenette's eyes flickered down to his lips, saying nothing.

Katsuki gave Izuku an inquisitive look at the lack of response. "Am I wrong? Am I not your type?"

"No, you're completely right," Izuku said in a hushed voice, eyes trailing back up to stare into him. "It's almost uncanny how similar you are."

If Katsuki wasn't so focused on the raw amount of emotion translating through Izuku's eyes, he would have found the statement strange. But all he could see was how Izuku's expression was entranced with him as much as he was enchanted with the other.

Katsuki began to lean in and closing the distance but watching the way Izuku fluttered his eyes closed. The eldest lifted his hand to push a stray curl behind Izuku's pierced ear, leaving his fingers to linger and cradle a freckled cheek.

But he paused as he brushed their noses together, lips hovering tauntingly close.

"Then why are you sitting here? What's your hotel number for the night?" He asked huskily, letting the feeling of heat enrapture his body.

"I'm on the fifth floor," Izuku said, leaning back slightly. Katsuki blinked once when he realized that the greenette didn't say which room. He saw a small ounce of hesitation still written plainly across Izuku's face and decided to move back all the way.

"Well, my hotel number is 753. Use that information however you see fit, Izuku. I'm going upstairs to my room." Katsuki said the words amorously and shot Izuku a lustful look. "Also, just a life tip: don't let others try to control your actions just because you've made a couple of mistakes."

He backed away slowly, quirking his eyebrow at the other and tilting his head.

Izuku started to fidget in his barstool, looking as if he wanted to say something but he didn't. Green eyes stared after him with a slightly open mouth and Katsuki turned around, leaving out the way he came.

. . .

Katsuki walked up to the elevator wondering if he made the right decision to leave Izuku there. But something in his stomach that told him it was the right move to hand the ball over into Izuku's court.

He pressed the green button to head upstairs and when the lift arrived, he stepped onto it full of thought. He briefly considered going to Izuku's floor and waiting for him there when he pressed the cursive '7' instead of '5'. But as the metallic doors were sliding shut, he heard a voice call out for him.

"W-Wait!" Izuku called, pacing his steps rather quickly. Katsuki shot his hand out as fast as he could to hold the door open for the other. The greenette was gripping the flowers in his hands tightly as he stepped into the small space.

They regarded each other carefully before Izuku looked down to the ground and pressed the number five. Katsuki didn't take his eyes off the smaller figure, not sure of what was about to occur. The greenette had chased after him but still pressed the button. His heart started to race heavily in his chest.

Izuku mulled over the conflicting thoughts in his head as Katsuki assessed his own.

The undeniable spark of something dangerous between them was on edge. Katsuki could sense Izuku wavering as if deciding on something that would change their course forever. However, both men were unaware of how true this would come to be.

They said nothing as the door opened on five.

Izuku didn't move, just clutched the flowers tighter.

"You're going to miss your stop." Katsuki spoke into the tense quietness. The greenette turned to meet his eyes and immediately heat spilled all over the blond's body. Those blazed emerald eyes unexpectedly looked down right determined.

"I don't think this is my stop," Izuku smiled at him, finally making his choice.

Katsuki grinned like a madman when the elevator doors shut. He felt a switch flipped and Izuku was teetering right along the lines of hungry. The molten hot feeling in Katsuki's core spread all over as the strong man walked up to him, grabbed his tie and yanked him down to his eye level.

"You're mine tonight," Izuku voice was hoarse with passion and command.

A hot and desperate need prickled at Katsuki's skin as he leaned in fully to the younger male, hands burying themselves into Izuku's soft curls.

"You're damn right I am." Without thinking further, Katsuki pressed forward to take Izuku's sweet lips with his.

Everything sparked together at once like he had been waiting for this all his life. Izuku kissed him as if he was the oxygen that he needed to keep his flame burning bright and it felt _amazing_. Katsuki let the greenette shoved him into the wall of the elevator hard without a single damn. He was too busy focusing on the way Izuku was sucking and biting on his bottom lip.

The younger one shoved himself flush against his body and rocked their hips together, pulling tighter and tighter on his tie as if he needed it. The actions evoked his body temperature to rise sharply until a deep hunger was pulled out of Katsuki. The blond forcibly tilted Izuku's head to the side and electricity raked down his spine at the gorgeous fucking moan that he received.

He could feel the erection of the other grow intensely as Izuku's grip on his tie tightened even more. Katsuki heard a soft whine as Izuku slowly started to grind into his thigh, throbbing cock very fucking obvious now.

The heat burning hot between their body only heightened as the elevator dinged, signaling that they arrived on the seventh floor. Before he could blink, the next thing Katsuki knew Izuku was dragging him by his tie outside. Their hands grabbing and clung to each other as they clumsily stumbled out into the hallway.

Katsuki forced himself to pull back for air, fighting against the burning fever inside of him that told him to fucking undress the man right then and there.

"Wait," he breathed out heavily as Izuku started to trail down kiss down his neck. "Let's make it to my room first before I wind up bending you over right here. Don't wanna scar some fucker passing by."

Izuku leaned back, panting heavily. He nodded quickly, agreeing. "You're right because I just might let that happen. Let's hurry."

The greenette gave him a smile worth a million fucking stars and intertwined their hands together. They began to quickly walk down the long hallway, laughing as Katsuki led the way. The blond couldn't help but think how he's never been more impatient to get someone in bed before. It felt nearly unnatural how badly he wanted to be inside Izuku, but he felt so goddamn ecstatic at the same time.

When they finally arrived at the wooden door, he let go of Izuku's hand and dug into his pocket to whip out the keycard. But he nearly fumbled it when Izuku straight out started to palm his shaft through his dress pants, biting his lip with a lust filled gaze.

He quickly swiped the card like his life depended on it and grabbed the greenette by his tie. He pushed open the door, loving the small giggle he got from Izuku as they staggered inside the bright room.

This time Katsuki made sure to lock the door behind them. He wasn't letting Izuku go tonight.

The handsome freckled man grinned happily as he tossed the bouquet of white roses to the floor. In a flash, Izuku immediately reached for the light switch to flick it off.

Red eyes dilated fully in the now dark space, only dimly lit by a single window. Outside, the small luminescence of the stars and moon flooded into the room, making this moment even more magical inside of the blond's mind. He studied how Izuku's curves were haloed by the white light as the greenette started to strip himself of his vest then shirt, tossing them to the ground in a frenzy.

Scars, bandages, freckles, and a well-defined chest were on full display. All for Katsuki. The blond thought the person in front of him resembled a ravishing masterpiece of art.

"Kami, we should've done this ages ago," Izuku whispered short of breath as he began to work off his pants. "I want you so bad you have no goddamn clue." Katsuki felt his mouth water when the greenette's strong ass legs kicked the dress pants off to the side with the flowers.

"Yeah, no kidding," Katsuki smirked predatorily. "You look so fucking sexy right now, Izuku, you have no clue," he breathed out as Izuku began to kiss him again. Their lips worked against each other as the freckled man palmed his cock through his clothes.

Deciding not to waste any more time, Katsuki quickly started to follow suit. He hastily unbuttoned his shirt and he began to undo his black tie, but right when he was about to get rid of the article of clothing a strong hand stopped him.

"We're keeping the ties tonight." Izuku said in a husky tone, and Katsuki's dick nearly fucking jumped. The greenette snatched the tie out of his hand and there was a powershift in the room that the blond didn't expect. But he wasn't about to complain when Izuku picked up his own jade color tie off the ground.

Green eyes were dark as he asked his next question. "Wanna be a good boy for me tonight, Kacchan?" The sinful tone that coated the words made curiosity and warmth run all over Katsuki's body.

"I'll be anything you fucking want," he replied back hungrily, eyes flickering with insatiable need.

"_Good_." Izuku simpered as he curled his finger in a 'come hither' motion and started backing up into the room towards the bed.

And Katsuki followed like a man possessed, taking off his shirt and pants along the way. He pulled out the small bottle of strawberry flavored lube from his pocket with a grin, and Izuku's smile widened. Katsuki stripped himself right down to his orange boxers as the greenette fell on top of a white comforter and crawled backwards towards the center.

"I thought very carefully about how I want to do this," Izuku whispered as he spread his legs for the blond to get between and Katsuki took his place eagerly. He trailed small kisses up along milky thighs, biting, licking and drinking in all the gasps and moans from Izuku.

"Oh, yeah? Tell me what you want," Katsuki smirked down at Izuku as he pressed their strained cocks together through the thin layer of boxers.

Izuku playfully tilted his head before something glinted in his eyes. "I want a lot of things. But _first—_" In a flash, completely taking Katsuki by surprise Izuku wrapped his strong legs around him and flipped their positions, effectively pinning his wrists above disheveled blonde hair.

If Katsuki wasn't hard already, he was now painfully fucking rock solid.

"I think you need to sit back and relax, lieutenant." Those mischievous green eyes stared down at him, nearly glowing in the dark. "Let me do the work tonight, you're always fussing and busy. Let me show you how well I can ride this cock of yours."

Izuku rolled his hips in a circular motion to emphasize his point and Katsuki wasn't about to object. The full ass pressed down on his long shaft, giving rise to a moan from both of them.

"_Damn_." Katsuki hissed. He made a move to break from Izuku's grasp, but the smaller male just snapped his wrists back onto the bed, exerting his dominance. And it both turned on Katsuki and irritated him because he wanted to touch the greenette so badly.

Izuku trailed his eyes over to the small tube in Katsuki's hand and pulled it out of the other's palm. The greenette grinned and chuckled.

"Strawberry lube?" Izuku questioned, looking down at Katsuki with surprise. "I like it but not exactly what I expected from you."

"You have no idea how much I got in store for that cute ass of yours," Katsuki smirked. Izuku gave a deceptively sweet smile before snapping the blond's wrists higher and picking up the dual colored ties on the bed. Katsuki watched, his breathing getting heavier as the greenette tied both of his wrists to the black bars on the bed frame, thick thighs caging Katsuki's body in.

When he was finished, Izuku gave a good tug on both ties, creating a friction and burn against Katsuki's skin. And it felt fucking _delicious_. Fervor shot all over the blond's body at the realization that Izuku was downright _kinky_.

The younger male then moved to shift downwards and pulled off Katsuki's boxers, finally setting free his erection. The eldest smirked when Izuku stumbled a bit at the full sight of his hard-on and his cute little mouth fell slightly in an 'o'.

Green eyes blinked rapidly before looking at Katsuki like he was starved. "I knew you were big, but you didn't tell me you were thick too. Such a perfect cock, Kacchan." Izuku smiled as he leaned down to give a small lick to the tip, making Katsuki's moan.

Red eyes glazed over with lust as Izuku wrapped a warm hand around his cock stroking it several times, twisting his wrist at the tip. A deep rumble ripped from the back of Katsuki's throat at the feeling, finally getting some satisfaction for the burning need that was tearing him apart.

He hissed when a wet, warm tongue swirled around the tip of his cock, sucking lightly and lapped the sensitive slit. Izuku took the head, and only the head, in his mouth and gave a gentle suck making Katsuki curse out loud.

Out of reflex to shove his dick down that gorgeous throat Katsuki tried to move to pull Izuku's hair but his wrists automatically snapped back to the bed frame, making the whole mattress shake harshly.

He fumed silently, both loving and fucking loathing the mild burn on his wrists. The wet mouth on his dick kept going, only taking him in a bit and moving so excruciatingly slow.

"Don't just fucking tease me, 'zuku," Katsuki called out, lifting his hips but Izuku pushed him right back down, the head of the thick shaft leaving from his mouth with a wet 'pop'.

"I'll tease you however much, lieutenant. I'm in charge tonight." Izuku smiled and Katsuki immediately stiffened at the usage of his title. His cock in Izuku's hand twitched hard several times, drawing the attention of emerald eyes. Katsuki hissed loudly when the burning hot hand squeezed him harder, eliciting more precum to come dripping out.

"Oh...you like being called lieutenant," Izuku smiled, looking at him in pure amusement. "Of course, someone like you would have an authority kink."

"I have a whole lot of kinks you don't know about," Katsuki growled, eyes darkening. "At this rate, you're gonna fuck around and trigger a _very _specific one if you keep acting like a brat. Now, stop testing me."

Izuku bit his lip, catching the hint and gave the thick shaft in his hand one more squeeze. "Don't threaten me with a good time, Kacchan." The greenette shifted, letting go of the throbbing cock and Katsuki threw his head back at the loss of heat, pulling at the restraints on his wrists.

But he stopped when suddenly the greenette fluidly turned around and started to shimmy off his green boxers revealing a gorgeous, freckled cover ass right in front of Katsuki's face.

The eldest watched, fully hungry as rose colored blush poured over every inch of Izuku's body. The greenette spread his legs on either side of Katsuki's chest and bent over fully, making sure to arch his back. Red eyes soaked in the visual of the now exposed small, fluttering pink hole.

"Fuck, you look so gorgeous," Katsuki hissed and immediately started to struggle more against the ties on his wrist, shaking and rattling the bed. Green eyes glanced over a shoulder and Izuku uncapped the lube and worked it over three fingers.

The feeling of wanting to be inside of Izuku intensified a hundred-fold as the freckled man bent himself over more, pushing that full plump backside right in front of Katsuki's face. Red eyes watched fully hypnotized as the smaller man reached back and started to work himself open with the slick covered fingers.

A delicious whine slipped past Izuku's lips as he reached inside himself further and started pumping three fingers straight against his pleasure button. The moans climbed higher and higher until Izuku was softly calling out his name and his own erection started leaking precum down onto Katsuki's six pack.

The smell of strawberries and cum filled the blond's senses and he subconsciously moved his head forward to just get a fucking taste of the now wet hole right in front of his face.

"Damn, you're so tight," he rasped out, chest rumbling as he licked his lips.

The greenette pushed back a bit, while moaning fully putting on a show and teasing the man beneath him to no end. At this new nearness Katsuki could tell he was close enough just to get a small taste and he went straight for it. He darted out his wet tongue out to run along the rim of the wet entrance and slide over Izuku's fingers, heat pulsing inside of him.

The second his taste buds exploded with the taste of strawberry Izuku pulled back, causing Katsuki to hiss out, "Quit fucking playing, Izuku. C'mon, let me fuck you up—"

"Gotta beg better than that. I think I like fucking myself right now—ah…" Izuku said between moans and he continued to prep himself. He pushed the finger harder and faster against his spot until Katsuki could see his legs start to visibly shake. "It f-feels so good. Don't you wanna be inside me right now, lieutenant? C'mon, _beg_ for it."

Never in a million fucking years has Katsuki ever begged anyone for anything but right now the growing pain in his dick made him lose it.

"_Please_, 'zuku." Katsuki hissed between his clenched teeth, pulling against the restraints when he heard Izuku's breath hitch. "Look how nice and wet you got yourself for me. Don't you want to take a seat on my cock? C'mon. You know you wanna, I can see your greedy little hole fucking twitching for me."

Izuku's body shuddered at the dirty words, making Katsuki grin and continue. "I can stretch you out so good. My cock was made to fuck you up 'zuku. C'mon, sit down and take it. You'll probably cum right away from just how full you're gonna feel."

That string of words seemed to flip the magic switch inside of Izuku. The greenette quickly removed the three fingers that were pushed so deeply inside of him. Slick lube followed out with the motion making Katsuki grin devilishly. He felt Izuku start to lather up his cock, and he bit his lip as the skilled hand worked him up and down.

Then without missing a beat Izuku turned around to face him and the two made heated eye contact as the greenette began to straddle him. Katsuki then paused and took the time to admire how heavy heaving the scarred chest was and how deep of a brilliant red flush covered Izuku's face. Green eyes hung low as the youngest began to line up the cock with his tight entrance.

Katsuki was expecting Izuku to inch down painfully slow, and ease into adjusting but he got the exact opposite. In a single swoop, the greenette pressed back and bottomed out on his thick length, making Katsuki moan in a loud cry of surprise.

"F-Fuck!" Izuku cried out as he squeezed his eyes shut and let out a shaky breath.

Katsuki bit his lip to stifle a loud groan from the searing hot heat encasing him. Izuku was so fucking _tight_. He rolled his hips upwards to meet Izuku rocking on him. The greenette pushed his palms against his hard chest as he started to slowly pull himself back up, rolling his hips as the thick length inside of him brushed his prostate.

Red eyes were blown wide in the dark room, trying to memorize all the ways Izuku's face scrunched and twisted in pleasure. How he rose up and down, sucking him in over and over again. The warm heat blossomed inside of Izuku as the greenette picked up speed. Shocks and waves of rapture grew hotter and hotter in each of their bodies as Izuku fully adjusted and started bouncing happily on Katsuki's thick shaft.

"S-So big," Izuku keened as he threw his head back, harshly riding the man restrained below him. "You feel so good, ah-ah!" The moans and creeks from the bed grew louder as deep groans were pulled out of the eldest man.

The blond tried to fight against the ties on his wrist wanting so fucking badly to touch the sex god riding him but found himself useless like a tool for Izuku to fuck himself on. The waves of euphoria grew intensely powerful as Izuku straight up started to fuck himself graciously.

"K-Keep going—you're so fucking sexy," Katsuki encouraged as his whole body was rocked with the intoxicating heat swallowing him with every stroke. He bit his lip hard as he started to fuck upwards into the greenette, drawing out a loud, "ah!" of surprise out of Izuku.

He grinned like a madman at the reaction and began to dig his heels into the pure white sheets. He was relentless as he bounced the other on his lap, loud slaps and cries filled the room as a sinful sympathy. Izuku could do nothing but hold on the best he could and meet Katsuki's forceful thrusts with a strident impale downwards.

"Ever taken a cock this big before?" Katsuki growled out, shifting to plant his feet firmly on the mattress. The greenette shook his head furiously and tried to speak but only sharp cries spilled out. "Good. I'm going to ruin you. You'll never want another cock fucking this tight ass of yours ever again." He gave several ruthless, vigorous thrusts upwards, bouncing Izuku and his perfect curls to the motion.

Fingernails dug into his abdomen as Izuku's whole body started to shake like a leaf in desperation. His hip rolling became jerky and frantic as he chased the ignited heat inside of him like a fever, moving like he needed it. Like he needed Katsuki, and that thought alone was enough for the blond to keep up without any issue.

"Keep taking it. Fuck, take it all 'zuku, it's yours," Katsuki praised when Izuku's moans climbed higher and higher. Izuku's entrance filled over and over with the thickness inside of him, stretching out his body. Pleasure rippled out every time the hard cock inside of him slammed against his sweet spot.

"Kami, you look so fucked out right now," Katsuki whispered and Izuku only nodded in agreeance as his entire body gave a tell-tale violent shake.

"I-I'm gonna cum!" Izuku cried, and a whine slipped past those pretty pink lips. At the sight of Izuku's breathing falling into an erratic pattern, Katsuki felt his own ecstasy climb up high and demand for a release.

"M-Me too. Keep going—make yourself, cum on my cock, baby boy." He used all his strength to meet Izuku's thrusts downwards and at the drop of the nickname he felt Izuku clamp down and shudder around his dick. Katsuki smirked wider. "You like being called baby boy, huh?"

Izuku nodded eagerly and fuck there was nothing more perfect than the thought of Izuku liking being called _baby_. "You're my baby boy, 'zuku. I'm gonna take such good care of you." He praised more and he felt Izuku squeeze snugly around him, somehow turned on even more. "Keep going. Fuck you're so goddamn good at this—"

Izuku's voice cracked with a loud cry as he arched his back fully, and Katsuki cursed harshly. The tightness squeezing his cock sucked him in even more as Izuku sat down on his cock with the hard shaft pressing directly on a spot that made him see white. Consuming pulses of pleasure surged through both of their bodies as Katsuki emptied inside the warm, wet channel.

The electricity of their orgasms raced down their limbs, pushing them over the edge. Ribbons of cum shot out of Izuku's cock onto the body below him and the white spurts decorated Katsuki's sweat covered six pack and chest artfully.

They both laid there calming down, breathing heavily. Izuku closed his eyes and wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand but a small rock upward made him nearly moan. Izuku then realized what was happening. Or more specifically what he noticed the fullness of a still very hard cock deep inside him.

He looked down to see Katsuki still looking up at him with ravenous fire eyes.

"A-Are you still hard? After _that_?" Izuku stuttered out. The only answer he received back was a sharp snap of Katsuki's hips upward. He let out a gasp at the sensation of cum spilling out from inside of him and how impossibly full he felt.

"_Surprise 'zuku_. I don't have a refractory period." Katsuki smirked greedily when green eyes widened, looking at him in full blown astonishment. He rolled his hips again, brushing against just the right angle inside of Izuku. He could sense the pleasure the movement ignited when the smaller man curled his toes and tried to hide a moan.

"You did a fuckin' _fantastic_ job but untie me. Let me show you the reason I get stamina awards." Katsuki tugged forward to emphasize his point and ignored the rubbing of the cotton material against his wrists.

"W-Wait, I feel so full," Izuku stammered while feeling his prostate pressed hard against by both Katsuki rocking inside of him and the sensation of cum filling him to the brink even more. "I don't know if I can—"

"—_I said untie me_," the blond harshly whispered. Izuku felt a chill of excitement ran down his spine because he's never encountered someone like this. He always heard stories from college friends about sexcapades where they found some guy that could go several rounds in a row, but he's never actually experienced it. The dusky red eyes were studying him in a way that felt like Katsuki was ready to devour him alive.

"Listen to your commander and let me fuck you right," the blond teased, giving a handsome grin. "I don't half-ass anything and I'm not starting now. I meant it when I said I was going to fuck you senseless."

Izuku felt the pulse of the throbbing cock inside of him and small spasms of rapture echoed through his body with every small brush of his prostate. He hesitantly reached forward, ignoring the slick downpour of cum leaving him as the cock slid out with ease.

When he finished undoing the ties, he watched as Katsuki sat forward, nursing his wrists but his eyes translated a look like he was a beast unchained.

"That's more like it," the deep voice echoed. Katsuki pushed Izuku backwards onto the bed with authority before effortlessly throwing the slender legs over his shoulders. He stared down at the greenette under him with eyes fully saturated to black as he lined up his cock to the dripping wet entrance.

"You ever been fucked through two orgasms, Izuku?" He asked as he began to push back inside of the tight body. He stroked the inside of Izuku's thighs lovingly as the smaller body began to spasm slightly.

"N-No," Izuku murmured out as the thick length started to spread him out again. Without warning Katsuki leaned forward, folding the smaller male in half as he gave a full thrust, lodging himself deep inside again. He gave a shallow rock against Izuku's pleasure spot and studied how instantaneous the greenette arched his back.

"Ah, wait everything feels too sensitive—"

"—It's called overstimulation." Katsuki cut off quickly, giving another full rock and receiving another deep groan. "Your body is still riding out on euphoria from your last orgasm. I told you I'm gonna make you cum multiple times. Just let me take care of my baby boy."

Their eyes locked briefly before Katsuki reeled back and slammed forward getting a sharp moan as he sent pleasure running all over Izuku's body. The greenette clutched the soft covers underneath his fingertips tightly as the blond above him started to pick up the pace.

The sound of skin colliding filled the round, mixed in with loud grunts and high-pitched moans as Izuku steadily became unraveled. The youngest's face screwed tight in overwhelming pleasure as he bit his lip, trying to control the sounds that were overflowing from his mouth.

"Be as loud as you need to, baby, 'cause I'm not going to hold back," Katsuki hissed as he dug his fingers into the silky skin more. He was damn sure there were going to be bruises there come morning.

"K-Katsuki!" Izuku wailed out at a particular hard press into his sweet button. His body burned with heat and every ounce of his being was overcome with waves of pleasure slamming against all his nerves. "Hng! I-I can't—it feels too much! I'm too full, Kacchan! I'm so full—"

"Tight, full and fucking dripping in my cum," Katsuki swooned, plunging deeper inside. "You're so goddamn cute, I just wanna fuck you all night."

As the cock inside of him pounded into him with reckless abandon, Izuku felt a new pressure inside his abdomen began to rise like smoke with each thrust.

"H-Harder," he whispered softly. When Katsuki didn't seem to hear him, Izuku spoke louder with more demand in his voice. He locked his legs around Katsuki's neck and pulled him down, grabbing the attention of burning red eyes. "I said fuck me harder—hng!" This time the blond heard the call and jerked his hips at a new, bruising speed "Yes, just like that—"

"Is this what you needed?" Katsuki asked between thrusts and deep groans. "Is this the type of cock you crave? One that can fucking destroy you?"

Izuku nodded, reaching his hands up into blond spikes and pulling hard. "Y-Yes! _Kami_—keep going, wreck me, _please_. K-Kacchan, oh, fuck—_Kacchan_!"

"You're mine," Katsuki whispered, leaning down without breaking his speed. "I'm not letting you go after this, 'zuku. You're too goddamn perfect for me, taking it so well—keep fucking taking it."

The intense bubbling building all over his body threatened to spill over but kept tilting back and forth, causing the freckled man nearly to go crazy. The heat was becoming too much and he didn't know if he was going to pass out at this rate.

"K-Katsuki, Ah—I don't know if I can cum—" He whined helplessly, but the blond just shook his head. Katsuki had a record to uphold and he wasn't about to let Izuku go without cumming twice like his pretty ass deserved.

"Yes, you can. C'mon, baby boy, you can come for daddy twice, right?"

"Y-Yes!" Izuku nodded, sparks igniting in him at the name. He glanced up at the man above him that was working overtime. The ruby eyes gazed down at him as if he was the only person who mattered, and that sight caused the pressure to give like a weak dam.

Katsuki reached down between Izuku's legs when he felt his own orgasm about to snap. He wrapped his fist tightly around the straining cock and began to pump it feverishly.

The searing touch of the hand wrapped tightly around his cock and the over stimulating thrusting in and out of his body tipped Izuku straight over. The waves of rapture gripped him harder and harder until everything boiled over.

"Shit—Kacchan, I feel it! I'm gonna cum again," Izuku cried out as he arched his back off the bed. His legs shook violently around Katsuki's shoulders as he tightly clamped down on the large shaft deep inside his body.

Katsuki watched in amazement as beautiful green curls tossed backwards and the sound Izuku made was so powerful that it was bound to leave his voice hoarse. The slender body jerked and spasmed as cum sprayed out his shaft in spurts. The white ribbons spread all over both of their chests, mixing in with the heavy amount of sweat covering their bodies.

"H-Hn! _Fuck_!" Katsuki cried out when the tight heat became too much. He quickly leaned down and took Izuku in a soul drowning kiss. Waves of his own intensified orgasm slammed into his body as he emptied out his second load into the already tight, wet and full body.

Their lips stayed locked as Izuku's legs began to shake from the aftermath. Katsuki pulled back and assessed the damaged he made. Pink lips were full, swollen, and Izuku was breathing as if he just ran a marathon. Izuku looked worn out in the best possible way, and there wasn't a thing in the world that Katsuki found could compete with the sight.

"So fucking pretty," the blond whispered more so to himself when Izuku whined, still coming down from his high. Katsuki reeled back fully and unhooked Izuku's legs from around his neck. He let them loosely fall around his hips as he leaned downwards, still fully seated inside the man.

Izuku could feel the other mildly deflate but he was definitely still hard, and it was downright astonishing. His body started to ache, and his backside felt a perfect burn when he came fully off his adrenaline.

"Katsuki," he whispered breathlessly when the blond started to lightly suck on his neck. "Katsuki, I don't think I can go another round right now." A deep chuckle rumbled against his neck.

"You can do more than you think," Katsuki supplied with a small kiss to Izuku's temple. "I just want to make you feel good all night long."

"And I feel amazing," Izuku laughed, smiling at the other male beautifully. It made Katsuki's heart squeeze from joy. "Just go easy on me, I have to make it home tomorrow somehow."

This time Katsuki paused and moved back. He hovered above the man below him with a confused stare.

"Who said anything about you going back home?"

Izuku blinked and crooked his head. "Huh?"

"You're coming back to my apartment after this, Izuku." Katsuki explained with a satisfied grin. "I'm nowhere fucking near done with you." He could feel the greenette's body twitch at the thought and he the light-colored eyes dilated yet again.

The blond smirked as he leaned down to give a quick kiss to the other and straightaway, Izuku kissed him back passionately.

. . .

Katsuki was absolutely downright fucking _exhilarated_.

He completely stayed true to his word and brought Izuku back to his apartment where they spent the entirety of Sunday having sex on every piece of Katsuki's furniture that could handle it. In every single position on top of it. He had even started to make a mental checklist to see how many artful poses he could twist Izuku into on his couch.

By the time Monday morning rolled around, Izuku was past visibly sore. There was an obvious limp in his walk, multiple bite marks and bruises were scattered across his body from their feverish frenzy.

When Izuku got dressed on Monday morning and sat down on Ground Zero with him, the freckled man hissed loudly.

Katsuki smirked at his handy work but felt a pang of guilt. There was no way that the other officer could go on patrols like this, so he did something he's never done for anyone: he gave Izuku the day off to recover at his apartment.

Izuku objected at first but when Katsuki leaned over to silence him with a kiss, the greenette nodded dumbly, going along with what was asked of him.

When Katsuki came back that evening, Izuku was passed out asleep in his bed. The smaller one was tucked snuggly underneath his red comforter, curls spread out messily against his pillow. The sound from the TV in the room was filling up all the corners, playing some type of anime movie in the background.

His glacier of a home actually felt warm for the first time in a long time. He never felt this type of welcoming feeling whenever he came back from work. But seeing Izuku there in his bed, it made his heart squeeze in all the right ways.

Just then, as he was admiring the beauty bundled in his sheets, green eyes blinked open. A tender affectionate smile greeted him with a gruff voice heavy with sleep.

His heart felt so tautly full as he climbed into bed with Izuku, sprinkling kisses everywhere he could think of over the freckled skin.

Katsuki decided he would trade all the awards in the world to have this feeling every day.

. . .

Time passed by quickly, and before he knew it a whole month has passed since the wedding. The atmosphere in the city was strangely peaceful for all the officers at the U.A precinct. The fires died off along with threats of policemen being burned alive.

This originally had everyone on edge, but now with it being almost two months since hearing from The Cremator, they were close to filing the case to the bottom of the priority list.

Which brings them all to the present day, a debriefing with the fire department and Shinsou.

"Where's Midoriya?" Shouto asked as everyone slowly started piling into the conference room. The half and half sergeant was dressed fully in their navy blue uniform and holding a white mug of coffee in his hand.

"He's at home," Katsuki replied not thinking much about it as he shuffled through the paperwork on the podium before he began his talk with all his team.

"You gave him the day off again? I don't think I can recall the last time you did that for someone several times in a month." The remark was playful as Shouto muttered into his mug. "Awfully nice of you, lieutenant."

"Yeah, he just has a fever," Katsuki smirked, knowing it wasn't too much of a secret amongst their inner team. "Figured I'd just let him stay at home and recover for a day."

"Right, a _fever_," Kirishima snickered quietly from beside him. "Just say you fucked him until he couldn't walk again, dude. We're all family here at this point. We understand four years of pent up frustration has to go somewhere—and _apparently_ that's inside Midoriya every night."

"Shut the hell up, Yagi is coming," Katsuki hissed and immediately the conversation died. Kirishima and Shouto moved quickly into their seats.

The truth was, he and Izuku decided it would be best if the greenette took the day off. As much as he wanted Izuku at work, he had to give him a breather to recover from their sex frenzy the past thirty days. Izuku hadn't been to his own apartment in damn near a month and he had a couple of things to straighten up at home.

On top of this, they weren't exactly being shy about their newly developed craze for each other. They had the support of their friends, so there wasn't too much reason to be. The wedding had opened doors for a lot of new couples, and it was revealed that even Denki and Ren hooked up that night in a no-strings attached type of ordeal. Denki was now actively happy and going over Ren's place very frequently.

But for Katsuki and Izuku, despite having all the support in the world, the only person they were actively tip-toeing around was Toshinori. But the captain rarely came down from his office on the ninth floor anyways.

And as if on cue, the large blond man walked into the room, smiling and nodding at Katsuki. All the other officers took their seats, along with the squad team from the firefighters assigned to the case.

Shinsou walked in with a large case file, looking rather tired.

"Alright let's get started," the ash blond called out once Monoma finally arrived, a couple minutes behind schedule. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes when the other blond didn't even acknowledge him. "So, the last we saw from The Cremator was his attempted kidnapping of Izu—I mean officer Midoriya."

_Shit_. Katsuki clenched his teeth down at the almost slip up in front of Toshinori and Monoma. Both blond men looked at him curiously for the usage of Izuku's informal name.

"I've been in touch with the head of the fire squad and bomb squad on the case, and they noticed a pattern from the two attacks on Kaze Ave and Ichirizuka street," Katsuki continued, making sure to not look either blond in eye. "I'll let Shinsou take it from here."

"Thank you, lieutenant," Shinsou said as he got out of seat and headed up to the board. "Well, as we know, I told you about the detonator being handcrafted and unique. I went back through my files to study the way it was used in Yaizu and for the most part it was only used for heist and drug related crimes."

Shinsou pursed his lips and ran a hand through his hair in a tired fashion.

"But...when we took a closer look at the remains, we noticed the handiwork is getting sloppier. The first attack on the bank in the beginning of summer was like the others in Yaizu, but...the second one was sloppier. There were some remains left behind."

The room got quiet, trying to absorb the new information.

"So, what does that mean?" Kirishima asked leaning in, looking at the fireman.

"We don't think it's the same person making the arson weapon as it was in Yaizu. Or maybe it is, but the second attack suggests sloppiness," Shinsou replied, getting a collective pause and frown from everyone in the meeting. Katsuki included, because he didn't consider that idea.

"So, what if he got sloppy once? Not every day is a good day," Denki spoke up. Everyone looked at him and shook their heads, but the electric blond stood his ground. "What? It's true."

"Well, the ones in Yaizu were clean, and well done every single time for an entire year straight," Shinsou explained. "There wasn't a trace left of the detonator or fuse, giving no hint to the police. I just learned officers in Yaizu were starting to call it _'The Incinerator'_ because of how consuming, and instantaneous the flames were."

Katsuki tilted his head towards Toshinori when the captain sighed heavily. The motion looked strained, which threw the ash blond off for a second. He's never seen Toshinori stressed out over such small information.

"Has anyone talked to detective Midoriya about this?" Shouto spoke up, looking at Toshinori and Katsuki in particular. "He's from Yaizu. This happened four years ago, right? He would've been around for the attacks—"

"He doesn't know anything about those crimes," the captain cut in a little too quickly. "He was in university at the time focused on his schooling. I've already debriefed with him on what he knows."

Shouto hung his mouth open as if to say more, but the rigid tone from their captain made him shut down. "Oh...okay then."

Katsuki and Shouto exchanged confused looks. It wasn't like Toshinori to get defensive like that.

"Getting back on track," Shinsou continued, drawing everyone's attention back. "Either this arsonist is just a copycat of that one, or maybe the incinerator blueprints were sold to him. We don't know but...we're still waiting for another attack to suggest a more solid pattern."

"But there hasn't been one." Monoma sighed.

"Exactly," Shinsou flipped through his papers as if trying to piece everything together then and there. "If he was the original engineer of this arson weapon, why slow down now? He still hasn't gotten what he wants from Katsuki, or even hinted at it."

Everyone nodded and frowned. Katsuki felt himself sigh once again before he was still trying to figure out what could a murderous pyromaniac want from him besides his death.

"Is there any new information on that by the way?" Monoma asked with a mild snark in his tone. "What does that man possibly want? The quicker he gets this thing that he's craving the faster he'll leave Shizuoka City I'm presuming."

"No clue," Katsuki grumbled, shrugging. "I haven't heard a single word from that terrorist since he rammed his van into my squad car."

"Did you make a list of people you've pissed off recently or is that too many names to keep track of?"

_Every single fucking time._Katsuki held back from nearly verbally chastising the smug son of bitch. Why couldn't he just let that type of shit go?

"_Monoma_." Shinsou's voice barked out. "Don't patronize him. You really need to get over yourself, I swear. I was on that squad too, you know. You're not helping anyone by this behavior." The purple haired man frowned at his ex-teammate.

The two men locked eyes and for the first time he saw Monoma actually shut the fuck up. "Sorry, Shinsou," Monoma mumbled, looking fully reprimanded. He huffed slightly before turning his cold gaze towards Katsuki. "But in all seriousness, Bakugou. Did you narrow down a possible list?"

"I tried and there's no solid leads," Katsuki replied. "Only thing we know is both detective Midoriya and I can confirm that he has stark black hair. Midoriya pulled down his hood in the last encounter and that's the only bit of information we have on his physical appearance."

"This case is starting to feel like we're chasing after ghosts," Kirishima sighed while running his hand down his face.

"Sometimes cases go on for years," Toshinori spoke up, voice grabbing everyone's attention. "It's much like the Hero Killer. He terrorized the city for a full year and a half before we finally caught him. It's important to have patience about these things and keep a sharp eye."

"That's true," Katsuki echoed. He glanced at the clock before deciding a breather was needed. "Okay, everyone, take a small break. We'll go over a new case of robberies that happened over the weekend after the break."

All the officers and firemen in the room nodded and slowly left out. Katsuki, however, stayed stationed at the podium in the front of the room in deep thought.

He began to wonder why Toshinori debriefed with Izuku privately and not with everyone else. There was something off about that in his mind. Their unit always did everything as a team in these types of serial-crime instances.

And why hadn't Izuku mentioned this?

As he was mulling over this peculiar matter, Shouto walked up to him, eyeing Toshinori in the same strange manner.

"Did you know he debriefed with Midoriya separately?" Shouto asked very quietly.

"No..." Katsuki shook his head. He replied back in the was whispered tone under his breath. "I didn't know they even spoke about the crimes in Yaizu."

"I mean I guess it makes more or less sense since he knew Izuku all his life...but still."

"It's probably nothing, Todoroki." Katsuki tried to reason in his head. Toshinori knew Izuku since he was young. He would've known if Izuku had some information about arson crimes in Yaizu.

Something fell together in Katsuki's head in that moment when he realized maybe Izuku's fire was possibly one of those.

That would make sense as to why Toshinori debriefed him privately. For privacy and sensitivity reasons...right?

Just as he was thinking this, Shouto clicked his tongue. His dual colored eyes glazed over all the officers around a little harder before leaning into Katsuki's space.

"I know this is probably nothing, but I _really_ can't shake the feeling of knowing Midoriya from somewhere." Shouto whispered even lower than before, glancing his eyes away. "I know it's been four months since he joined, and I still can't pinpoint it but...something feels...off."

The tall blond blinked hard at the word choice. He lowered his voice more before speaking. "Off? What do you mean?"

"He avoids me. _Purposefully_." Shouto shot Katsuki a knowing look. "You had to have noticed it by now. He spent half the wedding making sure he was on the other side of the hall away from me and my family."

Despite not liking the tone that was used, the blond could admit the other officer wasn't wrong. Katsuki recounted all the ways Izuku kept his distance from Shouto.

It was like a flipped switch the second Izuku found out Shouto's last name. As if the last name Todoroki struck a chord of skittishness within him.

But then he thought of how Izuku openly admitted to not liking Enji.

"I think it's something to do with your dad, and not you, personally," he settled for saying. "Might just have an avoidance for Todorokis."

He wanted to believe that was the simplest explanation because it was Izuku. Sweet, kind Izuku who was probably at his apartment right now cooking and looking over paperwork.

"Tch. I guess that's fair...but…" Shouto made a face of intense thought before shaking his head, seemingly letting it go. "Never mind. It's fine. I think I'm probably misplacing him. Sorry for bringing this up again. I think I'll just let it go."

But Katsuki for some reason wasn't too sure if he could.

The blond nodded to the other as Shouto walked away. Katsuki tried to wipe his mind of the strange conversation surrounding Izuku when others started to flood in the room again.

But his gut twisted heavily thinking about all the small things about Izuku that still didn't add up.

He eyed Toshinori thoughtfully, wondering what he could be covering up.

. . .

**[Izuku**** M.****]: You're working late? **

**[You]: Yeah, don't worry about it. I'm just going to look over some stuff before I come pick you up. Watch a lot of TV for me dork :) **

**[Izuku****M.****]: Okay, I'm going to go pick up some food for us! Text me when you're on the way **

Katsuki smiled to himself as he put away his phone. Of course, the damn nerd was going to cook on his day off. He briefly considered calling the other just to hear the sound of his voice, but he had cases that he actually needed to look over.

After the meeting, he ignored the small pestering in the back of his head that was triggered over Toshinori's secret briefing with Izuku. Why? Because the greenette was doing things to his heart that he hasn't felt in fucking years and he'd be damned if he let some irrelevant shit fuck it up.

The workaholic concluded he was over thinking, something he does more frequently than not. He sat at his desk listening to music, not minding the eldritch feeling that was knocking at his conscience. He forced any and all strange feelings down into his stomach, but his gut did that damn thing again.

It twisted and knotted, pulling out his fatal curiosity.

Every time he tried to read over the case files in front of him, his mind wandered back to Izuku. Then to Toshinori. Then finally to what Shouto had said. That intense calling of having to solve all the puzzles in his life started to slowly take the wheel.

And Izuku was still a puzzle to him.

Katsuki pursed his lips to the side as he started to strum his fingers on the wooden surface of his desk.

Strung along by his own curiosity, he leaned forward towards his computer. His fingers felt like they started to type on their own as he punched in select keywords.

His first search was for a string of three specific things: 'Yaizu fire Midoriya'.

He frowned when no related articles came up. He had anticipated to find an article from the local news about a tragic fire that burnt down a home. But...there was none.

Not a single one.

His music shuffled and this time he switched the search to 'Fires in Yaizu'.

But the articles that came up were all the ones pertaining to the arson weapon, the incinerator.

However, as he kept scrolling, he stumbled upon one particular article linked to the string of fires that tugged at a memory of familiarity. Katsuki frowned deeply as he clicked on it and read it fully. His gut sinking more and more with each word.

_That...can't be right._An ugly feeling of dread trickled into his being as he glanced at the date of the incident. It looked oddly familiar. Before he could stop himself, Katsuki stood up from his seat. He quickly paced over to his file cabinet, snapping open the bin and going straight for the file labeled _'_Midoriya Izuku'.

When he opened the beige folder, red eyes frantically trailed over the information yet again. The sweet smiling picture of Izuku pinned inside only worsened the growing anxiety bubbling inside of him.

Then he reread at the date he was looking for and frowned deeply.

The door snapped open in that moment, ripping him away from what he had just discovered. Katsuki turned around slowly with Izuku's folder in his hand, still unsure of what to make of the information he just pieced together.

There he saw Shouto gripping the door with wide eyes. His phone was clutched in his hand as if in the middle of a eureka moment.

"I figured out where I remember him from," Shouto said quickly, stepping inside fully. He shut the door behind him with discretion. "I knew 'Midoriya' sounded familiar. That was the surname of the lone survivor in the fire that killed my brother. I...I think he was at the funeral?"

Katsuki sucked in his breath at the information drop. A strange ghostly feeling chilled his skin as the sergeant turned his phone to show the article that was pulled up on the screen.

The title read 'Tragedy in Makinohara' in large, bold black letters. On the front of the article was a picture of a small three-story building, consumed completely in flames. Adjacent to it was a grainy image of Izuku's battered, unconscious face filled with bloodied cuts, scrapes and bruises. But the most jarring injury was a grotesque purplish black eye that was definitely not from a fire.

It looked as if someone had beat him—severely.

The taste of acid climbed up Katsuki's throat at the thought.

He reluctantly lifted his hand to scroll down and there was a long list of victims that were lost to the violent flames. Thirty-four to be exact.

Among those were three very familiar looking names: Midoriya Hisashi, Midoriya Inko, and lastly, Todoroki Touya.

The puzzle of Izuku that Katsuki thought he had finally pieced together suddenly scattered and jumbled up. The mystery of the man's past was shaping up to be more complicated than he ever expected.

"What's wrong? Why are you suddenly so quiet?" Shouto questioned, pulling him from his racing thoughts. Katsuki took a deep breath in. It shook and rattled his body as he spoke his next words.

"I found another article possibly regarding him and fire that...I wasn't expecting."

"...What was it?"

"Izuku's last precinct was burned down the day after he resigned."

* * *

Kyuuka smiles sweetly, giving you false reassurance as she straps your seatbelt in. You watch her tug on it a couple of times to make sure you're fastened in safely. Then she leans forward with meticulous care, leaving a soft kiss on your forehead as she rips out the breaks from the car.

Your eyes widen, shocked, as she slams the door without an ounce of hesitation. With all her strength, Kyuuka pushes you, the vehicle, and everyone inside down a drastically steep hill while calling out, "Hang in tight for the ride!" over everyone's screams.

* * *

**Preview for next chapter:**  
When Shouto walked in from volunteering later that evening, he immediately felt something off. Usually when he came back, the house was completely peacefully empty. But this time the house was dark, and he could hear loud metal music blasting from Touya's room.

He unwillingly flinched at the sound of glass shattering against the wall and things being thrown all around from upstairs. But he frowned deeply when he heard a sob echo out. Something chilled down his spine when more objects were thrown about because Touya should be at work. Why was he home early?


	12. Brimstone

Hi All! I'm glad :'D Sorry for the week delay. I misunderstood when a project was due and had to double down on a fairly extensive project in a very short amount of time, but it's all good now! I LOVE this chapter so I hope you enjoy!

Special love and thank you to nmatthews for betaing like always :) she's amazing!

**Warnings: Cycle of abuse. Depiction of Abusive house holds. Arson.**

* * *

**Chapter 12 - Brimstone **

.

.

.

Shouto was always perceptive on noticing small things because of how he was raised.

"Good job, Shouto!"

"Amazing job, Shouto!"

"Keep up the good work. You're making your old man proud!"

These were all common phrases thrown his way by his father. He noticed at a very early age that his dad did this for several reasons: the first being that he truly was proud of him, but the second was to push it in his siblings' faces how well he was doing. He noticed that this was a tactic used by his father to try to get the other children to behave how he wanted.

Shouto could tell his father was doing it because he figured if he could starve the other children of positive reinforcement, then they would try to grapple for it. Try to impress him and do what he wanted. His father would always try to twist and bend all his kids to behave in his likeness. It frustrated Shouto because not all his siblings were like his father, and you cannot force nature to bend to your will.

There was always one of them that was different, but it felt like he was the only one to notice it. There were small signs that he would pick up on that no one else in the Todoroki household did.

Out of everyone, Fuyumi and Natsou were soft and delicate. The two would cling to their mother who was a school teacher and soon both of them followed along her path. They held her likeness with snow white hair and a gentle, kind nature. It was only natural for them to follow suit.

However, Touya did not follow this.

In fact, Touya strayed very far from this type of light.

Touya had the likeness and the nature of their father in all the ways that Enji did not want and all the traits that concerned Shouto. Their father was brash, loud and it was common for him to sometimes lose his temper then proceed to strike his wife and kids.

Shouto remembers when he was young, Touya would always be the one to speak up about something when this would happen. He had developed a very firm sense of justice, but resentment was just as strong.

There was a very dark look of hatred that danced across Touya's face that Shouto would catch. Sometimes his turquoise eyes would darken and Touya would grow eerily silent.

It always worried Shouto because he saw how short of a fuse his brother had. A fuse their father would ignite and let Touya combust up without realizing.

But Shouto realized. He noticed very early that Touya just needed someone to help him with anger problems. He wanted to help, to calm the inferno constantly burning inside his big brother, but their father made it hard.

So, Touya never got help and that inferno was never subdued.

A very particular incident when Shouto was around ten defined their relationship up until the day Touya died.

It was only him, their father and Touya in the quiet home. Their father had just finished reprimanding Touya who was around thirteen at the time.

The atmosphere was tense in the house but around this age Shouto had decided he wanted to be a detective. Not because of their father, but rather because he liked piecing together the small things he would always notice. Coupled with his strong need to help people, he felt like this was the perfect profession for him.

So, while him and Touya were watching baseball in the living room, he was curious to get a closer look at their dad's shelf of awards. They were shiny, alluring and always labeled 'do not touch.' But he wanted to see what they looked like up close.

Touya wasn't paying attention, too busy texting someone on his phone about the awesome score the Yomiuri Giants had just landed.

However, the second Shouto reached up high to grab one of the awards, he accidentally dropped their dad's precious 'Policeman of The Year' glass award on the ground.

As the shattering sound rang out, Touya's eyes widened and his head turned to look at Shouto as if he had just opened up the gates of hell. The redhead teen's eyes were looking around in fear while pressing his lips in a thin hard line.

The stillness that gripped the house had both of them holding their breath. Their father had been very on edge that day already. Sharp steps down the creaking stairs followed not long after.

"Which one of you was it?" Was the first thing their angry father said. The scar covering his right eye crinkled with his creased brow.

Both Touya and Shouto stayed quiet.

"I asked you two a question. I will not repeat myself again," he said in a firmer tone.

"It was me," Touya spoke up.

The confession shocked Shouto and he whirled around to face his brother. The redhead stood up and glared at their father with challenging eyes. Shouto began to step forward to object but Touya glared over his shoulder at him with a look of warning.

"Of course it was," Enji hissed. He looked unsurprised but still aggressively livid. "Get upstairs. Now."

"Touya…" Shouto whispered, tears starting to cling to the edges of his eyes. But the eldest boy didn't say anything. He just kept a hardened look on his face and followed their tense father up the wooden staircase.

Shortly after Shouto cleaned up the glass without being told while their father and Touya were yelling. The loud voices rose over each other until he heard a loud slap and a crash. He remembers how hard he flinched at the sound and how the silence that followed was somehow more concerning than the screaming match that preceded.

When Touya came down the stairs, his eyes were red and wet. He didn't bother to look at Shouto and when the youngest asked if he was okay, Touya snapped at him and pushed him far away. The hand that shoved him made him fall over and hit the wall with a loud thud.

But Touya didn't look back at him nor did he show a hint of remorse as he started grabbing things and shoving it in a black duffle bag.

Shouto will never forget the amount of guilt that swarmed inside his chest that day. It stung like a cluster of wasps colliding with his skin over and over again making him apologize profusely to his brother.

He tried to say sorry, but Touya's eyes remained cold and distant.

Shouto could tell it was a defense mechanism. Touya crawled into his mind whenever he would take a hit from their father. He had seen it time and time again like a vicious cycle. Enji would hit Touya, his brother would transform into an arctic like being to numb out his emotions and then lash out.

But what was that space inside of his head like? Shouto couldn't guess because whenever the eldest took comfort inside that dark part of his mind there was always an ominous, spiteful expression that consumed his face.

It frightened Shouto.

He had no clue what Touya could be thinking that made him feel comfort. But he could take a guess it included hurting their father. Doing something to make Enji feel deep regret and hurt like he was hurting.

Touya walked out the door that day, slamming it hard enough to mimic an earthquake and that was the start of behavior Shouto will never forget.

After that Touya started becoming so vigorously rebellious that even Enji was stumped with what to do with him. Shouto had tried several times to help his brother, covering up for him when he was out late and even going so far as to lie when he knew damn well Touya was somewhere he shouldn't be.

His brother would always just smile at him like he was thankful, but he could tell there was a barrier in how thankful he really was. Touya was judging him for his career choice to be a detective because it was too similar to their father.

"Always such a good little boy, Shouto," the eldest would sneer as he lit a cigarette in his face. "Careful not to slip up. A fall from that high of a podium is going to leave a large scar."

Shouto remembers frowning when his brother said this to him.

But he did his work and focused on school without an issue. However, Touya's flammable personality always conflicted with their father's fiery one until everything imploded.

Touya didn't get accepted to university two years in a row because of his poor marks and that seemed to be the final straw. On that day, when Shouto was sixteen, he remembers Touya packing up to leave with a hardened expression.

"Where will you go?" Shouto asked his brother with a face etched in worry.

"Anywhere that's not here. I'm tired of being reminded of how much of a fuck up I am," Touya had replied, packing a singular suitcase of clothes. "I can finally find somewhere that accepts me for me and far away from ass kissers like you."

"I'm not an ass kisser," Shouto sighed, looking at his brother with sympathy.

"You're literally following directly in his footsteps, Shouto." Touya glared hard enough to make him feel a twinge of guilt. "How is that not ass kissing? You could be any profession, but you chose the one that he's the fucking chief of."

"I've always wanted to be a detective. That has nothing to do with him," he remembered reasoning. "I just want to help people the best I can with abilities I have."

"Then why not be a doctor, or even a fucking nurse?" The eldest challenged and it even made him feel a twinge of guilt. "Locking people up isn't helping them. Working for a corrupt system isn't helping people. It's just hurting those who don't fucking fall in line."

"I don't have the skillset to be a doctor, you know that," Shouto sighed. "Working on the inside of a corrupt system to make it less corrupt is helping people. I'm never going to be a crooked cop and you know that." He paused briefly when Touya looked at him as if he was lying.

"Also, solving crimes and loaning a hand to those who can't help themselves is helping people." Shouto continued but he could feel his words hit an unmovable wall in Touya's mind.

The redheaded teen rolled his eyes and continued packing. "Sounds like you just want the power, just like him."

"We just see it very differently, so let's agree to disagree. Police are there to protect and aid the public in my eyes."

"Whatever you fucking say," Touya whispered bitterly. He zipped up his suitcase and turned to give Shouto a smile laced with sarcasm and resentment. "Have fun being like the old man."

As Touya walked out that day, Shouto hoped one day his brother could let the hatred go. While what their father did was inexcusable, Shouto hoped that Touya could realize that holding on to that much anger wasn't healthy.

It was bound to explode into flames.

. . .

The two years Touya was out of the house changed him slowly.

Shouto could see the progression of his brother becoming a different, icy cold person while he was on his own. The soft parts of Touya seemed to chip away slowly like old paint under the wear and tear of being alone. Soon the redhead had a thick barrier around him whenever they met up privately for coffee.

"What's it like living alone? Do you feel like a real adult?" Shouto had asked him one day.

"It's...different. Almost strange to go from a house full of people to just me." There was something similar to loneliness in his eyes. "I think I just need to find a group of people to hang out with."

Shouto remembered smiling but he also noticed that his brother started hanging around shady people after that conversation.

Touya seemed happier but it worried him.

. . .

When Shouto was eighteen, Touya reluctantly moved back into the house. He had been fired from his job for getting caught selling drugs out back, but that was something that Touya only disclosed to Shouto. He felt irritation towards his brother, but he also only felt like it was expected.

Touya needed _help_.

He needed guidance and a hand to pull him on the right path. Their father never gave Touya this needed type of help and attention—just blamed him for not being how he wanted. Shouto believed that if there was someone who could show him the extra attention he needed then maybe he would stop spiraling.

Or at least that's what Shouto told himself when he asked their father to give the eldest the position he was supposed to work at the precinct that summer.

"Why would I give him the position that was meant for you? You need this on your resume more than him," his father said coldly, but it didn't budge Shouto's belief.

"I think he just needs to be around people who are positive. He doesn't like to listen to me for whatever reason but I think something like this could be good for him. If he hates it then he can save up money to move out again and be on his way."

Their father gave him an unimpressed look, his large scar crinkling as he frowned. But with more begging, Shouto convinced him to give in.

"Fine, but I just want you to know I'm not happy about this."

"I know but I think this is what he needs. If he's working with you he'll be less likely to get involved with unsavory people."

His father gave him a half nod, and Shouto hoped that he was right. He remembered feeling hopeful, maybe Touya could _finally_see that not all policemen were corrupt. He could shift his radical views a bit and hopefully this would tone him down and keep away from shady people.

But he was wrong.

Touya had moved back in and it was the same thing over and over again. But this time Shouto couldn't help but start to feel mildly wearily of Touya. Even Fuyumi and Natsuo were starting to put distance between themselves and the eldest, much like they did their father.

Something had changed. He didn't know what, but there was a shift in the redhead. It felt like there was a dark gravity turning his aura crimson red and the look in his eyes was colder.

There was barely any empathy to be found.

Touya began to shove people out of his path or even go out of his way to be rude if they rubbed him wrong. In Shouto's eyes, this was a desperate cry for attention but in their father's eyes, it was a challenge.

One day during that summer, Shouto came back home late from working at his own separate internship. Everyone in the house was asleep and the lights were off. The midnight shadows filled the Todoroki household like they usually would, but when he passed by Touya's room there was a strange small glow illuminating from it.

He leaned in slowly to look through the crack of the wooden door out of curiosity, but what he saw was something he wasn't too sure of to this day.

Touya was laying down in his bed surrounded by darkness and holding a red rose that was lit on fire. The bright orange and blue flame swallowed the petals until they charred down to a black color. Each curled under the immense heat and it felt like the symbol of love was screaming out in pain.

Shouto wrinkled his eyebrows together as a clawing feeling of something close to fear ate away at him.

He tore his eyes away from the rose that was now burnt black up to look into cyan eyes—and they were sad. The expression on Touya's face was as blue as his eyes, but he didn't stop staring into the flame as if he was longing for something.

To this day Shouto could never really shake the unsettling feeling the visual evoked.

It felt like all the softness had left out of Touya during this time, leaving only hardened bitter and scorned edges.

But there was still _some_selective empathy there. He saw this later that summer when his brother brought home one of his father's interns, Bakugou Katsuki, at nearly three am.

The blond was always something that perplexed Shouto.

He was loud and brash much like his brother, but he was adjacent to him in a way that Bakugou wasn't fueled by resentment like Touya was. Bakugou was fueled by passion and, judging by the large bruise and busted lip he was wearing that night, something very similar all Todorokis went through.

Touya had felt sympathy for Katsuki.

It made Shouto realize that there was still an emotion inside of his brother that mimicked the ability to care for another human.

However small it may be—it was there.

But the next day his father did it again. He used that tactic he always used with him on Bakugou. He saw it plain as day and it shocked him.

"Look at Bakugou, a boy who actually listens."

"Your parents are so lucky to have a son like you who wants to do well in school."

"It's a shame that only Shouto wants to follow in my footsteps and become a police officer. I tried to get Touya into it, but he couldn't handle it."

He saw the ash blond young adult stiffen under these compliments and he saw Touya's eyes narrowed dangerously, shooting jealous daggers straight into the blond's core.

It made Shouto nearly _furious_to see. No wonder Touya's rebellious streak kept going. Their father was doing the same thing in the house and at their place of employment. Just with a new victim.

Touya acted different that week after Bakugou was brought back to the house. There was something sad in his shoulders that was looming like a dark cloud.

He almost looked lonely, despite pushing everyone away from him.

Before the evening that would change all of their lives, he found the fiery redhead sitting downstairs watching a silent black and white romance film.

The sight was so jarring it caught him off guard for a moment. It was interesting to see his brother who reminded him of fire and brimstone sitting so peaceful on the couch.

Touya's eyes translated an underlying loneliness and it tugged on Shouto's heart strings hard enough that he sat next to his estranged sibling. The eldest didn't say a word to him, just kept his eyes on the quiet screen. Touya watched carefully as the two figures started dancing and holding each other.

Shouto studied the way they looked into each others' eyes and how in love they seemed. When he glanced towards Touya's face, it shocked him to his core to see longingness communicated clear as day. It was the same way he looked at the rose he lit on fire that strange night.

"I didn't take you as a romantic person," Shouto remembered saying through a smile. "This is a first. You're usually watching the Yomiuri Giants game." His brother turned towards him, defenses finally dropped and there he could finally see Touya: his big brother and not the hardened empty shell the universe had hand crafted.

"I need to take a break from watching baseball every now and then," Touya gave a half smile which made Shouto give one in return.

"Really? I've never known you to miss watching a game, you love baseball too much for that. Let alone missing a Yomiuri Giants game for a sappy romance movie."

"It's just a nice thought that's all," the deep voice chuckled. The redhead gave him a sad smile. "It's comforting to imagine that there's someone out there who'd understand you despite everything you are. Someone who would love you no matter what."

The words were sad, heavy and they shed a new light on Touya.

Shouto had never considered his fiery brother to be someone who craved romance and affection from another in that sense. He always assumed the eldest sibling was okay without that type of thing like he was.

Touya acted so tough that Shouto figured he wouldn't be interested in love. But the sad look in turquoise eyes said otherwise.

"You'll find someone like that one day," he tried to comfort. "Sometimes it just takes time to run into the right person who'll really understand you."

"I doubt it." Touya made a bitter face. "I have plently of fuck buddies but no one out there is going to want someone as screwed up like me as a boyfriend. Let alone a husband."

"So pessimistic like always," he replied, trying to cheer up the other. "What would you do if you did find someone? Someone who likes you despite your flaws?"

The figures on the screen stopped dancing and slowly started to look into each other's eyes. They stared deeply as if they were the only beings on the planet before leaning fully in for a kiss.

Touya's eyes stayed locked to the screen when he said his next words in a very serious, curt manner.

"I'd never let them go. No matter what."

The seriousness of the tone was off putting, but overall the response made Shouto believe that maybe there was hope for Touya if he fell in love. Maybe all it would take is the right person to show his brother that there was more to life than what he thought.

. . .

Later that night their father came home and disrupted their peaceful moment. He slammed open the door as he threw down his work bags hard enough to shake the creaky wooden floors.

"Touya," Enji spoke low. His teeth were clenched together along with his fists. "Did you take money out of my bank account?"

Shouto remembered his eyes snapped towards the young adult in question. A tired melancholy expression was still etched in the other's eyes when he turned towards their father to answer.

"I needed to pay back a small loan. There was a time crunch so you can take it out of my paycheck. Not a big deal," Touya explained with an exhausted expression on his face. "We can talk about this later in private."

"Not a big deal?" Enji expresserated. "Touya, you just messed up my entire fucking system for paying bills this month. Bills that keep a roof over everyone's goddamn heads!"

Touya rolled his eyes and it didn't take long for things to escalate from there. Yelling ensued and Shouto tried his best to defuse the ticking bomb that was their father. But it didn't work when he started screaming about teaching Touya a lesson.

It didn't take long for Enji to strike Touya after that. The redhead crashed into the glass table and the shattering sound echoed between the three of them.

"Why would you do that!?" Shouto remembered hissing at their father, blocking him away from striking Touya again. "You didn't need to hit him, he said he'd pay you back!"

"You'd be wise not to believe the promises of a budding criminal, Shouto," Enji had said the words as frigid as winter. Shouto was shoved out of the way as their father stormed upstairs to turn Touya's bedroom inside out.

The youngest looked over his shoulder at the young adult slowly picking himself off the ground. There was an unsettling crunch of glass underneath Touya's weight as he stood upright.

Spiky dark red bangs covered his eyes from Shouto's view but there was something different about the way he moved that night. Usually Touya would pick himself up and he was firey, ready to combat their father.

But this time that didn't happen.

When Touya's eyes came into full view, there was that look of dangerous blankness.

The eldest child retreated into that dark place in his mind as he wiped the blood trickling from his nose. When his brother's ice-cold blue eyes gazed at the red liquid, that's when he caught it.

He saw the last bit of empathy leave Touya.

. . .

The night continued on and it resulted in their father finding not only sparse drugs in Touya's room but loose bullets. There was no gun, but the stray shells alone were enough to cause chaos to break out in the Todoroki household.

Both Touya and Enji left on edge that morning and it worried Shouto too as he left out. He hoped that everything at the precinct would be okay, despite the issues of the night before.

But when Shouto walked in from volunteering later that evening, he immediately felt something off.

Usually when he came back early, the house was peacefully empty because everyone was at work. But this time the house was dark, and he could hear loud metal music blasting from Touya's room.

He unwillingly flinched at the sound of glass shattering against the wall and things being thrown all around from upstairs. But he frowned deeply when he heard a sob echo out. Something chilled down his spine when more objects were thrown about because Touya should be at work. Why was he home early?

"Touya?" He called out from the bottom of the stairs. The stairway going up was dark, filled with shadows. Quickly a loud stomping could be heard as the eldest stormed down with a hurt expression.

Blue eyes cut towards him dangerously as the eldest unkindly bumped their shoulders. Touya walked to the door holding several bags. Shouto tried not to let the aggressive gesture brother him and ignored the building worry in his stomach.

"What are you doing home?" He asked with careful footing when the aura between them grew tense.

"I got fired and I was told to get the fuck out immediately," Touya hissed while gathering small items and shoving them in his bag. Shouto's eyes widened at the new information.

That didn't make any sense. Their father had promised to allow him to stay long enough to get on his feet. Why would he do something he knew would just throw Touya to the wolves? Wolves that he was trying to save him from.

"But you don't have anywhere to go," Shouto said shakily as his brother kept marching around looking for anything that could belong to him.

"I guess I'll just be fucking homeless," Touya bitterly said without looking at him. "Not like anyone cares what happens to me. No one ever has." When the eldest didn't stop gathering his things, dread sunk deeper into Shouto's bones.

"There must be something you can say to him—"

"There's not!" Touya yelled at the top of his lungs and whirled around in the youngest's face. The deep voice boomed, and it made Shouto quickly shut up. The rageful eyes were aimed towards him and he saw a very clear sign of resentment. "This is done. If you want to keep following in the footsteps of that bastard, then _fine_. Don't fucking talk to me ever again."

"I'm not following in his footsteps. But that's besides the point, there has to be something we can do. You shouldn't just be left out in the streets—"

Shouto cut off his sentence when a chilling laughter slowly erupted from his brother. There was something deranged about the crackling that made him take a step back. But he frowned deeply when Touya turned away from him shaking his head.

"...You really think your words can help right now, huh?" The redhead said slowly. His voice was low and harsh, and it made panic slowly rise in Shouto because he felt the energy in the room shift.

When Touya turned back around his eyes were empty and distant just like every other time he was hurt by their father.

Touya had retreated into that dark place in his mind, but this time Shouto wasn't sure if he would come back out.

"That's just pathetic. You're absolutely _pathetic_. Just like him. Just like that asshole, Bakugou."

The words were acidic, and they burned to hear. Shouto didn't know what to say as Touya's eyes shifted to the telltale empty and hateful. He could see a new blazing resolve as something unhinged in the eldest that he's never seen before.

Cyan eyes assessed him carefully and Touya tilted his head as if gears were turning in his mind.

"Actually...since you want to be more like Enji, why don't I give you a parting gift, baby brother?"

The eldest lifted his hand to tap the area underneath the right side of his eye. Shouto slowly lifted his own hand to mimic the motion. He felt out the smooth skin on his face in confusion when it clicked.

That was the side of the face their father had his scar.

Touya smirked sickly and Shouto felt bile spill into his throat.

"I think you're missing something, my little Shouto."

He didn't run fast enough.

. . .

Burning.

Shouto remembers his face burning as he choked back wrecked sobs in the dark house. He clutched the right side of his face trying to ease the searing pain, but the tears spilling from his eyes made the damaged skin sting.

The door to the house opened and both of the Todoroki parents stared around in disbelief at the wreckage. Items were knocked over and there was an evident look of a struggle. Enji stepped forward and tried his best to ignore the crunch of glass underneath his boots as he looked around, shocked.

"Shouto?" Enji called out slowly but his only answer was a strained cry. He stepped around the dark corner of the hallway, following the echoes of small sobs to find the youngest curled on the wooden floor and clutching his face in pain. "—Shouto!"

Both parents rushed to pick him off the ground and peeled his blood-stained hand away to reveal a disfiguring burn across his face.

They gasped in horror and immediately his mother started crying from the sight. She rushed to get the first aid kit while his father checked him for all the bruises from the attack that were painted on his body.

"Shouto, what happened?" His father asked weary as his mother started scrambling to put disinfectant and bandages around his face. "Did Touya do this to you? I'll fucking _kill_him—"

"—this is your fault," Shouto whispered with his head down. Both of his parents paused, and he felt rage start to shake his body as he finally opened his left eye to resentfully glare at his father.

"My fault?" Enji replied confused. "How is this my fault?"

"Why...why would you kick Touya out like that? Why would you do that?!" He screamed at the end and his voice splintered. "You _know_he has issues! Touya needed fucking help and yet you kept pushing him! You pushed him right over the edge!"

Rei and Enji remained silent as he started crying, mourning the last time he ever would see his older brother again.

. . .

Shouto thought he'd never see Touya again. The redhead had managed to disappear without a single trace. All his social medias were deactivated and even when Shouto started working under Yagi Toshinori years later, he couldn't even find Touya in the database.

Part of Shouto hoped that Touya was doing okay. He didn't want to presume his brother as dead, but it was hard the more years passed.

The tension in his family was suffocating and he shortly moved out after everything had imploded in the household. As did the others.

Deep down he only half blamed his brother. He knew Touya had scarred him to get back at their father, to damage the family favorite—make his father feel regretful and hurt.

Shouto felt sick knowing the redhead was capable of what he did, and how his brother heartlessly ignored his cries and screams as he held his face down to the stove and lit it.

Touya didn't see him as a brother in that moment. He saw him as something that would hurt their father because Touya was spiteful and unforgiving.

By the time Shouto was twenty-three, he was convinced he'd never hear from his older brother again.

That is, until an unknown caller buzzed his phone nine times in a row.

"Hello?" He answered the phone with curiosity, confused at the caller's frequency. There was a shuffle on the end when a deep, familiar voice harshly whispered his name.

"Shouto, is that you?"

"_Touya_?" He exclaimed immediately, shooting up from the couch. Shock rang out through his body and his mind started reeling. "How'd you get my number—"

"—Shouto, I know it's been forever, but I need a favor from you," his estranged brother muttered quickly. There was more shuffling and voices in the background as Touya spoke in a careful rushed whisper. "Words cannot describe how sorry I am for how I left. I'm honestly regret hurting you like I did, but this is urgent—"

"—Slow down. W-What's going on?" Shouto paced around with growing worry because he's never heard Touya sound so _desperate_.

"Are you still in Shizuoka City?"

"Yes. I live by myself downtown, why?"

"Perfect." More shuffling and Touya's voice dipped in a barely audible whisper. "Shouto, I think I need a place to lay low for a while. Is that okay?"

"Are you in trouble, Touya?"

There was a long pause on the other end of the line as Shouto held his breath for an answer. He already knew what it would be, but all of his emotions were blending together. Confusion intersected with anger, hurt, need for closure and even fear trickled in.

"...Yes," was the answer he received after the long silence. "I need somewhere to lay low for a while so I can start fresh and I-I need to bring someone with me."

The uncharacteristic stutter in Touya's voice raised alarm bells. "_What_? Where are you? What is going on?"

"Please, Shouto. I can't elaborate right now but _please_," the eldest pleaded and it made Shouto start to feel intense fear.

Touya sounded..._scared_. Todoroki Touya was scared. The sentence didn't even make sense when Shouto repeated it to himself.

"I fucked up, okay? I fucked up _really_bad. I promise we'll be out of your hair as soon as this blows over but I need to hide him for a while. I-I need to keep him safe. I need to keep him with me."

"Okay," he whispered, at a loss of what to say. "Okay, that's fine." He proceeded to tell Touya his address and heard some pencil scratching on the other end.

"Thank you. _Fuck_, thank you so much," Touya sighed out in relief. "I'll call you later, okay? We're coming tonight so keep an eye out."

Everything was hitting too hard and fast as he tried to process what he was hearing. He wanted to ask so badly what was going on but the low tone that Touya was using inferred that he couldn't speak about the matter near whoever he was around.

Then a thought clicked to him because it sounded like Touya deeply cared for this secondary mystery person.

"Wait, who is the other pers—"

But the line went dead before he could finish his sentence.

The silence he was met with caused a panic to swell into his chest. He sat back down on his blue couch completely stunned. His mind was bouncing off the walls trying to process what just happened.

Touya was alive but he was in trouble and he was clearly scared of someone. On top of that, he cared for someone else enough to come begging his younger brother who he wanted nothing to do with, just to keep this person safe.

Shouto wondered intensely who this person was as he stayed up all night for another call. He jittered his leg nervously, constantly glancing out the window waiting for two figures to appear at his doorstep.

He imagined his brother arriving quietly with the secondary person. He imagined their hands would be tightly intertwined together like lovers as they shuffled into his apartment and explained the whole situation. He imagined his brother back home with him and them reconciling as Touya introduced him to the person was that clearly meant a lot to him.

He even imagined them watching baseball together like old times.

But they never came.

. . .

"We ran the dental records of the bodies that were locked inside the building," the mortician told him. "A lot of the bodies were disfigured due to the fire and we had to identify them through what was left."

Shouto said nothing as he stood in a cold room in Makinhara, Shizuoka. He had gotten a call about Touya being confirmed deceased because his body was one of the thirty-four lost to a violent crime.

"I'm so sorry for your loss," the polite man said with a sympathetic look. "This was a true tragedy for everyone involved. The fire department tried their best to get in the building, but it didn't have any good access points. All the doors were chained from the inside save one window in the basement. They think whoever did this escaped through there."

He looked down at the unrecognizable burnt body laying on a metallic surface and felt numb.

"Were there any survivors?" He asked hollowly. "Do they happen to know who did this?"

"One, but he's currently comatosed from intensive injury and shock." The mortician shifted on his feet. "It's unclear when he's going to wake up."

Shouto made a small sound of understanding as he took in what was left of his older brother that he tried so hard to save. But the truth was ugly, and it was painful.

He wasn't able to save Touya.

No one was.

. . .

He read the articles from Makinhara silently at his desk at work. Every media outlet was deeming it 'The Tragedy in Makinhara' with titles like 'All Consuming Flames Take the Lives of the Innocent' or 'Things We Lost in The Fire' as they interviewed the countless family members affected by the thirty-four deaths.

Everyone at the precinct him gave apologies when he informed them that his eldest brother had died. He couldn't bring himself to describe the type of horrendous death he was fated with and left it to sparse details.

Out of all his colleagues, Katsuki was the most sympathetic. The blond asked how he was doing everyday for nearly a month straight. Sometimes even went so far to try to decrease his workload.

He could tell Katsuki was feeling guilty because he came clean that year about losing his temper after Touya struck him. The blond explained with a remorseful air that when he suggested that Enji kick Touya out he didn't think Enji would actually fire him and do it.

Shouto told him it wasn't his fault. Katsuki had been nineteen and was a known hot head. His father was a grown man who was supposed to be making the responsible decisions. Between the two, he only blamed his father.

In the days leading up to the funeral, Shouto wondered briefly if it would have been better not to have known that Touya was trying to run from someone who scared him.

When more investigations came about, an anonymous tip told investigators the crime was tied back to a very elusive drug gang called All For One.

After doing his research, Shouto learned All For One was led by one of the most untouchable kingpins in the entire Shizuoka province.

The lone survivor of the attack was just a university student. He had sustained extreme burn injuries according to the papers. On top of that, he was traumatized to the point of barely being able to speak without crying and shutting down. Which helped the police none.

He only briefly studied the grainy photograph of the survivor that was included in the article that listed thirty-four victims' names.

The young man's face was covered in bruises and small burns and white bandages. In the article interviewing him, the survivor was asked how he got his black eye and other bruises, but the police deemed it as unrelated to the crime. They marked them off as old domestic violence injuries after pulling more information from the survivor.

It was a dead end.

They never found out who started the fire and they never got another lead on the All For One drug ring.

. . .

The funeral occurred on a gloomy day with a sparse crowd. By sparse, Shouto meant it was only his immediate family, minus Enji.

His father had refused to come to the funeral after finding out Touya's death was related to a notorious underground drug lord. He even fought tooth and nail to not have Touya's cremated ashes put at the family grave site. But Shouto combated against him, making sure that the eldest sibling got a stone monument.

Everyone paid their respects and it was a silent day. They all spoke very lowly and Shouto kept the information about Touya calling him to himself when he saw his mother break down in tears. She left white flowers at the gravestone of her first child with great remorse and began muttering sorrys to the stone that read 'Todoroki Touya.'

They all left out together that day, but as they were leaving the cemetery, he heard a soft sob come from someone sitting on a bench at the entrance. The figure was sitting in front of the large black gates, not stepping foot in the cemetery.

The stranger's head was hanging down and dark, green curls blocked the view of his face. Both his hands and forehead were wrapped up as he clutched a bundle of red roses in his lap.

The slender man was dressed in all black and sobbing heavily to the point Shouto wondered who he was grieving for. He assessed the stranger's shoulders and they looked as if they were carrying the familiar weight of loss triple fold.

Shouto didn't say anything when they all began to get in the car to drive back home. But when they got halfway down the street, their mother had a breakdown.

"W-Wait," she called out through heavy sobs. "I-I can't leave just yet. Can I go back again, please? I just need to say goodbye one more time."

All three children looked between themselves. Shouto gave Fuyumi and Natsou a small nod.

"Of course mom," he answered with a gentle tone. "I'll come with you."

They turned the vehicle back around in silence, not saying a word. He stepped back out of the car and walked around to allow his mother to cling to him as they headed back down to the grave site.

They passed the gates and coming out was the stranger with green curls with his head down once again. The young man kept his eyes cast downwards and wasn't paying attention as he collided directly into Shouto.

They both stumbled and Shouto looked down at the shorter figure, slightly annoyed.

"Sorry," the extremely weak voice whispered. Bloodshot green eyes briefly flickered upwards, full of tears before looking back down and turning away. The stranger quickly left, keeping his head low, clearly lost in his thoughts.

Shouto brushed off the encounter as nothing, not bothering to commit anything to memory due to all the stress.

But then when they walked up to Touya's gravestone, he saw red roses sitting next to the white flowers.

He looked back frantically only to see the mysterious stranger was gone.

. . .

Three years passed and Touya's death was just another faded scar left on him.

He never could track down who the second person his brother wanted to bring to live with him. So, he dived himself deep into work to move on. He slowly forgot about the mystery man who left the roses and the brief encounter. The youngest Todoroki tried his best to put the past behind him but it was still a sore spot every time he thought about his brother.

Shouto thrived at work underneath Yagi and became fairly good, competitive friends with Katsuki. This was even after the blond had declared them rivals after the Hero Killer case.

He remembered watching Katsuki shrink into himself after the Hero Killer mix up, punishing himself relentlessly. He even went so far as to starve himself of love and affection.

He recalled the blond reasoning that love was too much of a distraction, but Shouto saw through that. Katsuki was scared of failure—and failure in love scared him the most.

But Katsuki had a good heart. He was able to see that after working with him day in and day out and it was no surprise when the blond became lieutenant of their squad. Yagi made Bakugou second in command of the officers on Uchimizu Ave with a proud smile.

But it was a surprise when Yagi introduced a new addition to the squad with great vigor.

The captain had sent out an email about having a very important meeting, a gesture he hadn't done since the 'Hero Killer' case.

Which meant it was something that required delicate care.

"We have a new young detective joining us today. He's a transfer from another precinct and I wanted to make it a point that everyone treats him kindly and fairly. He's an important extension of myself because we're from the same hometown, so I just wanted to give a proud welcome!"

The young man that walked out was bright, cheery and full of life.

"This is Midoriya Izuku. He'll be joining our team! I can't wait to see what wonderful things will come of this year with him on board."

Shouto glanced his eyes around at everyone but was even more surprised to see Midoriya and Bakugou regard each other with cautious expressions like they knew each other.

It was strange and made his head tilt when Katsuki's gaze followed after the green haired man.

He had never seen Katsuki stare at someone that hard.

. . .

The day after Midoriya had joined he got a call about an armed robbery happening at a hardware warehouse and the culprits were stealing all the gasoline in the store. An alarming amount of gasoline.

The whole situation was one of the strangest experiences he's ever had on the force. Why? Because when him and Sero got into a chase with the small gang dressed in all black head to toe, they were able to corner them but something weird happened.

"Freeze! Put your weapons down!" He had yelled at the masked figures.

Who he presumed to be the leader was pointing a loaded machine gun right back at him.

But the man paused.

He paused heavily.

The stranger just cocked his head at him, and the motion echoed an old familiar feeling in his spine. He couldn't see past the visors the man was wearing but he could tell whoever was behind the dark ski mask was looking at him carefully.

He watched as the masked man methodically toyed with the trigger before shifting his gun off him. Then he started to unload on Sero and his two lackeys followed suit.

Backup didn't get there fast enough as him and Sero had to take cover from the machine guns.

He cursed under his breath when the black van got away quicker than he was anticipating, and the trio disappeared in an expert fashion.

When backup finally came, they had to explain what they saw and it took everything Shouto had not to think too much about the strange pause the criminal had given him.

**[S. Todoroki]: Sorry, I'm running late. We got involved in a car chase involving someone robbing a hardware store. Sero ended up just going home, I'll be there in ten minutes, I'm walking there now. **

He arrived at their team's usual ramen spot and smiled at everyone.

Immediately, the new detective regarded him in a flirty manner.

But the second his surname dropped, he felt Midoriya shift from flirty to pensive. He tried to ignore the green eyes that were looking at the scar on his face and figured maybe it just had something to do with his dad.

Everyone always looked at him differently when they found out who his father was, so he didn't think much about it.

That was until the next day he started to notice Midoriya began avoiding him. A purposeful avoidance. It made him extremely confused when the youngest detective shuffled around him and even went as far as to excuse himself politely every time they were in the same room for too long.

Then the first fire on Kaze Ave occurred and nothing at the U.A precinct was ever the same.

He saw Midoriya have a complete panic attack over the terrifying act of arson. The green haired man lost his composure as he clung desperately to an equally terrified Katsuki.

Everyone was on edge after that. All the detectives were scrambling to figure out what the mystery arsonist could want from Katsuki, but everyone was drawing a blank.

What could someone who set buildings on fire within minutes possibly want? What would cause someone to burn down an entire building without caring if the people inside died?

No one knew and it caused the aura in U.A precinct to be very pensive.

He felt the most tension between Izuku and Katsuki develop as the two did a strange dance around each other. But the more time passed, it became obvious to him that it was some sort of unresolved sexual situation when he heard Mina talk about a sparring session that basically turned into a dry hump session.

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes after hearing that. Katsuki was in clear denial.

Shouto noticed all the little things. He noticed how green and red eyes kept flickering to steal a glance when they thought the other wasn't looking. He noticed how Katsuki _wanted_Izuku to ride on his motorcycle with him. Then when they came back from their undercover mission, he felt something between them shift.

Izuku was openly smiling at Katsuki and subtly flirting. Not that the oblivious blond noticed. He seemed too busy being flustered by Izuku to even catch the obvious notion of the new detective developing a crush on him.

Shortly after that, Shouto didn't miss how one day they arrived together to work on Katsuki's motorcycle and how they had matching lunches.

Then Mirio came and it became painfully clear Katsuki had a thing for Izuku. He had never seen the blond act so down right bothered by not being near someone.

But when he glanced at Izuku that day, the greenette had his head down and he noticed his left bandaged hand.

A surge of familiarity surfaced on his skin looking at the green curls. He studied how they were hiding Izuku's face and it caused him to pause.

Why did Izuku suddenly seem so familiar in that moment? A distant, faded vision was blurry in his mind. It was covered by what felt like thick fog and he couldn't seem to get a clear visual of it.

It bothered him. He kept digging after and soon he found that the surname Midoriya felt strangely familiar as well. Shouto remembers reading it somehow but he couldn't place _where_.

Then the wedding came and Izuku had the same skittish behavior around his entire family. He was meaning to walk up to Izuku that night and ask him what was going on. He had full intentions of getting to the bottom of this until he heard Izuku and Mirio talking in harsh whispers privately off to the side.

"Why don't you just come back to Yaizu, Izuku?" Mirio pleaded and Shouto pretended to be getting food at the table in the background as he eavesdropped.

"I can't, Mirio...I told you that. I'm trying to start over here." Izuku sighed, holding the white roses in his hand.

"You're not starting over if you're just going to do the same thing here like you did in Yaizu," the lawyer looked at him with a longing expression and it was crystal clear to Shouto that this man was deeply in love with the detective.

"Please, Izuku. I care for you so much. I just want to see you get better. Please, just come back home with me."

"I-It's not that simple. Plus, your dad really wants me here." Shouto frowned slightly when he found the statement strange. Why did Izuku move away from Yaizu again? "I'm starting to like it here a lot and I haven't been sleeping around recently—"

"—Izuku, stop lying," Mirio hissed, his patience suddenly paper thin. Green eyes widened in surprise at the call out but Mirio continued. "I can clearly see it all over Katsuki that you've been throwing him signals."

Izuku shook his head and kept his posture friendly. "It's not like that. I think...I think I actually like him, y'know? I haven't felt this way about anyone since I was in university and the therapist I found here says that's a _really_good sign. It shows that I'm finally moving past everything that happened—"

"—You don't actually like him, Izuku. You're just lusting after him to get your fix."

"I do like him," Izuku huffed, quickly turning defensive when Mirio didn't seem to be listening. "You can't tell me who I like and don't like—"

"Yes, I can because you can't control yourself," Mirio snapped. "You keep jumping from stranger to stranger all because you can't control this urge to be underneath some guy all the time."

"Katsuki is not a stranger—"

"—Yes, he is! You've barely known him four months. I can't keep watching you do this to yourself over and over—"

"—I said it's not like that! I like him!"

"Damnit Izuku, you can't just get your trauma fucked out of you! It's been three years, when are you going to realize that?!"

Everyone in the vicinity snapped their heads towards the two arguing men and Izuku's eyes immediately started to swarm with tears.

"Why would you say that?" The wobbly voice pushed back. "That's not fair and you know it."

Green eyes were angry at the hurtful words and even Shouto had to admit that was uncalled for. He knew people had no control over if they became hypersexual or hyposexual after extreme trauma. And judging based off what Mirio said, Izuku just went the former route.

But Shouto frowned when he eyed the greenette's wrapped left hand. He wondered what Izuku's trauma exactly was as the young detective quickly retreated when tears started flowing from his eyes.

It didn't take too long for Katsuki to make it across the room and quickly follow him out.

. . .

When Shouto was finished talking with Momo and Jirou later that night, he made his way up to his hotel room, 752.

He wasn't very ecstatic to learn while laying in bed that Katsuki and Izuku _apparently_had the stamina of goddamn energizer bunnies in heat. He was both annoyed and impressed to hear them go until nearly sunrise with Izuku teasing Katsuki and his limitations.

"C-C'mon, Kacchan—_ah_! Is that all you got? I know you can go harder than tha—_f-fuck_!"

The following sounds were a choking noise, the bed rocking harder against the wall, Izuku's high pitched moans, and finally Katsuki demanding the greenette to begin to count to ten on his command.

He prayed to whatever deity to have mercy on his soul and that the next U.A. wedding be at a hotel with thicker walls when Izuku started moaning and counting in sync with what sounded like ruthless spanking.

. . .

The month after the wedding was quiet (_thankfully_).

It was now very obvious that Katsuki and Izuku were sleeping together regularly, but it felt like much more than a hookup. The pair was always smiling at each other and openly teasing in the workplace. It didn't go unnoticed that their solo patrols were suddenly taking much longer, and both of their uniforms would come back slightly ruffled.

It made Shouto happy that Katsuki could finally learn to let go with the help of Izuku. It was touching to see how much the greenette had impacted him and how they left and arrived to work together for four weeks straight.

Then it hit him. Literally, Izuku hit him.

Izuku collided into him while the greenette was leaving to go home with Katsuki one day. Their shoulders bumped rather hard and they both stumbled. Suddenly, a very foggy memory of a face became slightly clearer.

"Sorry," Izuku's shy voice said and it jerked Shouto's memory awake.

He turned back quickly to see the greenette walking towards Katsuki and Ground Zero. He assessed Izuku's shoulders carefully in that moment.

They looked as if they were carrying the weight of loss triple fold.

. . .

He spent the next day trying to make sure he remembered correctly. He dug deep into his mind, making sure he was thinking what his memory was telling him was correct.

The next day when Izuku was given the day off, Shouto decided to mention once more to Katsuki how familiar Izuku felt. The blonde had dismissed it, saying it was probably something with his dad. But the more Shouto thought about it, it didn't sit right.

Then suddenly Yagi got defensive about Izuku. That alone raised red flags.

He saw worry start to flicker in Katsuki's red eyes during the meeting that day. He tried to tell himself that he was suffering from a misplaced memory the more the fog cleared in his mind. But the more it cleared, he just saw Izuku's bandaged face and bloodshot green eyes glancing up at him.

Maybe he was going crazy chasing the ghost of his brother's past? It sure felt crazy. The world was a large place and it would be an awfully big coincidence if Izuku was the mystery man that had left the red roses on Touya's grave.

But as he stayed working late that day, the clawing curiosity sunk its claws into his chest. He then pulled up an article he hadn't read in nearly three years.

When he did, sitting there plain as day on his phone was Izuku's battered face and two people with his surname on the long list of victims.

He shot up from his desk to barge into Katsuki's office immediately. There he found the blond standing with a blank look on his face holding a folder open, but Shouto quickly rushed out the words.

"I figured out where I remember him from," he exclaimed immediately, and Katsuki turned his head towards him. Shouto looked over his shoulder as he stepped inside fully and shut the wooden door so no one else could hear.

"I knew 'Midoriya' sounded familiar. That was the surname of the lone survivor in the fire that killed my brother. I...I think he was at the funeral?"

He handed over the phone with the article for Katsuki to see because this all just felt like too much of a coincidence. There was something off about the whole situation and judging by the ghostly look on Katsuki's face, he felt it too.

But the blond remained too quiet as he scrolled down, absorbing the information.

"What's wrong? Why are you suddenly so quiet?" He asked, confused. He was expecting Katsuki to say something or jump into action immediately—but that didn't happen.

"I found another article possibly regarding him and the fire that...I wasn't expecting," the lieutenant whispered without looking at him.

The mention of fire made his heart stop. "...What was it?"

"Izuku's last precinct was burned down the day after he resigned."

Out of all the things he was expecting Katsuki to say, that was not it.

"Did you know this?" He asked fully worried. He knew Izuku had transferred in from Yaizu under the influence of Yagi but it was never disclosed that his past precinct was burnt down to the ground.

"No," Katsuki whispered. "Neither Izuku or Yagi mentioned this...not even Mirio."

They both looked at each other and the itch to find out what happened to his brother pushed him to say what he said next.

"Let's go talk to him. Right now." He asserted. "Clearly Yagi is keeping something hidden and we might have to just have to ask Izuku privately. You guys are close, right? He's bound to be honest with you if asked directly."

Katsuki half nodded and pulled out his phone and quickly pressed a number in his contact.

"Hi Kacchan! Are you finally leaving?" Izuku's distant voice echoed in the silent room. Shouto raised an eyebrow at the nickname and gave Katsuki a small knowing smirk. The blond in return blushed and averted his gaze, clearly embarrassed.

"Yeah, I'll be on my way soon," Katsuki muttered before clearing his throat. "Are you back at your place?"

"I'm walking in the building now. Oh! Also, I picked up one of our favorites from the store."

"Okay, let's do dinner at your place tonight, okay? I know we said my place, but we can just stay at your apartment."

Shouto could feel Izuku pause before continuing. "What's wrong? You're doing that thing with your voice where you sound more stressed than your usual baseline."

"I just wanted to ask you about something, nothing big." Katsuki fidgeted with his free hand, and it made Shouto realize he was nervous.

"Well, okay. We can discuss it over dinner, right? I'm really excited to try this new recipe and see your cute nose scrunch up when tasting the katsudon," Izuku giggled. Shouto made a confused face and mouthed 'cute nose?' and Katsuki mouthed back 'fuck off.'

"That sounds great 'zuku. I should be there in about thirsty-ish minutes, okay? I'll see you soon."

"Okay, miss you! Text me when you're on the way and I'll see you in a bit."

The phone hung up and a small smile trickled onto Katsuki's face. Shouto resisted a sigh because it was so clear the blond was whipped to hell and back and didn't even realize how deep he was.

"Didn't tell him I was coming?" Shouto asked, studying Katsuki carefully. The small smile faded away and was replaced with a very serious expression.

"You said it yourself, he's skittish around you," was the easy answer. "I don't want to scare him off or make him pre-panic. I really fucking hate to ambush him, but the man has a flight or flight reaction when it comes to certain things."

"That makes sense I suppose," Shouto agreed after a while. "Do you know how to get to his place by heart? We can take my car."

"Yeah, let's go."

. . .

The car ride was quiet and the radio played as they drove over to Izuku's apartment across the city. The night sky was dark with thick grey clouds swelling and there was a light scent of possible rain. The different colors of signs and lights flickered past them as they drove through traffic. Katsuki was sitting in his passenger seat unnaturally quiet and staring out the window with a creased brow.

When the blonde started jittering his leg Shouto decided to ask the well needed question. "What's on your mind?"

Katsuki just shook his head and didn't bother looking at him. "A lot."

"Like what? Elaborate for me."

"I'm thinking maybe the fire at his precinct is just a weird separate issue since it happened after he resigned," the blond sighed and finally turned to face Shouto. Red eyes were a pool of mixed emotions but above all, confusion was the strongest. "It could have something to do with that drug gang in Yaizu connected to the Incinerator Detonator. Maybe someone was investigating and got too close, so they decided to burn it down. It was the same weapon used."

Shouto hummed. It made sense. It did. But Katsuki continued on with a doubtful look. "But...it just feels so strange that it burned down the day after he left."

Shouto nodded in agreeance. "It is and it's even more strange that it's never been brought up." He glanced at the fuming blond out the corner of his eye. "Did he ever say why he left Yaizu?"

"He just said he wanted a fresh start and that Yagi was persuasive for him to move here."

"But why though? Did he ever explain _why_he wanted a fresh start? Or why Yagi insisted that he move?"

Katsuki opened his mouth but the words didn't form. He quickly shut his mouth as he searched for the answer. The longer the silence stretched out Shouto felt cold realization settle in his chest.

Katsuki didn't know the answer.

"No. He never elaborated," the blond whispered and immediately cursed under his breath in frustration. "What the hell is going on?"

Shouto didn't respond because even he didn't know that answer.

They spent the rest of the long ride to the other side of Shizuoka City in silence. Katsuki was constantly checking his phone on and off, but as more time passed, Shouto noticed he was checking it more compulsively.

"Why do you keep checking your phone?" He asked curiously as he put on a turn signal. The blinking sound echoed dully as Katsuki stared at his screen like he was waiting for something.

"No reason...just Izuku hasn't texted me back," the blond mumbled while refreshing his messages again.

Shouto smirked slightly and tried to take a playful jab. "You just got off the phone with him, Katsuki. Are you really that head over heels?"

"Shut up," the raspy voice snapped back. "It's nothing to do with being whipped or whatever. It's just usually when I text, I'm on the way, he replies almost immediately with a smiley face or a heart emoji or some shit...but it's been radio silent for almost thirty minutes."

They came to a red light and this time Shouto glanced to study his superior a little closer. Katsuki looked genuinely concerned.

"Maybe he's just setting up for dinner?" He tried to offer to ease the worry. "Midoriya seemed pretty excited about you tasting that katsudon."

At this Katsuki cracked a small smile. "Yeah, I guess. I hope that's it."

When they finally started to get near to where Izuku lived, Shouto noticed a small change in the air that was flowing through the car. He wrinkled his nose at the smoggy scent but Katsuki didn't seem to catch it right away and just pointed to the next street up the hill.

"You're going to take a left up on Uchi street at the stop sign," he directed.

Shouto was about to immediately follow until the blaring sound of sirens and firetrucks started to approach from behind them. They both turned to look out the back window of the white car confused when the blue and red lights started to approach.

The sergeant pulled the car over to the side of the road when he realized the emergency vehicles were coming in their direction at an alarming speed. Then the smell of smoke got thicker and Katsuki seemed to notice it this time. The lieutenant's shoulders went stiff as several blazing red fire trucks and ambulances zoomed by them in full force.

Katsuki's eyes widened as the trucks started to slow down and Shouto's heart started pounding in his chest.

"Don't turn left...please for the love of fucking Kami don't turn left," Katsuki whispered.

His throat started to feel tight because the worst possible thing to occur happened: every single fire truck and ambulance turned left.

"Fuck!" Katsuki hit the dashboard with his fist and Shouto jerked the car out of park and started racing behind the rush of fire trucks. They whirled around the corner onto Uchi street and what they saw shocked them both to silence.

They parked the car at the end of the block and both of them stepped out in disbelief.

It looked as though they had stepped into the raging infernos of hell.

Flames were consuming every building on the small stretch of Uchi street and there were strange blue flames on the dark concrete blocking off any exit. The temperature was threatening, and the atmosphere was thick with suffocating smoke that blended into the dark cloudy sky.

Fear and terror wrecked both policemen's bodies as they stared at the angry blue flames. Screams could be heard as the firemen started to put out the fires.

"Everyone get back! That is sulfuric fire on the ground, it's toxic!" A loud voice from a firefighter announced.

Some citizens who seemed to escape stumbled around and were immediately helped out as the emergency workers put out the blue flames dancing in the darkness. Both of the off duty policemen covered their mouths and noses as the stench of poison filled the air.

Katsuki frantically ran up to the police line that was created still wearing his white uniform top and jacket. Shouto jogged behind him, just as concerned as he looked up at all the buildings that were no longer recognizable. While Shouto was looking at all of the apartments, Katsuki was only staring up at Izuku's.

It was dangerously leaning in several places like it had multiple detonators inside go off unlike the others that seemed like just one explosion. Shouto watched as several firemen dressed head to toe in fireproof gear tried to knock down the door. But the rattle of a chain and more screams were the only answer they received.

The doors were chained from the inside.

Shouto's heart dropped to the darkest pit of his stomach.

The firemen acted quickly and went around to break the glass windows on the ground level and began to climb in while others started to use the hose to put out the red and blue raging flames.

Katsuki's frantic eyes stayed glued as countless people started to crawl out through the shattered window, but Shouto could tell he was only looking for one particular man.

But as time passed on, Izuku was not one of the people escaping and running out to get away from the burning buildings.

"He's petrified of fire," Katsuki whispered, fear choking his voice. "He gets sent into a panic attack at the sight of flames...he...he's not going to make it out without help."

Shouto saw tears start to pour down Katsuki's face as more people who weren't the one person, he was looking for were rescued and brought out from collapsing buildings. They watched as flames ate away at the lives and the architecture of all the apartments on Uchi street.

Everyone was scattering, running, crying out for people trapped inside the flames and coughing. It was mayhem and it glued both U.A officers in their spot on the sidelines as they could do nothing but witness the lives that were trying to be saved.

Then one fireman emerged carrying a shaking Izuku with his yellow backpack who was clutching on tightly to the man, his face buried into fireman's neck. Both policemen let out shaky breaths of relief as the greenette was brought over to the line of countless ambulances.

Their badges got them through the line as the savior of a firemen struggled to peel Izuku off of him. The greenette's tear stained face was covered in black soot and there was a new burn on the back of his right shoulder. It looked as if a handmade of fire tried to drag him back into the flames, incinerating that part of his shirt to dig into him.

When the fireman placed the heavily shaking Izuku on the curb the greenette finally released his arms from around the kind man's neck.

In that moment, red eyes connected with green and Katsuki took off towards the crying man. Izuku started sobbing violently holding open his arms towards the blonde.

Shouto watched as Katsuki dropped to his knees and saw how the two wrapped each other in their arms. Katsuki was mindful of the new damage to Izuku's back as he tightly held onto the smaller man. The blond buried a hand in Izuku's hair, pulling him close to his chest and Izuku clung desperately to Katsuki's uniform as he tried to speak.

"T-That was all I-I had left—" The greenette rasped out through a broken voice and several wrecked sobs followed. "T-That was it—th-that was all I h-had left of them—"

Katsuki shushed the youngest in his arms as he stroked his hair in a calming manner. "You're safe. It's okay, 'zuku—"

"—It's not," Izuku's voice cracked as he shook his head furiously. "It's n-not okay—I don't have a h-home again." Izuku's grip tightened on Katsuki like he needed something to keep him anchored to the ugly reality he was trapped in. Shouto watched with a heavy heart at the youngest detective started spiraling, mumbling and shaking as he dove right into the panic attack Katsuki said he would have.

"That was everything I had left and now I have n-nothing. I'm a-alone again. I'm _alone_. I'm alone—"

"You have me," Katsuki quickly correctly, desperate to calm down the hysterical man. He pulled Izuku's face from his chest to look down at him with sympathetic dusk red eyes. "You can...You can stay with me, okay? You're not alone."

Izuku shakily nodded as Katsuki wiped black soot off his face. Green eyes glanced at the fire behind them and like lightning, fear struck a chord deep in him again.

While staring at Izuku crying in Katsuki's arms, clutching onto him for dear life, Shouto noticed three very important things.

The first fact he noticed was the growing intensity of the arsonist's flames. He noticed how it was originally one building on Kaze Ave., then three on Ichirizuka Street, and now an entire block on Uchi Street.

They were getting angrier.

The Cremator was getting more pissed off for whatever reason but there was something different about this strike that rang loud and clear. It was apparent with the acidic sulfur smell in the air and the sound of firemen cutting the metal chains on the buildings struggling to save the people locked inside.

This attack was spiteful. Like the arsonist wanted to ensure a death toll.

The second fact he noticed was given away with how Katsuki tried to comfort Izuku. The way the lieutenant was cradling the freckled face in both his hands and telling Izuku he was going to be alright, showed how he was beginning to fall very deeply in love—even if the blond didn't recognize it yet. The gentle way he wiped Izuku's pouring tears off his face and pulled him in closely to his chest showcased it very clearly.

But the last thing he noticed was possibly the most important fact of all. He looked at Izuku's face as he trembled against Katsuki, violent sobs ripping out his raw throat and Shouto could see deep fear.

However, there was something else there was well.

Izuku was more than just scared. He was spooked as if he saw something in the reflection of the flames that frightened him to his core. When the greenette wearily glanced towards him, that's when Shouto noticed the very last, jarring detail about Izuku:

Fire was following him.

* * *

You guys should google 'sulfur acid fire'! It's very pretty and blue. I'm also 90% sure I'm on some FBI watchlist for how much research has gone into this fic :)

Please let me know what you think! I loved writing this chapter.

* * *

**Preview for next Chapter: **

"Izuku!" His mother called out for him. Her voice was melodic and gentle as it rang out through the air. "Dinner is ready, come back inside now." He smiled as he adjusted his yellow tank top in the warm heat.

"Coming! Just give me a minute," Izuku called back from their backyard as he finished planting the last row of rose bushes.

He wiped his brow and glanced upwards at the beaming sun, using his hand to shade his eyes. It was unusually hot in Yaizu this summer and it was causing him to be eternally grateful for the cooling air blowing inside his family home.


	13. Roses

Hi everyone! Welcome back to the hurt part of this hurt/comfort! A couple things before we get started:

First, big I LOVE YOU and thank you to both ScientificallySinful and Nmatthews on AO3 for betaing and looking over this chapter! They give such wonderful feedback and dealt with this crazy long chapter :) they're both amazing.

Secondly, as a group, we're going to collectively ignore the recent reveal of Touya having white hair. That dropped while this chapter was 50% written so for the sake of this story, lets pretend studio Bones didn't bamboozle us all.

Thirdly, for victim of domestic abuse there might be a triggering scene at the end. So please tread that part when reading. This ends on a very sad/sullen note. This is the second chapter out of four I have noted to apologize for :)

Alright! Let's get started!

**Warnings: Cycle of abuse.**

* * *

**Chapter 13 - Roses **

.

.

.

Izuku was fifteen the first time he encountered the boy with rose colored hair.

Sometimes he wondered what life would be like if he never met Touya. Other times he doesn't and accepts that things turned out a certain way for a reason.

It depended on how harsh the nightmares of fire burnt through him and other times it depended on how much he missed the person who both captivated and destroyed his heart.

The first time Izuku encountered the boy with rose tinted hair was an ordinary day.

It was a morning that shouldn't have stood out in his memory. Nothing significant had happened on the news and everything was quiet in the small city of Yaizu. If he hadn't met Touya on this day, Izuku would've forgotten it. It would've been swept under his cluttered memory like dust beneath a rug and never thought of again.

But like everything Touya touched, it was unforgettable.

The searing heat was blazing on the Saturday morning and he was doing what he always did during that summer, walking around sketching the scenery, trying to improve his artistic skills.

The neighborhood was empty this particular morning; everyone was still in bed. But the Midoriyas were well known early risers. His mom was already tending to their rose garden and his father was dutifully doing patrols around the city.

And Izuku, he was up and about enjoying himself when he heard the distressed sound of a small kitten crying out for help.

The young greenette whipped his head around in the direction of the meowing and walked around searching for the source. The teen had always had a calling to help others, even animals.

That was his core: putting others before himself.

He gained that trait from his father who was a kind police officer and his mother who was a successful painter.

His parents always told him that the key to life was kindness and saving others.

Even if it meant sometimes breaking the law to help a better cause.

Which is why when he found the source of the cat's cries inside an abandoned private property, he willfully ignored the 'no trespassing sign.'

Green eyes peered through the high wired fence to see a small orange kitten stuck in a tall tree. It only took him around three seconds to decide if he was going to save the poor creature.

"Don't worry, I'll come get ya!" He called out to the distressed animal. Izuku quickly tucked his sketchbook into his yellow backpack and fastened the straps tightly to his body.

The green haired boy braced himself carefully as he began to illegally climb the fence with careful footing he had mastered throughout the years of chasing down stray animals all around Yaizu.

The police force had come to know him on a first name basis from trespassing in areas he shouldn't have been. However, they always gave him a slap on the wrist and smiled at his vigor for trying to go to extra lengths to do the right thing.

He landed on the other side with a loud thud and rolled expertly to avoid any injuries. The smell of unmowed grass was sharp in his senses as he started to stand up and dust himself of any dirt that he had collected from the ground.

The kitten cried out as he approached, clawing at the thick branch it was stuck on. Izuku smiled as he set down his backpack against the tall tree. The greenette took a deep breath as he looked up the through the thick cluster of green leaves.

He only briefly glanced at the abandoned house that was sitting off to the side. It was boarded up with wooden planks and overgrown vines swallowing it whole. No one had lived there for years so Izuku paid it very little mind.

As he climbed, the freckled teen found it to be more difficult than he was anticipating, but the helpless cries from the small creature kept him pushing forward. He cursed the tree and briefly wondered why it was so hard to climb as he slipped several times, almost falling off.

But he dug his foot in, continuing to reach and shuffle higher and higher, the sight of the kitten got closer with each branch he grabbed onto. He could feel himself almost there until he got too excited and mistepped completely.

Izuku let out a high pitched yell as his footing was completely lost. He tried to grapple the tree branch but missed as he fisted several green leaves that snapped off when gravity yanked him backwards.

"Shit!" He yelled out as he fell fast onto the dirt, head hitting the ground harshly. He let out a loud groan and cradled his pounding skull. The small kitten in the tree let out a sound of confusion and then one of surprise that Izuku didn't catch.

Too busy trying to ease the oncoming headache, the fuming teen didn't notice the tall figure who emerged from the abandoned house confused at the noise.

Izuku squeezed his eyes shut in pain while groaning. Only when he felt a shadow cast over him did he pause and peek an emerald eye open, wondering what blocked out the sun.

He wasn't expecting to see beautiful hair the same shade of roses.

Unwillingly, his breath hitched at the figure who was now crouching beside him, face closely examining his. Stunning deep crimson locks were haloed delicately by the warm morning sun and smooth, unblemished ivory skin held perfectly sharp handsome features that made Izuku's heart skip a beat.

Above all, the newcomer's eyes shocked Izuku. They were the same unique turquoise shade that his mother would use to paint the ocean and he immediately found himself captivated by the intense hue. He had never seen someone with hair or eyes like that.

But said ocean eyes were looking down at him rather unimpressed.

"What are you doing, dumbass?"

Izuku blinked once. Then he blinked again when a perfectly arched eyebrow was quirked at him.

"Oi, did you hear me?" The deep voice called and this time the stranger cocked his head like a feline. Fingers were snapped in his face trying to draw his attention. "Did you give yourself brain damage from that fall?"

"S-Sorry, I heard you." Izuku offered a weak smile, ignoring the insult. He stared in awe at the beauty in front of him and his heart rate tripled. "I'm fine. I was just trying to get the kitten out of the tree."

The rose haired boy looked up, blue eyes glancing at the tree to set sight on the small creature. The stranger huffed and stood up from his crouched position like he was assessing something.

When the hypnotizing eyes were no longer on him, Izuku was pulled out of his trance. He sat up slowly, wincing at the pain that echoed across his body from the fall.

"You're not gonna rescue it on your own," the deep voice informed him with a calculating look on his face. "You're way too damn short to make the reach at the top to actually grab the thing."

Izuku was about to open his mouth to object at the backhanded insult but grew silent when the stranger started to roll up the sleeves of his black shirt.

It was only then that Izuku looked at the full appearance of the tall stranger.

The other was tall, rather athletic looking, and the shells of his ears were decorated in several gold hoop piercings with silver snake bites in his bottom lip. Izuku tilted his head to the side in surprise when the stranger he pegged to be in his early twenties or late teens started climbing the tree without being asked.

He took in the clothes of the other and noticed that they were fairly dirty and old. Several grass stains were on them along with small dirt blotches. The worn down fabric made Izuku frown when he wondered the last time they were cleaned.

He watched as the strange man expertly climbed the tree, and just like he said, his long arms were able to grab the kitten. Izuku studied how carefully the man called out for the cat but winced harshly when the kitten hissed and swiped the kind rescuer's face.

"Fuck!" The rose haired boy yelled out and Izuku gasped when he almost lost his footing. The teen could hear the tall male mutter something about 'fucking animals' as he shimmied down the tree with the cat clawing at him wildly.

The stranger landed on his feet with impressive agility and let out a long sigh as he turned back to Izuku.

"Kami, this thing is a demon," the tall male groaned, frowning as he touched his bleeding cheek. He held the struggling creature far away from him and handed the wild animal over to Izuku quickly. "Hurry up and take your demon cat. Next time don't let it climb all the way up a tree."

Izuku smiled happily as he took the tiny kitten from the older boy.

"Thank you so much!" He beamed and started to call out to the cat with small cooing noises that helped it calm down. The stranger gave an exhausted sigh and started to rub the back of his neck.

"So, what's its name?" The deep voice asked. "I always wanted a pet but...yeah. What name did you choose? I don't see a collar." Izuku looked up curiously at the tall boy who seemed to be studying the cat in his hands with a distant sad look in his eye.

"Oh, I don't know," Izuku admitted quietly. The stranger froze and stunning ocean eyes trailed up to look into green.

"You don't know what you named your own cat?"

"Heh," Izuku laughed nervously while petting the cat as he made a wincing face. "It's actually not my cat? I just saw it was stuck and wanted to help it down—"

"—Are you fucking kidding me?" The rose male groaned, carding his hands through his hair in frustration. Izuku shut his mouth quickly, taken aback by the outburst when the male pinched the bridge of his nose. "I climbed a tree and got scratched up for a cat that's not even _yours_?"

"Er, yeah," Izuku mumbled apologetically as those blue eyes glared down at him in disbelief. "But thank you so much, that was really kind of you!"

"Can I give you a tip?" The stranger muttered looking at him angrily, and Izuku found himself nodding dumbly for reasons he wasn't too sure of. "You shouldn't go rescuing every goddamn stray you find, that's how you're going to get your eyes clawed out. You don't know where that damn animal has been or what it's done."

The stranger gestured unhappily to the set of bloody claw marks on his cheek and Izuku immediately frowned.

"But it needed help—owch! _Hey!"_ Izuku yelped when the stranger flicked his forehead hard. "What was that for?!" The green haired boy glared harshly as he nursed his forehead. Izuku looked at the other as if he was crazy, but the rose stranger just 'tsk'ed and shook his head.

"Thick headed just like I fucking thought," the young adult sneered before turning on his heels, heading towards the abandoned house. "Have a good day, kid. Stop rescuing strays."

"Not a kid!" Izuku yelled back, irritated. "I'm almost sixteen!"

"Point proven!" The stranger shouted back twice as annoyed.

Izuku huffed and was about to say something about the rude behavior, but when he noticed the other open up the wooden door on the abandoned building he paused.

_Why is he going inside there?_

He stopped his angry thoughts for a moment, holding the kitten in his hands softly when the tiny creature started to purr against his chest.

"Wait," Izuku called out, making the other male pause and glare over his shoulder.

"What do you want _now?"_

"Are you sleeping in there?" He asked softly, looking concerned. "Do you not have a place to go?"

The redhead stiffened and Izuku could tell he guessed right. When the rose colored boy didn't respond Izuku felt his heart squeeze. Izuku couldn't imagine not having a home, he loved his family too much.

A strange undertone of sadness echoed under the blueness of the rose male's eyes and quickly the stranger started to make his way into the abandoned home again, not answering him.

"T-There's a homeless shelter downtown!" He called out quickly as the boy retreated. "I volunteer there pretty frequently. It's a very good establishment. We give warm meals, blankets, and help people get on their feet."

He waited for some type of response, but the only thing he got was the quick shutting of the old wooden door.

The kitten in his arms started meowing and nuzzling into his chest, grabbing Izuku's attention. He wanted to go in after the other but he felt himself stay rooted. Izuku knew the animal shelter opened soon and he wanted to get there early to start the paperwork for the kitten and to chat with the workers.

He rubbed his forehead once more, still sore from the flick. But the greenette didn't find himself offended by the action the more he thought about the boy living in an abandoned house.

So, he told himself that he would come back tomorrow and see if he could get the kind stranger to come with him to the homeless center.

But when Izuku wandered back to the abandoned building the next day, the rose colored boy was gone.

The house was empty and there wasn't a single trace of the handsome stranger that had helped him.

. . .

Another year went by before he had his second encounter with the boy with hair like roses.

During this time, Izuku tried his best to keep an eye out for the elusive young adult, but there was no sight of the scarlet colored hair ever again. He began to wonder if he had just imagined the handsome stranger, like a passing daydream his mind painted too vividly.

He told some of the other volunteers and his parents about the encounter, but they all told him sometimes not everyone can be saved.

The thought made Izuku's heart heavy.

He had spent a couple of days trying to sketch the stranger from memory, still captivated by how unique his features had been. There was something about him that made the greenette curious and it felt damning as his pencil would move against the paper.

He tried to recreate the stunning moment he first laid eyes on the stranger. However, no matter how hard he tried, Izuku felt like he couldn't fully capture the depth of those sullen, teal colored eyes.

It wasn't until the next summer when he was sixteen, nearing his seventeenth birthday, did he see those striking sea blue eyes again.

This time they were standing in front of him, in line for food at the homeless shelter.

The rose colored boy assessed him with familiarity, but didn't say a word as he grabbed a tray of rice and vegetables and went to sit down in the corner by himself.

Green eyes observed as the worn down young adult sat alone with his weathered looking gym bags and dirty clothes. The stranger began to eat his food silently before turning around and going to sleep on the ground, looking terribly tired.

It continued like this for a month until Izuku worked up the courage to go find the boy.

"Do you know where the new red head guy is?" He asked one of the other volunteers, Daichi, as they took their breaks. The other boy was the biggest gossip at the shelter and knew just about everything.

"He's sitting outback in the alley," Daichi informed him in a clipped tone but gave him a very serious stare. "I'd stay away from that one if I were you, Izuku. Some of the others saw him burning flowers the other day. It was kind of weird."

"What?" Izuku scrunched his nose up, not quite understanding the visual he was given. "Burning flowers?"

"Yeah, he has a lighter. Doesn't own any cigarettes or anything, just picks flowers and sets them on fire."

Izuku was about to open his mouth to say something when he quickly decided to ignore what Daichi had said. The gossip amongst bored highschoolers could start to get ridiculous with how far people stretched the truth. Izuku knew that much from listening to the drama from people in his class.

So, he ignored the small warning and headed out to the back to where the redhead was.

He opened the back door and immediately the smell of hot summer air filled his senses. The weather was crisp, warm and the other male was positioned on the ground with his back against the wall. He was by himself, flicking a small black lighter open and closed, on and off.

There was an air of loneliness about him that Izuku couldn't help but want to remedy.

"Hi," the freckled teen started, approaching carefully. Ocean eyes looked at him curiously and Izuku just offered a small smile that wasn't returned. "I see you actually came."

Blue eyes looked away and quickly put away the black lighter in his ripped blue jeans. "Yeah...I figured, why not? Thanks for the suggestion by the way."

"It's no problem. I'm happy to see you're actually here." Izuku offered another smile but the stranger didn't bother to look at him. There was something inside of him that was pulled towards the other as he studied the grungy appearance of someone so young.

It was so rare to see someone close in age to him on the streets of Yaizu and it made curiosity pull on his heart strings.

"So, what's your name?" Izuku asked after a long stretch of silence.

"Not important," the deep voice answered quietly with a defeated shrug. The freckled teen pressed his lips into a thin line at the answer as he studied the series of gold hoops in the other's ear.

"Why are you lingering? Don't you have to help serve the food or something?" The deep voice said very curtly, a small sneer enveloped his face.

"I'm on break," Izuku offered, not letting the defensive behavior deter him. "I like coming back here to listen to music sometimes. Wanna listen with me?"

At the mention of music the young adult seemed to drop his defenses ever so slightly. Izuku pulled out his phone and started to unwrap the white earbuds attached to it with a welcoming smile.

He felt the distrusting ocean eyes look at his device long enough before the stiffness in board shoulders went away.

"...Okay."

Izuku opened up his phone and music app to start playing one of his favorite songs. Then he carefully handed over an earbud to the homeless stranger.

The young adult placed the earbud in slowly and they sat in silence for half of the song before a deep hum and nod came from the man beside Izuku.

"Ah, an indie lover, figures," the deep voice commented flatly, but Izuku perked up at the small hint of conversation.

"Heh, what's that supposed to mean?" The greenette teased with a gentle smirk and the stranger just shrugged.

"You seem like the type to like indie music. You know, _soft_." The rose-colored male gestured to Izuku with a half smirk. "I bet you even have a thing for acoustic music too."

"You're completely right!" Izuku laughed leaning back against the wall in the narrow alleyway. "How about you? What type of music do you like?" Izuku's bright smile widened and he saw the other freeze for a moment before turning away.

The older male cleared his throat before shifting awkwardly.

"I used to listen to rock a lot...but I haven't exactly had the means to indulge in music this past year. So, I guess my favorite music is just a good night's sleep now."

The all too real comments made Izuku pause. He assessed the dark bags under the young male's eyes and felt a twinge of pity.

"If you want, I can find you an old iPod," he whispered quietly with a sympathetic look. "I wouldn't mind. I have some extra money from helping my mom sell roses this past year."

At this the older boy made a puzzled face. "Your mom sells roses? _Only_ roses? That's kind of strange." Blue eyes looked at him curiously and Izuku nodded happily, eager to talk about his mom and how sweet she was.

"Yeah! It's actually pretty neat. She has her own business where she sells her art and it doubles as a flower shop. We grow the roses and other plants ourselves in our yard."

"That sounds really nice honestly. You're lucky." The rose-colored boy's face flashed a hint of envy but it was quickly erased. "But you don't have to spend your money on me. If anything, try to convince whoever is in charge of this place to switch up their hot food every now and then. This stuff is starting to make my stomach sick."

"What would you suggest then?"

"I dunno, like just something other than mush," the nameless man huffed. "I'd kill for onigiri at this point."

"Onigiri?" Izuku asked curiously, a small idea popping inside of his head. "What kind?"

"I'm not picky. But if you could convince them to bring in some of that I'd be forever thankful."

"Okay! I'll try my best." The freckled teen smiled brightly, and it earned him a bizarre look from the homeless young man. They locked eyes for a split moment in silence and blue eyes looked away from him as if unsure about something.

Izuku fidgeted with his hands, wanting to ask more about the mysterious stranger. His mind was eager to ask how he ended up here but the coldness radiating from the other made him keep the intrusive questions to himself.

So they sat in silence, listening to the music on Izuku's phone in peace until it was time for the greenette to go back. He offered a kind smile to the other as he began to get up from his squatted position.

"My break is almost over, but it was nice listening with you," he said, and the blue eyes of the stranger gave him a once over before handing back the ear bud.

"Nice listening with you too, thanks for letting me hear some of your music."

The comment was grateful, and it made Izuku's heart twist.

. . .

The next day Izuku brought home made onigiri. In addition to an old iPod, headphones, and a charger he no longer used. All for the boy with rose colored hair.

The look of surprise on the elder's face made a bright grin spread across Izuku's.

"Did you make this?" The unnamed redhead asked him with a curious voice. "And you actually brought an iPod?"

Izuku saw how wide teal eyes got at the sight of the rice treats sitting neatly inside the bento box and carefully studied the music that was on the electronic device.

"Yup! Just for you," Izuku beamed up at the taller male. "I figured I could just bring you some since I don't really think management is ever going to change the food options. Oh! I also downloaded a bunch of rock songs for you to listen to. I realized I don't actually know what bands you like? So, I just took a guess."

A small blush crept up on his face at the admission, and he waited for the silent ginger to say something but there was no response.

Sharp blue eyes just kept looking at him deeply, as if trying to understand the kind gesture. It made Izuku start to feel nervous that he'd overstepped.

"W-What? Is something wrong? Is this too much?"

"No, nothing is wrong," the deep voice answered, and the boy shook his head briefly, a small blush accumulating on his face. "Um...thanks. This is really nice of you to do."

Izuku smiled gently as he watched the heavily guarded male take a small bite of the treat. Blue eyes quickly lit with life and not before long, the redhead was piling the food in his mouth as if it was his first real meal in ages.

The thought was heartbreaking to Izuku as he watched the other eat in silence.

When the redhead finished, Izuku was offered the first genuine smile he'd ever saw the other give and his heart's beating quickened at the sight.

The pierced ivory features were somehow even more handsome with a look of happiness.

Izuku felt his heart unexpectedly flutter.

. . .

The teenager continued bringing the mystery male onigiri and other various foods every day for two months straight until the fall came.

His parents were curious about his sudden interest in learning how to cook, but Izuku covered his tracks by saying he wanted to learn before university next year. He eagerly watched his mother closely in the kitchen as he learned all her recipes with careful note taking.

He told the rose haired boy his name, hoping to be gifted with the other's as well, but the redhead remained tightlipped.

However, every time Izuku came by the shelter to drop off food or update songs on the tiny iPod for the other, they started up a small, playful banter.

"You really like sweets, Izuku," the deep voice chuckled when Izuku brought by leftover slices of cake from his seventeenth birthday party. "Should've guessed someone like you would have a sweet tooth. So soft."

The teasing smirk on the other's face made butterflies tickle the insides of Izuku's stomach as he wrung his hands nervously.

"I just love food in general." Izuku smiled and he was offered a handsome laugh in return. "But, I think I just like making sure you're fed. Hopefully one day you'll actually tell me your name."

The deep chuckle trailed off and something on the mystery male's face faltered ever so slightly at the remark.

"...You really want to know my name that badly?"

"It would be nice," Izuku whispered. "I can finally put a name to the face. I wouldn't...I wouldn't mind trying to get to know you better."

He could feel a small blush prickle his skin as the ocean colored eyes stared at him. In that moment Izuku could finally admit he had a budding crush on the nameless young man.

"Maybe," the raspy voice said hushly. "I'll have to think on it."

The freckled male will never forget how the other paused and looked at him curiously that day, as if seeing him in a different light.

. . .

When the seasons fully changed from warm summer to brisk fall and the color of the trees shifted from bright spring green to duck orange, the rose colored boy disappeared again.

Izuku remembered showing up with a decorative plate of onigiri at the shelter after classes but the mysterious male was nowhere to be seen.

"Have you seen the red haired guy? I brought him his favorite food, but I can't find him," Izuku asked Daichi, but the other teenager just shook his head.

"I heard he got picked up by some shady looking guys this morning," the brown-haired boy whispered to him with a disappointed look. "I dunno, Izuku. Everyone said it felt kind of sketchy."

Green eyes softened at the information and suddenly the plate of rice in his hands felt ten times heavier. He glanced down to the ground quietly, processing what he was told. The greenette was trying his best to ignore the new the dull pang in his heart.

_I didn't get his name. _

. . .

The third time Izuku encountered the rose haired boy was a day that Izuku wondered, what would have happened if things had gone differently?

Looking back, Izuku could pinpoint the turning point to that particular night. If his timing was off by just a second, or if he didn't forget to buy groceries, would he have found the mysterious stranger again?

It was the summer after his high school graduation; another year had passed, along with another birthday making him eighteen years old.

Izuku's mind wandered back to the homeless young man he had met every now and then, but when he never came back to the shelter, the greenette could only hope that he was safe.

He had several dreams about roses and the nameless boy with crimson hair after his disappearance. Izuku imagined himself leaning in and stealing a kiss from the handsome male, but he left the image as a private daydream when he realized the blue-eyed young man probably wouldn't come around again.

Instead Izuku stayed busy working with his mother that summer. He was trying to save enough money to decorate the new studio apartment his parents had bought for him. His mother and father didn't want him in the dorms around rowdy students, and he didn't mind. His own space meant that he was allowed to basically live in his own art studio and have room for his paintings and drawings.

Everyone helped him move into the small space that summer. It was a full event as his parents were excited for him to start the next stage in his life. But Izuku still frequently came home to help his mother finish planting the last of the roses in the backyard before he started university.

It was two weeks before classes began and he was admittedly nervous about being on his own.

He was currently planting roses in the backyard for his mother, even after she told him he didn't have to come help.

"Izuku!" His mother called out for him. Her voice was melodic and gentle as it rang out through the air. "Dinner is ready, come back inside now." He smiled as he adjusted his yellow tank top in the warm heat.

"Coming! Just give me a minute," Izuku called back from their backyard as he finished planting the last row of rose bushes.

He wiped his brow and glanced upwards at the beaming sun, using his hand to shade his eyes. It was an unusually hot summer for Yaizu and it was causing him to be eternally grateful for the cooling air blowing inside his family home.

The now young adult dusted himself off as he headed inside the Midoriya house that was bustling with life.

His father had invited his lifelong friend, Yagi Toshinori and his son, Mirio, over to dinner since the captain was in town from Shizuoka City. Izuku always looked forward to seeing Mirio since they celebrated their shared birthdays together. He considered the other to be like a sibling he never had.

"Izu!" A deep voice called out to him. Izuku turned around to see Mirio smiling and it made a bright grin grace his freckled features. "So good to see you! How's it feel that you're going to be all grown up and living on your own now?"

The greenette shrugged nonchalantly at his best friend and leaned into the hug the other gave him.

"It feels good!" He laughed. "You have to make sure you come visit me!"

"Ah, for sure," Mirio chuckled. "Once my exams let up, I'll be sure to come visit you all the time, Izuchan. Also, do you need a ride back to your place? My dad said he's willing to drop you off after dinner."

"That would be really nice actually! I hope it's not too much trouble?"

"Never too much trouble for you Izu." Mirio gave him a handsome smile. "Let's hurry up and get to the dining room though, don't want your mom's food getting cold."

Izuku laughed as his best friend slung an arm around him. The older male used his hand to lovingly wipe some dirt off his face and they both joked about the messiness of Izuku's clothes from gardening.

. . .

Later that evening after dinner was finished Izuku took a good look at the people closest to him as he was ready to embark on his new adventure at university. Everyone was always so warm and loving and seeing his father and Toshinori talk about police work sparked a small glimmer of inspiration in him.

He was always stuck on a career choice whenever he thought about it.

A large part of Izuku wanted to be like both of his parents, to be a symbol of their love that they fought so hard for.

Both sides of his family disapproved of his parent's union and isolated them for it. But his parents valued their love enough to go through with the wedding and they cultivated a welcoming, warm household that allowed Izuku to thrive both academically and artistically.

They didn't believe too much in social media and television and encouraged him to be more of a hobbyist. He was more than happy to as he picked up painting and drawing from his mother along with helping his dad with small cases he would work on late at night. It was always fun to get the inside police techniques from his father. The tall black haired man would secretly show him fighting combos and even took him to the shooting range since he was thirteen.

Which is why when Toshinori and Mirio dropped him off on the far side of Yaizu to start university, he felt sad that he had to be away from his kindhearted parents.

He always got lonely easily when he was far away from them.

"Thanks so much for the ride!" Izuku called out to the pair of smiling blonds as he got out of the white car.

"Be safe, Izuku!" Toshinori called out. "We'll see you during the winter break. Study hard and eat well!"

They said their goodbyes and Mirio hugged him extra tight, ruffling his hair. Izuku giggled and playfully ruffled the blond's hair back with a charming smile.

When they drove off Izuku felt his skin prickle with new independence.

He strolled up to his small apartment by himself that night and started to unpack the few boxes that were there. As the night continued on, Izuku felt himself grow hungry close to 11:00 pm, but when he checked his fridge, it was close to empty.

The greenette cursed out loud at the lack of food and his empty stomach. He sighed while begrudgingly looking up nearby grocery stores in the new area, but the time made it hard for him to find something open. The only source of food was a twenty minute trek further inland.

Izuku hummed to himself as he put his red sneakers back on and headed outside into the early fall weather. He hugged his blue hoodie snuggly to him as he paced himself to walk across town. As he made his way out into the night, he noticed his maps application was leading him to a fairly sketchy area that he'd never been.

The buildings were all unlit, and several light posts were either turned off or struggling to stay on. It worried him slightly as he made a mental note not to come back to this grocery store at night when he got spooked by a stray black cat running in front of him.

Slowly, the freckled teen followed his GPS's instructions and walked around a darkish corner.

But he paused at the sound of loud voices arguing and the echo of a punch ringing into the night.

Izuku's senses were immediately put on alert at the sound of someone yelling out in pain and more telltale sounds of a beating. Green eyes frantically looked around for the source of the sound as punches, kicks, and coughs echoed out.

But when Izuku came up to the alley where the sounds were emitting from, he gasped in horror when he saw the rose colored male he never stopped thinking about—and he was getting violently hit in the face with a crowbar.

"This is the last straw you, goddamn ungrateful piece of shit!" One of the gruff looking men yelled out. "We take you in from the streets and this is how you repay us!? Twice, finish this brat off."

Another sickening blow to the redhead's skull echoed out into the night. Blood splattered against the dirty brick in the alley as the young man fell to the ground. Immediately the trio of men started to kick and smash his skull with their weapons.

A sickening crack could be heard, and the young man spat up red liquid as he tried to protectively curl up on the ground the best he could.

In that split second, bloodshot turquoise eyes met his.

Izuku's feet moved on their own.

He didn't know why he did what he did, but he rushed into the middle of the brawl at max speed. He jumped in front of the rose haired boy lying defenseless on the ground and used his body to shield him from another blunt attack to his head.

The freckled teenager cried out as a metallic weapon hit his shoulder blade straight on, but he gritted his teeth through it, whirling around with blazing eyes.

The group of attackers paused, not expecting the interference and gave Izuku just enough of a window to quickly act on the offense. The greenette swiftly rebounded with a self-defense technique his father had showed him. He reached forward, grabbing the crowbar and yanked one of the attackers near him and gave a strong headbutt.

The tall man stumbled back surprised and cried out. Izuku, without missing a beat, pried the crowbar out of the attacker's hand and swung at the other men, giving them a warning to back up.

All three men stepped away, assessing him carefully. They exchanged looks and began laughing in a taunting manner at how Izuku stood tall, protecting the bleeding body beneath his feet. Dark green eyebrows were creased deeply, a ferocious look of warning settled in on his face as Izuku's adrenaline pumped through his veins.

"Really?" One of the tall men with a scar across his face sneered but Izuku didn't stand down. "You don't even know what this is about. Why don't you run along, pretty boy? This is personal business."

"You're trying to kill him," Izuku hissed, his grip on the crowbar tightening. "I heard you say finish him off. I'm not stupid, I know what that means."

"If you knew what that motherfucker is capable of, you'd kill him too," one of the men scoffed and Izuku's resolve only hardened. "We're doing a lot of people a favor by putting this sociopath down like the dog he is."

"I'll call the police," Izuku spat unkindly pulling out his cell from his pants pocket. Green eyes glared in a challenging manner at the others as he unlocked it and began to dial the emergency line. "My father is a sergeant. They'll come right away when I drop my surname."

At that the men hesitated and took a good look at Izuku. The trio briefly glanced at the young man bleeding out on the ground before turning their noses up. They realized the freckled male wasn't bluffing and dropped their weapons.

"He's halfway dead anyways," the man with the scar spoke. "I think he learned his lesson. Let's just go back. I'm tired of looking at that crazy motherfucker."

The trio sneered unhappily at Izuku but slowly started to back away at the threat of police involvement. They backtracked deeper into the dark alley, blending in with the shadows. Green eyes wildly looked after them, still worried about a possible surprise attack but the sound of a groan brought his attention back to the whole reason he'd stepped in.

Izuku turned around and frantically dropped to his knees to assess the damage that had been done and his heart sank at the appearance of the male.

The boy was now no longer dressed in dirty old clothes, but clean, fresh all black attire. Ripped black jeans matched his tight fitting black muscle tank and combat boots but blood the same color of his hair dripped from his mouth at an alarming rate.

"Hey, a-are you awake?" Izuku asked nervously as he used all his strength to hoist the other young male off the ground. Blue eyes blinked open steadily, but it was evident that he was struggling as he clutched his side like he was in pain.

"I'm going to call the police, okay? We need to get you to the hospital—"

"—No hospitals," the weak raspy voice called, eyes fading in and out. "Please, no hospitals."

Izuku's face etched in worry and stared down at the other with extreme concern. "B-But you're hurt. You need a hospital. Let me help you—"

"Listen to me," the hoarse baritone voice pleaded again. "I'm not registered under the health care system. I can't go to a hospital...I can't afford it and they're going to wonder why I'm not registered."

Izuku's eyes widened at the information and he started panicking. His mind was racing trying to figure out the next best option, but he could only think of one.

"Okay," he whispered, unsure. The rose haired male let out another groan and clutched his side when Izuku tried to help lift him up from the ground. "O-Okay, that's fine. Can you stand? I don't live far from here. I-I can patch you up."

The mysterious young adult looked at him and there was an inkling of trust. The redhead hesitantly nodded, and he weakly reached up to throw his arms around Izuku's shoulders. Emerald eyes went wide with fear when more blood was coughed up, but the other was determined to get up.

The smaller of the two carefully wrapped his arms around the larger male's torso and used all his strength to steady him as they started walking back to his apartment one step at a time. The entire way there, Izuku could feel the other male stumble or trip on his feet. Loud groans from sharp pains were evident as they made their way back.

But what worried Izuku the most was how ocean eyes struggled to stay open, like the rose colored boy was fighting to not go under.

By the time they made it up to his empty studio apartment, it was late at night. He dropped the heavy young man on his bed, not caring about the blood stains that were certainly going to be on his green sheets.

Izuku began to frantically look for his first aid kit but, when he found it, dread sunk into his bones as the other started to go still.

"H-Hey," Izuku harshly said as he shook the other awake. "You gotta stay with me, okay?" Izuku hovered above the other as he began to take off the other's clothes for him to start looking at the full damage.

The greenette tried to stay calm when he saw bloodied marks littering the other's pale chest and the purple bruises beginning to blossom all over.

He awaited a response or even a nod of understanding but got none.

Instead, half lidded bright blue eyes looked up at him like he was admiring something in a delusional state.

Izuku looked down confused when the young man reached up to hold his cheek carefully. A rough thumb caressed his cheek gently as teal eyes locked with his.

"Wow," the redhead rasped out with a hint of a smirk. "Angels have green eyes, who would've guessed?"

And with that the mysterious young man dipped into unconsciousness and his body went slack.

"Angel?" Izuku whispered baffled.

His mouth gaped open, uncertain of what to make of what was just said.

. . .

That night Izuku didn't sleep.

He spent all night tending to the wounds of the other, carefully disinfecting them and wrapping the small cuts. He cleaned the stranger's face delicately, being mindful of the bruises forming, but he couldn't help but look closely at the porcelain features.

The boy was clearly no longer homeless. His silver snake bites were now switched out with gold ones. His fingers were decorated in expensive looking rings and his clothes were fashionable.

But the words of the attackers echoed in his head. He couldn't understand people who murdered, and he was happy he was able to save the young man's life.

The sun crept up the horizon and bright light spilled into the tiny studio, outlining the boy in his bedsheets in an almost angelic manner. Izuku touched his cheek hesitantly; the feeling of the other's hand on his skin lingered like a ghost.

The greenette realized he never got his food and if the boy woke up soon, he'd have nothing to feed hm. So, he got up with sleep heavy on his eyelids and put his shoes back on.

Green eyes wearily glanced at the deceivingly peaceful looking male tucked neatly in his blankets before Izuku headed back outside.

. . .

When Izuku came back with arms full of food, he was surprised to see the redhead up and about.

There was subtle music playing from the radio that Izuku wasn't expecting as the other stood tall, loosely massaging his large muscles.

The well defined back of the stranger faced him as the nameless young adult stood in nothing else but his black boxers. Blue eyes watched the world outside the window curiously while the man rubbed his neck like it was sore.

"Oh! You're up," Izuku called out as he quickly put the food down in the kitchenette area. "I was getting worried that you wouldn't wake up. I was contemplating pulling strings for a favor and getting an in house doctor for you."

He nervously watched as the stranger perked up, and looked over his shoulder. Slowly, the shirtless stranger started to make his way over to the kitchen.

Izuku felt his heart do something it'd never done with each step the gorgeous ginger took. The sun made him look like a fallen angel as he came closer and closer. The tall male paused when he was within arms reach of Izuku, looking down at him gratefully.

"Thank you so much for saving me," the deep voice said with a handsome, soft smile. Izuku returned the gesture, trying to get his heart to calm down.

"I-It was no problem!" He said nervously, looking away. "I'm just happy to help."

The studio was filled with one of the most beautiful deep chuckles Izuku had ever heard. Green eyes glanced upwards underneath long black eyelashes at the stranger who began to rub his neck again.

"Ah, what's your name again?" The rose colored boy asked with a mixed expression of thankfulness and embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I forgot...it's been a long time."

"Uh, no worries! I'm Izuku," the greenette offered as he anxiously fiddled with his fingers. "Midoriya, Izuku." Blue eyes glanced down at Izuku's hands at the movement before giving a charming close-lipped smile.

"Izuku, huh? What a pretty name." The stranger cocked his head curiously at him when a blush dusted Izuku's freckles. "You've gotten a lot taller since the last time I saw you. Still short but not _as_ short anymore," he teased.

"Heh, yup," the greenette chuckled while looking down at the kitchen floor, trying to hide the redness of his face. "Finally caught up with everyone else."

"Cute," the raspy voice whispered, making Izuku look upwards in surprise.

Then like slow motion, a large hand was extended towards him and Izuku felt himself hold his breath. Ocean blue eyes locked onto his and the greenette started sinking into the depths of the boy in front of him.

"Well, Izuku. Nice to meet you again. I'm Touya."

. . .

The following week and a half leading up to the start of University, Izuku learned a lot about the young man named Touya.

While he had finally been gifted the redhead's first name, his surname was still an elusive concept. Izuku didn't push his luck though because he could feel the tension surrounding the topic. It was clear as day that the other had a rough life with the few encounters they'd had.

The ginger male took up very little space in his apartment, but they always awkwardly shuffled around each other.

In the midst of the unnamed tension, Izuku could feel blue eyes studying him closely whenever he would paint or hum to himself softly at night. The greenette sometimes would turn his head to try to catch the other staring, but Touya would always look away faster with a small blush on his face.

Not long after, the tall ginger would make small comments about how he grew up. Touya mentioned how he had very unique colored eyes and curly hair that framed his face well.

Izuku didn't know what to do with the flattery so he returned it. But Touya would grow silent whenever Izuku would say something remotely kind. It was as if Izuku saying nice things was kryptonite for the witty redhead.

Next he learned that Touya was twenty four years old, making him a total of six years older than him.

That slice of information made Izuku hesitant to tell his parents, Mirio, or even Toshinori about the stranger he was allowing to stay with him. They were all very protective of him, always reminding Izuku that his future was bright. He didn't want to make them worry and he didn't want to scare Touya away if his family began to pry with intrusive questions.

Izuku told the redhead that it was okay to stay with him until further notice when he learned that the men who jumped the redhead in the alley were his now ex-roommates.

He frowned deeply at that.

"What kind of roommates try to kill you?"

"It's a complicated matter," Touya said rather vaguely while disinfecting his scrapes in the bathroom mirror. "We had a very specific living arrangement and I openly disagreed with something. So, my punishment was eviction by violence."

Izuku wearily glanced at the black eye that was surfacing on the fair skin.

"Is your stuff still at the place you were living at?" The worried greenette asked when the redhead said he had no clothes. "You can go back and get everything, right?"

"Not really," the redhead sighed. "My name isn't on the lease and they took my keys. So, if I go back for my shit, it's breaking and entering. Unfortunately, all my belongings are theirs now."

"That's not fair," Izuku muttered, putting his hand on his chin. He looked down at the wooden floorboards of his apartment. After everything Touya had been through, he deserved to get his things and not have them just stolen from him. "There has to be something you can do to get your stuff back. You paid for it. It's yours."

"It's fine, Izuku," the redhead reassured him with a kind smile. "I'm just happy I'm not bleeding out in an alley somewhere thanks to you. This wouldn't be the first time I had nothing. I'm used to it by now."

Izuku's heart clenched at the sad reality of Touya's situation and how easily Touya seemed to accept having nothing all over again. He thought back to how dejected and alone the other had been at the shelter last year. A fire lit inside the freckled teen that pushed him to remedy the injustice.

Some rules were okay to break, right? Especially if the situation wasn't exactly fair. Sometimes laws were sticky and worked in the wrong direction unintentionally.

Plus, this was for a better overall cause.

He took in the distant look in Touya's eyes and the weak smile that didn't quite mask his turmoil. A deep resolve settled in Izuku's face as he said his next words.

"Let's go get your things back, Touya. They don't get to get away with everything."

Which brought them to now, preparing to go break into Touya's old apartment in the middle of the night on a workday.

He had informed Touya that he owned a large white van they could use. Usually it was for transporting his mother's art to various venues, but his parents let him have it while in university.

Originally Touya objected, not wanting to drag Izuku into his mess, but the greenette fiercely insisted. It wasn't right for someone who had worked hard to get on his feet just to have everything robbed from him again.

The plan was simple: Touya knew everyone's schedules and he mapped out a window of time when the apartment would be empty. Apparently, there was an event going on that everyone was attending in the evening. On top of that, Touya knew how to pick a lock rather easily.

Izuku didn't really ask how he knew that skill considering the first time he met the redhead he was squatting illegally in an abandoned home.

"Here, take this," Touya's raspy voice told him as they got into his van, with Izuku in the driver's seat.

The greenette raised an eyebrow as he was handed a blank bandana. He took the object hesitantly, unsure of what to actually do with it until Touya wrapped his own around his nose and mouth as if he had done this many times before.

"It's for your protection," Touya informed him. "It'll keep our identities concealed in case things turn left. Especially yours. I would feel guilty if anything happened to you."

Izuku followed suit without much question, but it was a heavy reminder that he _was_ breaking the law.

He turned the engine on the white van and the radio turned on. The moment the sun set below the horizon line they started driving back towards the shady part of Yaizu.

. . .

Upon arrival Izuku was surprised to see it was a rather large apartment complex, and it was entirely empty. It made him wonder what type of living arrangement the redhead had gotten into the last year.

The pair parked the van off to the side inconspicuously next to a long row of motorcycles that peaked Izuku's interest. They got out of the van quietly and the greenette eyed the expensive looking motorcycles curiously. He was amazed by all the different colors but there was a black one with spikes that caught his attention the most.

"Izuku, over here," Touya whispered.

The freckled teen looked up to see the eldest gesturing towards a side door with his head. He quickly followed behind him. They both crouched low as Touya started to pick the lock with a makeshift hairpin and metal rod he hand crafted from random items around Izuku's home.

Adrenaline rushed over every nerve in Izuku's body as he watched Touya's brow stay creased in heavy concentration. Then the sudden metallic snapping of the lock echoed into the night.

They were in.

The redhead pulled open the door and firmly grabbed Izuku's hand, taking him inside safely. Warmth spread all through the youngest at the gesture and he tried not to think too much of the warm skin that felt too right against his. Touya was just trying to make sure this went smoothly without any slip ups. It didn't mean anything.

The pair walked in the complex and immediately Izuku was jarred by how lavish it was. For being located in the sketchier part of Yaizu, it was decorated as if it was in downtown Tokyo. Dark wooden floorboards, gold linings, and marble countertops were showcased throughout.

Expensive looking art hung up on the walls up and down all the hallways. But one painting positioned in the center grabbed Izuku's attention immediately. It was large, centered and well lit, drawing in the viewer's eye. The painting contained a very stern looking old man in a red velvet chair. Next to his side was a silver haired young adult standing loyally. Izuku squinted his eyes at the painting because it felt odd.

It was as if the two figures were being treated like royalty.

Before he could examine this any further, Touya tugged his hand in the opposite direction and they started climbing up the staircase.

It was in that moment that Izuku realized it _was_ a luxury loft complex. Each door held a different apartment but instead of numbers, the doors had different names on it. The red head was moving at too quick of a pace for Izuku to catch all the different names listed on the apartment doors but he briefly read the name 'Toga Himiko' in passing.

When they reached the fourth floor, Touya rounded a corner and stopped at a door with no name. There was a dull worn down spot for a name plaque, but it looked as if it had been pried off.

The redhead turned around, letting go of the smaller male's hand and shooed Izuku to step back. The teenager did as he was told but had to suppress a yelp of shock when a loud crack shocked him. He watched silently, surprised to see Touya lift his foot up again to try and kick the door down with just his bare strength.

There wasn't an ounce of hesitation as the redhead gave three brutally strong kicks to the wooden frame, grunting loudly. The poor piece of furniture cracked open underneath the heavy force that was Touya and opened right up for them.

"Fucking assholes," the red groaned when the door swung open. He rolled his shoulders to ease the tension. "So damn glad to be done with them."

Touya walked in and flicked on the bright lights, allowing Izuku to see inside the large space. Touya's old apartment was also just as lavishly decorated with black leather furniture, a large TV, and several posters of different rock bands framed on the wall above a queen sized bed.

Emerald eyes did a full circle around as he hesitantly stepped into the apartment. He watched wordlessly as the first thing Touya did was go towards a black leather jacket with spikes lining the shoulder pads and put it on.

Izuku hated to admit how the jacket just added to the alluring air that was uniquely Touya. Edgy yet somehow still soft underneath it all. The fitted piece of clothing only made his shoulders seem more wide set and his hips devilishly narrow.

The redhead reached inside the jacket pocket and pulled out a set of keys and a familiar black lighter.

A satisfied grin broke over the ivory features like he had been waiting for the reunion. Touya then turned his attention to the black motorcycle helmet that was hanging by a hook on the wall and grabbed it.

"We don't have to take everything," Touya said in a casual manner. "I just wanted to come back for important items and whatever else would fit inside the van."

"That sounds good to me," Izuku agreed with a small smile. The butterflies in his stomach only intensified when the gesture was actually returned tenfold and Touya's eyes lingered on him for a brief moment.

Without wasting the window of opportunity, the pair began to pack up the redhead's belongings into various suitcases and bags. When they ran out of bags to pack things into, Touya casually went to the next door apartment and picked the lock on the door.

They got inside and started searching for more bags but green eyes paused on a discarded item off to the side. Sitting on the bed was a beautiful piece of clothing that caught Izuku's attention.

It was a navy blue bomber jacket, lazily tossed on the bed but what drew Izuku in the most was the saturated red rose that was printed on the back.

It was large and took up the majority of the space of the bomber jacket and several petals were spaced around the branching vines that stemmed from it. The sleeves were lined with leather stripes and running down the back of the left sleeve were the characters _'Fire Rose' _in black kanji.

Izuku figures he must've been staring too long when Touya walked over to him.

The redhead studied the shorter male closely. Turquoise eyes flickered between the greenette and the expensive jacket, making the connection.

"Do you like it?" Touya asked, looking at Izuku silently.

Green eyes blinked in surprise and he turned around embarrassed. "O-Oh, sorry! I just like roses. Can't help but stare. I've just never seen anything like that before."

Touya raised an arched eyebrow at the excuse. The redhead grabbed the bomber jacket and handed it to the now stuttering greenette.

"Take it if you like it. No one here is going to miss it."

"B-But it's not yours," Izuku whispered. "We came here for your stuff only. I don't want to steal from someone else."

"Trust me, this asshole isn't even going to notice it's gone." The elder shrugged. A hint of mischief glowed in blue eyes as he leaned down closer to Izuku. "Plus, if you're that worried about it being stolen, just think of it as payment for that son of a bitch nearly breaking my nose."

At that Izuku seemed to waiver, weighing the option, but it still didn't feel right to him. However, when Touya stepped in closer and his heart sped up at the nearness, he didn't object when the redhead told him to lift his arms.

Izuku felt his chest squeeze tightly as Touya started put the bomber jacket on his figure for him as if he was a doll.

"There," Touya said with a hint of smirk in his voice. He stepped back, assessing his handiwork with an expression that was rather impressed. "Looks better on you anyways."

Izuku blushed heavily, green eyes shyly looking at Touya. "Really?"

"Yeah, you look great in it—sexy even." A wink was sent his way and Izuku felt his heart nearly stop.

Touya, completely oblivious to the inner turmoil churning inside of the smaller male, put back on a serious face. He turned around and grabbed the plastic bags off the ground.

"Let's hurry up though. I think these last few bags will be all I need and we can start loading up the van."

Izuku nodded in understanding and quickly picked up the pace.

As they continued packing, Touya made more compliments about how good the jacket looked on him, and Izuku decided to keep it.

. . .

"That should be it," Touya grunted as he and Izuku lifted the black motorcycle from earlier into the back of the van. "Thanks again for this. It means a lot."

They placed it inside carefully with Izuku silently admiring the fact that Touya knew how to ride a bike. It only dug his grave deeper—Touya was just so mysteriously fascinating.

"It's no problem," Izuku said as he closed and locked the back of the van. He pulled down the black bandana off his face and flashed a handsome grin towards the other male. "You deserve to actually keep your stuff after everything you've been through. It's not fair for you to start all over again just because you disagreed with some assholes."

He waited for a response but didn't get one.

Touya just pulled down his own bandana and tilted his head like a feline assessing a creature it didn't quite understand.

"Did I say something wrong?" Izuku whispered when the ocean eyes were studying him a little too intensely. He felt himself backtrack trying to figure out if he said something offensive. "Sorry for calling them assholes if that was a problem—"

"—No, it's not that," Touya cut him off. The redhead shook his head and shifted on his feet like he was contemplating something. "You've just always been so nice to me. Since the beginning. Y'know, even after I was rude to you."

Izuku realized Touya was looking at him as if he's never been shown kindness before.

"Well, you're not as mean as you seem," the greenette said. "Plus, no one should be sleeping in abandoned houses or having all their belongings taken from them. You deserve a home."

This time it was Touya's turn to turn deep red and he gave a quiet murmur of 'thank you.'

Izuku felt slightly perplexed at the blush that overtook the pale features, but he didn't think about it too long as he got into the driver's seat and started the car.

. . .

The entire ride back to his apartment Touya was smirking and laughing. The redhead thanked him generously and Izuku's heart felt dangerously full.

"You seem happy," the greenette giggled when they finally arrived back at his apartment. He killed the engine of the car, effectively leaving them with just the soft song playing from the speakers. Adrenaline from their shared mission pumped through both of their veins.

"I am _ecstatic_, you have no idea," Touya laughed deeply. Brilliant blue eyes glanced at him with the world's most breathtaking smile. "You just have no idea how shitty those people were. Like, you really are an angel, Izuku. I could just kiss you right now I'm so fucking thankful."

The words dropped unexpectedly and they both stammered. Touya looked at Izuku with an apologetic expression when green eyes went as wide as saucers.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to say that," the deep voice whispered awkwardly. "It just slipped out."

Izuku's heart rate tripled as they sat in silence, cautiously regarding at each other. Izuku licked his lips and he saw Touya's eyes flicker down to stare at his mouth.

"I-I wouldn't mind," the greenette said in a hushed tone. "You can kiss me."

Izuku's hands gripped the steering wheel tighter when his heart threatened to leap out of his chest and Touya's eyes softened. Izuku held his breath while Touya seemed to nervously flex his hands in his lap.

Like a faded daydream that Izuku had imagined long ago, the rose haired boy leaned in towards him and gave him his first kiss. Surprisingly soft lips were gentle as Touya carefully deepened the moment they shared. Fingers tangled into his hair and Izuku felt his heart soar.

That was the start of a wildfire that neither of them could put out, even if they tried.

. . .

That single kiss stole Izuku's heart along with Touya's.

Not long after, Touya gave him a second kiss. Then a third and a fourth. Each was more gentle the last when Izuku informed the redhead that he's never tried anything before. After that, Touya began to regard him like he was a precious priceless gem.

Sometimes, in retrospective, the freckled male wondered if they moved too quickly. He wondered if it was really love or infatuation that caused them to go at the rate they did.

Whatever the case was, when Izuku started university, Touya was fully moved in with him.

Izuku kept the secret well hidden from his close family and friends with the ginger's help. He didn't mind having Touya as a roommate. The company filled the lonely space in his heart that was present with the absence of his parents.

Originally, Touya told Izuku that he would move out once he found a job, having been recently let go from his old one. But it took a rather long time to find somewhere in Yaizu to hire him.

After a month, Izuku pulled some new strings he had obtained from college.

His freshman chemistry lab partner, Shindo Yo, was always flirting with him since day one at orientation. At first it made Izuku uncomfortable, until he offhandedly mentioned to Shindo about a friend needing a job.

"I work at a coffee shop near campus," the brunette said with a flirtatious smirk. He leaned over the lab bench towards him with a charming aura that would've drawn anyone in. "If you study with me privately tomorrow I'll talk to the boss and get your friend a job."

Izuku reluctantly agreed with a fake smile.

He reminded himself that it was for Touya despite the way his skin crawled when he did go over to the other's dorm. He kept to himself and acted aloof whenever Shindo would lean in too close or inappropriately ask him how flexible he was.

Then, like magic, Touya was hired as a barista at the small coffee shop.

The simple air of having some normality in his life made Touya relaxed. Izuku's heart filled with happiness at the shift in demeanor. The redhead took out his snake bites and started wearing more light colors in his wardrobe. The small changes made him appear softer.

Whenever Izuku dropped by the shop, Touya made sure to give the greenette free coffee with the name _'Angel'_ on it every time. The freckled student began to study there frequently after classes and Touya always took his breaks with him.

During these breaks, Shindo would join them if him and Touya worked the same shift. This continued for two weeks until one day Shindo flirted with Izuku directly in front of the fiery redhead.

Izuku will never forget the stone cold look that encased Touya's handsome features when Shindo asked if he needed help getting stretched out at the gym. The brunette made a comment about being equipped to help and willing to make sure he was set to go for vigorous cardio workout.

Shindo smirked, completely oblivious as he leaned into Izuku's space. The freckled male shifted uncomfortably at the remark and tried to awkwardly laugh it off like he always did.

However, Touya wasn't laughing.

The next month Shindo requested a change for lab partners when he showed up to class with an unexplained black eye. Izuku asked him what had happened, but the brunette didn't elaborate.

He stopped joining them during Touya's breaks and kept a healthy distance away from them both. But Izuku didn't mind; he finally felt free of the unwanted sexual advances. He wrote it off as Shindo finally giving up and never thought of it again.

Touya had seemed pleased with the new lunch time privacy.

When Touya got enough money, he asked to take Izuku out on an official date during early winter.

The greenette objected heavily, saying the other should be saving, but when Touya leaned in and gave him another intoxicating kiss he agreed breathlessly.

The date wasn't expensive but it meant everything to Izuku. Touya made him feel like the most precious person on the planet as he started to refer to Izuku with the nickname Angel openly.

They sat bundled up underneath the night sky pointing out constellations and walking around the nighttime city scene after a small, quiet dinner. Touya had admitted that night to never properly dating someone and he wanted to take their relationship seriously.

Their date finished with them stopping at a tattoo and piercing shop. Touya wanted to purchase new jewelry for himself, but when they got inside, he started insisting that Izuku would look good with an ear piercing.

So, Izuku agreed, unable to say no to those beautiful ocean eyes.

Touya held his hand as a man pushed a needle through his earlobe. Izuku squeezed his eyes shut tight at the sharp pain but Touya's velvety voice praised him all the way through. The man piercing his ear was about to put a simple silver stud in when the redhead stopped him.

"Wait," Touya had said with a small smirk. "I have just the perfect thing, Angel."

Izuku opened his eyes as his now boyfriend let go of his hand. Touya reached up to take off one of the many gold hoops lining the shell of his ears and handed it to the worker.

Green eyes lit up at the gesture and Izuku had never smiled harder.

. . .

After about six months, neither mentioned Touya moving out as they fell into a comfortable routine. Touya would go to work and stay home at the apartment while Izuku was at classes and the redhead seemed happy for the stability.

One day, while Touya was watching baseball and Izuku was cuddled up studying on the couch next to him, the television cut to an award ceremony that was happening in Tokyo.

Izuku only briefly registered the tall figures on the screen. They were all dressed in blue and white police uniforms decorated with medallions and several pins.

One was a very large man with hair exactly like Touya's with a large scar covering his face and the other was a young blond male that seemed to be around Touya's age.

"Are you _fucking_ kidding me?" The ginger grumbled hatefully from beside him. "They interrupt the Giants game for this bullshit?"

Izuku looked warily at his boyfriend who was clearly agitated. He watched closely as they gave out awards to the brave policemen and he didn't really see what the problem was.

He eyed the men on the screen and noted the blond male with crimson eyes as he was given a heavy amount of prestigious awards.

"What's wrong with it?" Izuku asked curiously, turning to the ginger next to him.

"I just hate the system," was the answer he was given. "Some of those people standing on that stage don't deserve to get praise. They deserve something else," he sneered and Izuku frowned. "Everyone constantly regards them like they're something special. Especially that fucking blond and the Chief of Police."

Izuku's eyebrows shot off his face, seeing as this was the first time he heard Touya mention possibly knowing policemen. He looked back at the screen and noted that the crimson eyes of the young police officer seemed kind, but very serious.

"What did they do?" Izuku asked.

"That blond just gets everything," Touya groaned, his upper lip turning upwards in disgust. "Like absolutely _everything_. Every time I turn on the goddamn news he's _there_. The entirety of Shizuoka City goes crazy over him and I just wish there was _one_ goddamn thing he wasn't allowed to get so he could understand what it feels like."

The greenette didn't know what to say to that so he stayed quiet.

He ignored the figures on TV, too worried about the bubbling anger that was quickly rising in Touya. Sharp teal eyes darkened while watching the television screen until they cut towards him.

Izuku didn't really understood the source of Touya's anger but the loathing ran deep in Touya's normally loving blue eyes. It was frightening.

"Tell me, Angel," the eldest said in an ice-cold tone. "When you look at the Shizuoka City Chief of Police, does he look like a man who spends all day pleasing strangers but then goes home to beat his wife and kids?"

Green eyes went wide, not expecting that type of heavy information. He glanced to the side at the tall man on the screen and took in his appearance. It was only then did he notice that the chief had the same color eyes as Touya.

The pieces started clicking together.

"I-I don't know?" He whispered, unsure of what to say—but Touya's face twisted in resentment said it all.

"Well, he does," the redhead continued to elaborate. "He's the biggest fucking narcissist breathing and he's corrupt down to his core."

Cold blue eyes turned back to the TV screen and the arm wrapped around Izuku's waist tightened uncomfortably.

"How do you know that, Touya?" Izuku whispered, already knowing the answer.

Touya leaned over to grab the remote before turning off the TV completely.

"Because he's my father."

. . .

After the award ceremony incident, Touya told him everything.

He explained in detail how he was raised, and how he became homeless in the first place. He told Izuku how he used the little yen he had in his wallet to board a train from Shizuoka City to Yaizu to start over. But when he got into Yaizu, he realized his father took the yen he had saved from his bank account before cutting him off cold.

Izuku's heart clenched at the sad story. He learned that Touya's full name was Todoroki Touya and how he was always treated like a failure until he fully became one. Izuku felt resentment grow towards Touya's father, Todoroki Enji, for treating the redhead in such a way.

It made sense to him now how the ginger operated, so closed off towards everyone. He had barely known a loving environment and just wanted to belong somewhere. Izuku tried his best to reassure Touya that he didn't view him as a failure and that Touya would never feel that way as long as they were together.

Touya shed a single tear but Izuku wiped it away.

The gentle gesture made those heated blue eyes look at him with a thousand emotions. Touya held him a little closer than usual as they went to bed that night as if scared to let go.

. . .

The months continued to pass by with them still in the same routine, but there was a new depth to their relationship.

Touya no longer felt the need to hide the broken parts about himself as Izuku accepted them all with open arms. The greenette often referred to the redhead as his rose and continued to be called Touya's Angel.

Over time, the youngest often noticed that Touya liked to be in control. His dominating personality shone both in the bedroom and other aspects of their relationship.

But Izuku didn't mind when Touya would harshly pull his hair while fingering him, bringing him to beautiful climax each time as the redhead reached impossibly deep inside of him. Touya often demanded that Izuku call out his name and say who he belonged to. Izuku complied happily as he was tipped over the edge each time, shuddering with addictive pleasure.

Other times Touya's fierce protective personality was obvious whenever someone got too close to him.

Izuku didn't really think much about it originally, but looking back on it, he wished he had read the warning signs better. Jealousy was a frequent emotion on Touya's handsome face whenever Izuku would have to study with any classmate.

The redhead pushed for Izuku to host study groups at their apartments, where he could be present. The greenette just shrugged, willing to do whatever made Touya happy because it didn't make any difference to him.

But despite the occasional possessive behavior, Touya was always warm and loving towards him.

He showered the greenette in compliments day in and day out, and would always make the effort to come pick Izuku up on his motorcycle if he was studying late on campus. When study groups were hosted at the apartment, Touya was nothing short of the perfect gentleman and would cook for everyone. On top of that, every night Izuku got home from campus the redhead had already prepared food and cleaned so Izuku could fully focus on his studies.

It still wasn't until the eight month mark, when the make out sessions got too heated, that Izuku begged Touya to go further than just their usual foreplay and oral exchanges.

"Are you sure?" The deep voice had asked him in an unsure manner.

"Positive. I want you, Touya."

Blue eyes longingly searched his face for hesitation but there was none. Izuku just nodded confidently with an endearing smile. The redhead's face broke out into a bright grin and he said they would prep for the following night.

When Izuku came back early from classes the next day, he didn't anticipate for Touya to go full romantic.

The apartment was dimly lit with candles and there was light mood music playing in the background. Izuku's face turned a deep shade of crimson when he noticed the trail of red and pink rose petals littered all over.

Izuku began to laugh and lightly tear up at the gesture and the amount of effort Touya put into everything. He walked into the apartment slowly, still absorbing the dreamy atmosphere that was straight out of a romance novel.

Bright green eyes peeked around the corner into the bedroom to see Touya muttering softly to himself as he bent over the nightstand, lighting a scented candle with his black lighter. The bed had new red comforters and sitting in the middle of the mattress was a bouquet of red and pink roses with a green ribbon tied around them.

"Well," Izuku giggled, breaking the eldest's concentration. Blue eyes turned around surprised to see the small greenette leaning against the wooden door frame. "I dunno which one of us is really the soft one anymore," he teased with a mirthful smirk.

"Ah, you're home early." The redhead chuckled deeply and scratched the back of his messy red spikes. "I was going to surprise you with all this at the door."

"This is perfect," Izuku whispered as he started to set his bag down on the ground. "Touya, this has got to be one of the most thoughtful things anyone could want for their first time."

The eldest walked up to him with a loving smile.

"I just wanted it to be as special as you," Touya admitted in a low voice. "I've never been intimate on this level with someone I care about."

The soft look in turquoise eyes made Izuku fall deeper into the depths of Touya.

He allowed the redhead to kiss him gently and his breath hitched when the rough hands began to carefully undress him. The flickering light from the candles lit the room all around them allowing the two lovers to melt together into the night, climbing to their peak.

The ecstasy that Touya gave him was something Izuku could never forget. The strong male pushed inside of him with purpose, whispering soothing praises as he angled himself just right. Izuku cried out loudly as Touya started slamming in, hitting something deep that sparked shocks of pleasure all over.

When Izuku felt himself about to spill over, Touya rasped out "I love you" into his neck.

Izuku whispered "I love you too" back.

. . .

The following four months were perfect for them both, and they passed a full year together. Touya had gotten promoted to manager at the coffee shop by showing top leadership skills and Izuku gotten the highest marks in all his classes.

Izuku couldn't imagine his life without the redhead, even though he still kept it a secret from his family.

Anytime they would ask about if he was seeing anyone, Izuku always said that he was just focused on his studies. It was always fairly easy to hide his relationship since his parents were always too busy with their careers to actually visit him at the apartment. Toshinori only came into Yaizu for the holidays and Mirio was busy with his own studies.

He sometimes went back to his home neighborhood to help his mother with her art and lend a hand to assist her in setting up art shows and book events.

Izuku was particularly excited about a showing he booked for the summer next year in Makinohara, Shizuoka for her.

The venue was always hard to get a hold of because of its popularity. It was a vintage old building with rustic themes that attracted art lovers from all over for its aesthetic. His mom had hugged and kissed him for getting the competitive slot.

They started planning what her next series of paintings were going to be for the show.

But despite the happiness in his family, when Izuku started his second year at university, he could tell Touya was getting a little antsy about being kept a secret.

"Do you think your parents would like me?" Touya had asked him the day after his nineteenth birthday. "Be honest. I know they're going to judge the fact I don't have a degree and I'm estranged from my own family."

The eldest was laying on the floor next to him, watching him paint a portrait of the redhead. Izuku was standing up painting with his hair pushed back by a black headband. The greenette hummed softly as he continued painting captivating blue flames into the background of the oil painting of Touya.

"I think they'll like you no matter what," the greenette reassured. "They know what it's like to be isolated, so there's no issue there. But I still think it's best that we wait until I'm twenty one to tell them. If we can control it."

The redhead laughed as he looked up at the ceiling. "Right, I keep forgetting I'm so old."

"You're not that old," Izuku huffed. "You're still very young."

"Yeah, that's true. At least by that time I'll probably have a more impressive job." There was a pause of silence and Izuku looked down to see Touya studying him with a look of love but uncertainty in his eyes.

"...Would you marry me at that point?"

Izuku nearly dropped his paintbrush at the question. He stared down with wide, surprised eyes at the young adult casually laying at his feet.

"W-Where's this coming from?"

Touya shrugged and continued to give Izuku the same lovesick gaze he always did.

"I was just thinking. When you turn twenty one, we'll have been together for nearly three years at that point. I'll have a better job and you'll graduate soon after that. Meeting the parents is kind of the last stop, right? We're already living together."

Izuku felt his heart pound at the thought. He hadn't considered that.

However, the more he did consider it, the more he saw his future painted beautifully through rose tinted glasses. He could perfectly envision him and Touya happy at family dinners, his parents talking to him easily and understanding what it's like to be estranged.

He could see Mirio and Toshinori chatting with Touya and maybe even helping him move up in the workforce somewhere, to get a more stable position. Then, finally, he could see Touya proposing and them moving into a bigger apartment, coming full circle.

He smiled.

"Yeah," Izuku whispered while blushing. "I guess we would just get married at that point, huh?"

Touya's smile that evening was the brightest thing Izuku had ever witnessed.

Everything in Izuku's life was perfect.

Until one day it wasn't.

"Ten deputies were murdered by the hands of a man who calls himself 'The Hero Killer' in Shizuoka City this morning," the anchor woman reported into the camera on the television.

"Inside sources say that this could have been prevented but there was a slip up at the department and now the policemen in Shizuoka City are mourning deeply. Many worry that this type of strong anti-police symbolism is going to cause copycat like crimes."

Izuku peered up at the television from the portrait of Touya he was drawing in his sketchbook, horrified at the news.

But Touya's face looked pleased. Inspired even.

Izuku stared confusedly at his boyfriend who was grinning as a light chuckle escaped his lips.

"How is that funny?" Izuku whispered. He always knew the redhead had a distaste for the justice system, but he didn't quite understand the amusement of innocent people losing their lives to the hands of a serial killer.

"It's funny because that's what pigs deserve to get, Angel," Touya said coldly without looking at him. "Pigs deserved to get slaughtered."

Izuku stopped drawing.

"What the hell? My dad's a police officer, Touya. You know that," he said cautiously. "That's not okay to say."

"Well, your dad is different, obviously," the redhead said with a small shrug. "He raised an angel like you, so he's clearly a good man. But those policemen in Shizuoka City," he emphasized the statement by gesturing to the ten victims on the television. "They probably deserved what they got."

Izuku frowned as Touya continued on.

"I just can't stand police officers and I'm sorry if that makes you uncomfortable," the deep voice said with just a hint of an apology. "I know your dad is a good guy and all, but I've seen up close for years what the inner workings of that city look like. That's why I left and came here. I just don't understand people who want to become police officers."

Izuku took a deep breath in and nervously fiddled with his fingers. He had been meaning to talk to Touya about a recent choice he had made but he hadn't found a good moment for it.

"...Well," Izuku started in a hushed voice. "I was considering declaring my major in criminology. I was thinking of becoming a detective or something close to it."

Scathing blue eyes turned to him in disbelief.

"_What_?" Touya harshly asked, voice teetering on an aggressive edge. "Why the fuck would you do that? I thought you said you were undecided?"

"I was until I sat down with my advisor last week. You have to declare your major around your second year if you want to graduate on time," Izuku answered like it wasn't a big deal, but the frown on Touya's face said otherwise. He continued on, pushing a curl behind his pierced ear.

"I hadn't given my career much thought the last year. But after talking it over with my advisor and my parents, I kind of think being an officer is the best fit for someone like me."

There was a long, uncomfortable pause and the expression on Touya's features was deeply displeased.

"I thought you were going to be an artist, Izuku?" The fiery redhead asked in a tight voice. Izuku eyed the clenched fist in Touya's lap.

"I still am," the greenette said firmly. He looked up at the usually warm blue eyes but found them to be as icy as glaciers. "M-My advisor was saying that I can still minor in art but since I want to help people directly pursuing a career somewhere in criminology would be best—"

"—No."

Izuku blinked and Touya turned away like the conversation was over.

"No?" Izuku whispered. "What do you mean no?"

"Yeah, I said no. You're not going to be anything _near_ a fucking cop, Izuku."

The greenette looked at his boyfriend, completely baffled. Touya never expressed that his disdain for the justice system was this large of a radical stretch. The redhead only made it seem like he didn't like the obvious injustices that sometimes slipped through the cracks like Izuku.

This was a whole different level of extreme.

"But I want to," Izuku pushed, firmly. "It would mean a lot to me to encompass both of my parents. I can still very much be an artist like my mom while being a cop like my dad. I'm more than capable of it."

Touya shook his head and put his hand up like he wasn't going to go further with the topic. He picked up the remote on the TV and turned up the volume to drive home how much he wasn't interested in continuing.

"We can talk about this more later, but you're not going to be a cop Izuku," Touya hissed. "I'm not going to let you."

At the controlling statement Izuku leaned back, and it earned him a challenging look from Touya.

"What is that supposed to mean?" The freckled male said with a slightly raised voice. The tension in the room climbed when Touya groaned and rolled his eyes. "You can't just tell me what I can and can't do."

"Yes, I can if you're going to make stupid ass decisions and ruin our future, Izuku," Touya hissed.

At the disapproving tone, the future vision of happiness that Izuku had seen through his rose colored glasses slowly dissipated. He blinked rapidly, trying to push back the tears that were quickly gathering.

"I'm not ruining our future," he said with a wobbly voice. "You're supposed to be supportive of m—"

"—I said fucking no!" the redhead yelled, slamming the remote down on the table. The greenette jumped in surprise at the aggressive action. Livid blue eyes glared unforgivingly at Izuku until he felt his heart snap in two. "Now shut the hell up about that. Just sit there and draw—"

Before Touya could continue, Izuku rose up from the couch. The pressure inside the greenette's chest quickly became too much and his throat felt too tight when tears started to spill over.

"Where are you going?" Touya called out after him. Izuku continued to walk away and grabbed his keys and coat. "Izuku, I asked you where are you going!"

"I'm going to go out for a walk to calm down because you're being irrational," Izuku said through tears as he started to put on his coat and shoes. But before he could get far, a large hand yanked his wrist harshly, causing him to stumble backwards.

Izuku whirled around furious, green eyes lit with a fire, but the teal eyes looking down at him were ignited with something else.

"Touya...let me go," the freckled male said, voice low with warning.

He tried to yank back his arm but Touya was stronger.

Confusion climbed steadily each time Izuku failed to free himself from the overpowering male. It wasn't until Touya's free hand shot out to grab his other wrist did the greenette feel real fear.

"You're not leaving just because you're angry," Touya said when Izuku began to outright struggle against him. They went back and forth until green eyes were blinded by tears and the grasps on his slim wrists became disquieting. Izuku yelped in pain when the hold began to hurt and it felt like Touya might snap his bones by accident.

"Let me go!" Izuku shouted, trying to shake free. "Touya, I said let me go, that hurts!"

But the other didn't seem to be listening, too unaware of what he was doing trying to prevent Izuku from leaving. The redhead's mind was reeling on the thought that the greenette would walk out the door and not come back.

"Then stop fucking struggling against me!" Touya yelled back, trying to pull Izuku back into the living room. "Just go sit back down!"

"No! I don't have to do as you say, and I can go for a walk if I want to!" Izuku screamed, but the bruising grip only got tighter at the words. He started whimpering the more painful the grasp became until the redhead violently yanked him forward.

Without a single warning, the pain of a hard backhand slammed into Izuku's face faster than he could think.

The full force of Touya's combined weight and strength sent the smaller male colliding straight into the wooden desk he studied at. Burning pain ignited all over Izuku's body at the brutal impact of the sharp corner of the desk impaling into his side and he let out a helpless cry as he fell down to the ground.

The world seemed to stop spinning in that moment and an eerie silence enveloped the apartment.

Izuku let out a shaky sob as he curled onto the ground holding his side.

"_Shit_," Touya whispered. He immediately sunk down to his knees to comfort the other, but the greenette flinched away from him. The firestorm that had gathered between the couple died down when quiet sobs started to echo between them.

Blue eyes frantically assessed the damage that was done and tried to comfort the other.

"Fuck. _Fuck_. I'm so sorry," Touya's voice cracked, full of mortification. "Izuku, I'm so sorry. I-I didn't mean to do that."

The greenette slowly started to lift himself up on his forearms. He hesitantly brought a shaky hand up to his now throbbing bottom lip and nose. When Izuku pulled his fingers back, both green and blue eyes went wide at the sight of blood.

"You hit me," Izuku said barely above a whisper. The greenette felt everything start to crumble around him and his brain struggled to understand what just occurred.

"Touya, _why_?" He clenched his teeth, trying to hold back more uncontrollable sobs.

Soon the same hands that had hurt him were cradling his face delicately. Fearful green eyes looked into the same ocean blue eyes he had fallen in love with and saw nothing but regret.

Conflicting emotions clashed inside Izuku's chest like lightning.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I-I just lost it," Touya pleaded as he wiped Izuku's face of blood. "Please, I'm so sorry. That won't happen again. I'm so fucking sorry."

Izuku stayed silent, unsure of what to do.

He let the red haired male carefully lift him up, and listened to the string of heartfelt apologies. Touya ushered him into their bathroom and sat him carefully down on the porcelain toilet.

Izuku didn't say a word as his boyfriend pull out the first aid kit. He ignored the feeling of blood trickling out of his nose because his mind was too distracted. Salty tears burned as they sunk into the exposed wound on his lip and other places on Izuku's body started to ache.

Touya kneeled down in front of him with a look of deep remorse as he pulled out the cotton swabs and disinfectant. The burning sensation of the alcohol touched Izuku's bleeding lip and the greenette immediately whined and flinched.

A strong hand reached up to grab his shoulder and hold him in place as Touya tentatively cleaned his face. The redhead's face was knitted in worry as he tended to the damage he caused.

"That won't happen again, okay?" Touya said quietly, keeping his eye on Izuku's bleeding lip. "I just lost my temper. I'll keep it in check next time."

Blue eyes glanced into green and Izuku didn't know what to say or what to believe.

But the look of deep regret and the feeling of love that he had for Touya made him believe that it was a one-time thing.

"It's okay," Izuku whispered, because he really didn't know what else to do. Touya pressed his lips in a thin line and shook his head.

"It's not," the redhead murmured. "I swear that's never going to happen again."

More silence filled the space between them, twisting Izuku's insides all around like a raging tidal wave that threatened to drown him in the reality of what just occurred: Touya lost his temper and struck him.

When he was bandaged up, the couple sat in silence until Touya broke the glass like tension.

"Izuku, I just...I don't want you to be a cop, okay?" The tone of his voice was as soft as air and contradicted everything that just happened. The hands on his arms caressed him lovingly like they always did, trying to coax him to stop crying. "You're better than that. _Please_, just listen to me on this matter. You don't belong to that type of corruption—you belong to me."

Izuku stiffened at the possessive phrase and wearily looked into blue eyes.

"With," the youngest corrected softly through his sore throat. Izuku knitted his brows together unsure. "I belong _with_ you...right?"

"Right," Touya said and gave a tight lipped smile. The hands holding his arms tightened ever so slightly. "With. You belong _with_ me, of course."

In that moment Izuku wanted to believe that Touya had truly meant the latter phrase. However, the longer he stared into the eyes that he loved so much, Izuku realized that the apologetic smile gracing handsome features didn't quite reach the teal colored eyes.

Touya hadn't misspoke.

The following morning when Izuku showered, he stared down at the new garden of bruises blossoming all over his once unblemished body. He tried to repeat to himself that the incident wouldn't happen again, and that it was a one-time occurrence. Touya was complex and had an extremely complicated past. Of course, he would have some demons that needed fixing.

However, believing that didn't stop Izuku's tears from mixing in with the water hitting his face.

Green eyes sadly examined his discolored wrists and choked back a sob when he looked more closely at the ugly purple bruise on his side.

It was shaped like a rose.

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I hope you all enjoyed! Please let me know what you think in the comments below. This was a long awaited chapter as we're diving into Izuku and Touya's complex and toxic relationship. It feeds into the plot directly and I can't wait to hear all the screaming :) Thanks so much for reading!

**Preview of Next Chapter:**

Katsuki remained quiet as he ushered Izuku into his apartment. The greenette had his head down and was eerily quiet, but he didn't expect anything else really. The only belongings Izuku now had left were the sketchbooks in his yellow backpack, his rose bomber jacket tied around his waist and now a new burn scar from the fire.

The blond felt his heart heavy with the need to do fucking _something_ to put a smile on Izuku's face after the shit show that just happened.


	14. Fireproof

Hello all! Welcome to the comfort part of this hurt and comfort and the calm before the storm! :D *cheers* First, wonderful thank you to nmatthews from A03 for betaing this chapter like always! She's great!

Secondly giant I LOVE YOU to the amazing talented Roku_Zero who did fan art for Incinerate! I am in absolute LOVE with this piece she did :) Please be sure to go to check out all her art! She's incredibly talented ;-; I change the cover art for the fic to the piece she did. If you have a twitter be sure to follow her Roku_Zero!

* * *

**Chapter 14 - Fireproof**

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"Mirio, I don't know how many times _both_ Izuku and I have to tell you this, but he is staying here in Shizuoka City. No. I said _no_, son. He's not coming back to Yaizu—"

Toshinori's voice dipped into a harsh whisper on the other side of the hospital room. The tall blond man looked over his shoulder at Shouto, Izuku and Katsuki wearily as he started speaking in an audible tone.

Katsuki kept his red eyes locked on the broad shoulders of his captain as he assumed the man was reprimanding Mirio on the phone. From what Katsuki had gathered, the younger Yagi was pushing for Izuku to come back to Yaizu after news of the entire block of Uchi street being burnt down.

Shouto sat quietly in the hospital room off to the side as they all waited for Toshinori to get finished on the phone.

The way too fucking quiet greenette was sitting perched on the edge of the hospital bed with his head down, bangs covering his face. His hands were clutching his yellow backpack that had a couple small items inside and his rose bomber jacket was wrapped around his waist.

Katsuki exchanged a worried look with Shouto because Izuku was eerily silent.

After his break down, Izuku hadn't said a word. Just held on tightly to the small items he had left. He didn't say anything when the doctors assessed her his burn mark on his right shoulder. Then he didn't say anything if they asked him if he was okay. The greenette had just given an empty nod with a dull look in his eyes.

It worried Katsuki to no end.

"_It's n-not okay__—__I don't have a h-home again."_

The phantom grip of Izuku's hands on his body lingered heavily as Katsuki looked intensely at Izuku.

"Well, I think it's time we all headed out," Toshinori's voice cut through his thoughts. "Sergeant Todoroki, may you please join me in escorting Midoriya and Bakugou safely back to the lieutenant's apartment? I'm officially putting all the U.A officers on high alert and employing the buddy system until further notice."

"Of course, sir." Shouto gave a dutiful nod and glanced briefly at Katsuki. The quick look said enough, and a seriousness sunk deeply into the ash blond's bones.

"Perfect," Toshinori nodded and then turned to walk over to the Izuku who was just blankly staring off into space.

The captain's face switched to a raw and vulnerable expression Katsuki had never seen. The large man placed a gentle hand on Izuku's uninjured shoulder and slowly green eyes raised to look up at him.

"Izuku, are you okay?" The captain's voice was soothing as he sounded like he was balancing himself on eggshells. Blues eyes searched the freckled face and Izuku gave a half nod. "Are you comfortable with staying with lieutenant Bakugou for a while?"

Izuku nodded again and Katsuki felt his heart clenched tightly.

Toshinori sighed before tiredly looking back at Shouto. "Todoroki, can you and detective Midoriya please wait outside for a bit? Maybe check in with the doctors to go over if Midoriya has all his ointments for his injuries. I need to speak to the lieutenant for a while."

Shouto gave a sound of agreement as Izuku got up. The pair walked out of the room with Shouto leading Izuku carefully.

When the door clicked shut, the young lieutenant turned his attention to his superior. He was half surprised to see a stone look of seriousness etched on the captain's face. He knew Toshinori had every right to be concerned, but the intense gaze he was giving him had mixed emotions threaded throughout.

"Katsuki, I have to admit something," The captain began and glanced away out of the window. Katsuki's red eyes followed the motion to stare at the nighttime scene of Shizuoka City. "First off, I'm well aware you and Izuku have been sleeping together for the last month."

All the thoughts in Katsuki's head came to a screeching halt.

He snapped his head away from the city night scene to see blue eyes looking at him with a quirked eyebrow.

The blond opened his mouth and immediately his throat felt dry with shock. Katsuki uncharacteristically stumbled on his words because he thought they had been so goddamn _careful_.

But apparently not.

"Sir, I-I can explain—"

"—No need," Toshinori interrupted. The captain threw his hand up to silence the floundering lieutenant but that didn't silence the pounding in Katsuki's chest. He had no damn clue what was going to happen next. He had just been called out for sleeping with his subordinate.

"I've been aware of it for a while," Toshinori continued. "In case you haven't noticed, we are all detectives, son. I can piece together the simple clues. Like how you two _always_ have matching lunches in the bento boxes that_ I_ purchased for Izuku."

_Fuck_—_those goddamn bento boxes._

Red eyes looked apologetically into blue. "I'm really sorry. It's completely inappropriate and I will put a stop to it immediately. If you would rather Izuku stay elsewhere I fully get it—"

"—Bakugou, I don't care," Toshinori rasped out with an exhausted expression.

Katsuki blinked once and then blinked again unsure if he heard correctly.

"You don't care that Izuku and I are sleeping together?" He parroted just to be clear.

"Well, I did at first. I heavily considered firing you. I asked you to _train_ him, not get into his pants," the elder blond said with a heated judgmental gaze that made Katsuki swallow dryly. But slowly the disapproving expression melted into something almost fond. "Then I realized it has been a long time since I saw Izuku happy. I watched him carefully...his face _always_ lights up how it used to when you walk into the room. Only in this scenario I am willing to turn a blind eye."

The young blond visibly relaxed and bowed grateful for the fact he was allowed to keep his job.

"Thank you, sir—"

"—But please understand that I am protective of him as if he were my own family."

Sharp blue eyes bore down at him and for the first time in Katsuki's life he felt both threatened yet joyful. He glanced away from the intensity, but willing to take the pass he was given.

"Understood," Katsuki said in a low voice.

"However, that's not all I wanted to say," Toshinori said with another long sigh. "Truthfully, Bakugou, I made Izuku your trainee because I know he will be the safest with you...he means a lot to me. You're my best officer. My mind always feels sound knowing he's under your watch because I know you wouldn't let anything happen to him. So, the same goes for while he's staying with you. Watch over him for me please."

"Thank you, sir. I'm happy you think enough of me to trust me that much," Katsuki bowed at the waist for respect of his idol. When he came back up look into the caring eyes of the man in front of him, several things rang all too loudly in his head.

Particularly Izuku's crying.

"Captain, I have a couple of questions," he called out when Toshinori started heading towards the door.

The elder blond turned around, curious and tilted his head at the younger blond. "What are they?"

Katsuki licked his dry lips, the strange taste of bitter ashes and soot still on his face from comforting Izuku. He knew he had to tread carefully, but all the thoughts between Izuku's precinct and the fact Izuku's family died in the same fire as Touya fucking Todoroki felt like too much of a coincidence.

"I understand that you care a lot about Izuku, and that his safety is a high priority to you because you were close to his parents," Katsuki started, maintaining serious eye contact. "So why the _hell_ didn't you tell any of us that his last precinct in Yaizu was burned down to the ground?"

This time it was Toshinori's turn to be stunned.

Katsuki watched how Toshinori's expression went from surprised to sad then finally rested on distant.

The shorter blond stepped forward and dipped his voice low. "Is he in trouble? Be truthful with me. If all of these fires are somehow connected, I need to know _now_."

"No one knows why the precinct was burned down, Bakugou," Toshinori whispered back, looking over his shoulder for a split second to glance out the small window in the door. "The Yaizu police wrote it off as being related to the All For One drug gang because it was identical to the string of crimes happening in Yaizu at the time. You know, the heists where that unique bomb was used."

"Right, the incinerator bomb," Katsuki nodded, taking the information with a grain of salt.

"Yes, that one." The captain paused and raked a hand through his hair, looking conflicted. "But I'll be honest with you, son. I personally don't know if Izuku's precinct burning down is related to any of that. What I do know is that Izuku was secretly investigating the whereabouts of All For One while he was on the force in Yaizu. He told me that much. Boy was hell bent on bringing them in after the fire."

Katsuki furrowed his eyebrows. _Izuku was investigating them? _

"Do you know why he resigned then? If he was investigating them, it feels eerie that it was burned down after he left."

"I do know why," the deep voice replied curly. "That you have to ask him personally. His last work environment wasn't ideal, and he wasn't in the best mental state—given taking on so much with his mental trauma at the time. I want Izuku to be a good officer and work in a good environment that will allow him to flourish after everything he's been through. It's half the reason I brought him here."

"_Half_?" Katsuki emphasized, narrowing his eyes. "What's the other half?"

"...Izuku was the anonymous tip that gave the information that the crimes in Yaizu were done by All For One." Katsuki's eyes widened as Toshinori looked down to the ground full of pain. "He told me this two years after the fire following that goddamn mess at his last precinct. I stepped in and brought him here when I realized they possibly burned it down _because_ he was investigating. He might've gotten too close."

Blue eyes pleaded desperately into red.

"_Please_, Bakugou. Keep a watchful eye over him while he's staying with you. We don't know what's going on with that gang. No one has heard from AFO in years so I assume it's all said and done but between them and this arsonist case you have, things could get sloppy if we trip up—even for a single second."

Katsuki never agreed more with a notion.

"I understand completely, captain," Katsuki said with sternness in his voice. "I'll keep him safe. You have my word."

"Thank you. I-I can't let anything happen to him, not after his parents," Toshinori pleaded with the weight of sadness in his throat. "They were good people, Bakugou, and Izuku is just like them—_good_. I don't know what I would do if I saw all three Midoriyas die in my lifetime."

The words were hefty with regret, sadness and it was the sincerest statement Katsuki had ever heard Toshinori say. He hadn't considered all that together—what it would be like to watch your best friend and his wife die.

Toshinori gave him a sad look as he placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Let's head out, son. It's late and we're all tired."

"Of course, that sounds good," Katsuki replied and he followed the elder male out of the room.

Sitting outside in the bleak waiting room was Izuku hunched over. His head was hanging like his thoughts held the weight of the world and Shouto was beside him with his arms crossed, looking equally as exhausted.

When Izuku lifted his head at the sound of Toshinori's voice calling his name, bloodshot green eyes connected with red.

Soon an unwanted image of Izuku's family happily smiling rushed into Katsuki's head.

He envisioned all three green-haired Midoriyas sitting around laughing with warm expressions on their faces. Then slowly one by one, Izuku's mother faded into ashes, as did his father and they took the smile on Izuku's face with them.

As the greenette walked next to him, Katsuki imagined Izuku fading as well. He could see the man he'd come to know so well disappear like smoke floating away from a flame and it hurt to think after everything.

Right then and there, Katsuki decided he couldn't let that happen. He'd keep his promise to Toshinori no matter what.

The tired blond wordlessly intertwined his fingers together with Izuku's and he felt the smaller male hold on tightly to him.

. . .

Neither of them said a word as he ushered Izuku into his apartment by their joint hands.

The greenette had his head down and was still eerily silent, but he didn't expect anything else really. The only belongings Izuku now had left were the sketchbooks in his yellow backpack, his rose bomber jacket tied around his waist and now a new burn scar from the fire.

The blond felt his heart heavy with the need to do fucking something to put a smile on Izuku's face after the shit show that just happened.

"Well, uh, make yourself at home," Katsuki offered awkwardly. Green eyes looked around sadly at the familiar apartment before offering Katsuki a weak smile. He broke their hands apart and started to toy with the hems of his long-sleeved shirt.

"Thank you," Izuku whispered and it made the blond's ears perk up at the sound of the delicate, hoarse voice. "I think I'm going to go take a shower and wash off. I'll see you in a bit, okay?"

Katsuki nodded in understanding, allowing Izuku to have the space he needed. He walked away and headed into his bedroom, thoughts reeling, body heavy with the need to sleep. He changed into shorts and his sleep tank with a foggy mind, trying to put all the puzzle pieces together in his mind.

He waited in his cold bed for the one person who always brought it warmth but Izuku never came. Red eyes watched the clock slowly tick into ungodly hours before sitting up worried. Katsuki made his way back down the hallway of his apartment towards the bathroom and was even more concerned not to hear water running.

Carefully, he turned the knob, reasoning that he was just checking up on Izuku, but was surprised to see the man, in fact, not taking a shower. White bandages were sprawled carelessly across the marbled tile floor with dirty clothes, but that's not what caught Katsuki's attention.

Sitting inside his tub was Izuku. His knees were pulled closely to his chest and jade eyes looked sadly at the reflection of himself in the surface of the water. His hair was wet, looking as if he had dunked under the water once but there was no effort to clean his soot covered body.

"Ah, you chose a bath?" Katsuki said with a small smile on his face, announcing his presence. "Good call. I'm guessing it's relaxing for you, huh?"

Green curls bounced as Izuku turned his head, surprised to see him. Red eyes softened and the elder male decided to take a seat next to the bathtub on the fluffy red floor mat he had placed on the ground. A beat of silence passed between them as Izuku turned back to looking at the reflection of himself in the ripples of water.

"I didn't have the energy to stand up, truthfully." Izuku gave him another fragile smile before shifting. Katsuki frowned. "But I need the feeling of water against my skin right now."

The blond hummed softly in understanding. He recalled Izuku's love for rain and suddenly now with all the fire shit it made sense why the burn victim would like the cooling sensation of water. Red eyes studied Izuku carefully and he felt fucking awful as he eyed the new stark burn on Izuku's right shoulder.

It was about the size of his hand and surrounding it looked like small tiny islands of multiple open wounds. The greenette's freckled body was covered in not just burns but dirtied black spots from the fire and it looked as if the green eyed man hadn't found the energy to clean himself.

"I have bath bombs. Fully upgrade to a bubble bath if you want to," Katsuki tried to offer, extending to something to make Izuku feel better. Green eyes looked at him still surprised but nodded.

"Okay, that seems nice, thank you," Izuku said back, shyly dipping his head away.

Without needing more from the other, Katsuki got up and walked to the bath bombs Mina had gifted him across the room. He never used them personally because they were given as a gag 'you need to relax more' gift.

He stared down at one that was shaped like a rain droplet and smiled.

The blond turned around with the small item in hand before giving Izuku a smirk, trying to uplift the other's mood. Izuku seemed unable to resist the charm and gave an affectionate half smile in return. Katsuki sunk to his knees on the edge of the white tub as he put the water shaped spa item in the clear water and watched it fizzle.

He snorted at how dramatic the fizzing was. The blue bomb had a colorful center that turned the water into a blend of blue, purple, pink and yellow like a watercolor painting. He was about to say something but the sound of Izuku's soft chuckle stopped him.

Katsuki snapped his head up surprised to look into the freckled face, but green eyes were watching the swirling colors with just a glint of happiness. Those deep, forest eyes then turned towards him with a grateful expression and Katsuki could feel Izuku slowly starting to readjust after the long night.

"Thank you for letting me stay here, Kacchan," the greenette said. "I promise I'll start looking for apartments within the month, so you don't have to worry. I know you like your space."

"Don't worry about that shit, Izuku," Katsuki said while frowning. He leaned over the edge of the tub to look down at the surface of the water that resembled a painting. "Stay here as long as you need, okay? First prioritize getting new clothes and shit and maybe even take some time out to replace your art supplies."

"Right. That makes sense." Izuku nodded before lifting his hand and playing with the colorful pattern with a single finger. Green eyes faded into a distant look again. "It's depressing to think it's all gone. Everything is just ashes, including my mother's paintings and sketchbooks. My dad's police notebooks too…all gone. I have myself, an earring, a jacket and a couple of my own sketchbooks."

Katsuki clenched his teeth in anger at the thought. That goddamn pyro was ruining everything he fucking touched and Izuku had just began to readjust in a new city. The younger male had been through enough, and now this hellbent menace shows up, declares a problem with him, but doesn't fucking elaborate on _what it is_.

"I'm so fucking sorry," the angry blond fumed out. He picked up the small washcloth sitting on the side and began to meticulously clean off Izuku's body for him. "We'll find that bastard, okay? He won't spend time burning down buildings soon. We've been waiting for him to strike again to get a proper lead and I think Shinsou can do the proper forensics this time around. That terrorist left plenty of evidence behind from such a large-scale attack, I'm sure."

The two sat in silence as Katsuki ran the soft towel across Izuku's skin. He noted the full scarring of Izuku's left arm and chest but didn't bat an eye as he stayed focused. The blond could feel the freckled male lean in towards the gentle touch and it nearly broke his heart.

"Katsuki...I think this is all my fault."

His hand stopped moving and Katsuki felt his heart skip a beat.

"..._What_?"

The green-eyed man looked back up at him and this time there were new tears covering his face as the greenette cried in silence.

"I feel like I'm cursed," Izuku's voice cracked and he let out a small sob, clutching his knees closer to his chest. "I think some deity has decided that I deserve to get burned alive."

"You're not cursed, Deku. Why would you say that about yourself?" Katsuki whispered carefully as he resumed cleaning the younger male.

He shook his head when he realized that the greenette probably did think he was underneath some type of fucked up curse. Shit, maybe he would too if he was in Izuku's position.

"Because you only get back what you put into the universe. The rules of karma and all of that." Another heartbreaking sob escaped past Izuku's trembling lips. "I'm starting to believe I'm just bad luck, especially with this arsonist suddenly terrorizing you for something no one understands."

"That makes zero sense," Katsuki hissed and shook his head some more. "You're the sweetest damn person I have ever met. Sometimes too nice to a fault, but there's no way this shit happening to you is _karma_."

Izuku looked away from him and sunk back into the strange quietness like he had been caught in a memory.

They stayed silent as Katsuki finished up cleaning Izuku off from the ashes. He watched how the water dissolved the ugly darkened remains of the fire into the beautiful blue colors of the bath bomb and smiled because at least Izuku was _safe_.

"Let's focus on happy shit right now though," Katsuki's tired voice rasped out. He grasped a handful of bubbles and playfully entangled them into Izuku's hair with a smile. "No more fire talk. Tell me what you want out of life."

The greenette tilted his head at him in confusion. "Huh? What kind of question is that?"

"Go on. Just tell me. I wanna know all the big and little things you want out of life. Focus on those things instead of arson talk. We're gonna end on a lighter note, got it?" He flashed a smirk to the other and prayed that this would work. He couldn't stand seeing Izuku look so goddamn broken anymore.

"I just want to be happy," Izuku confessed after giving it thought but Katsuki just shook his head.

"Be more specific, freckles. Gotta give me a list of whatever would make you happy if you wanna head to bed."

Izuku nodded before shrugging his shoulders tiredly. "I always wanted a dog. A Shiba Inu specifically," he said and Katsuki quirked an eyebrow at the imagine of Izuku with a puppy. He briefly wondered if his apartment allowed pets as Izuku continued speaking.

"I also wanted my own home art studio, if that counts. One where it's mostly windows and natural light shines in perfectly. I also really want for my workplace to feel like a family of sorts."

"All good shit I have to admit," Katsuki laughed and Izuku cracked a small chuckle. Red eyes lovingly looked into green before resting against the edge of the tub and swirling some of the blue and purple colors on the water himself. "Keep going, Deku. I wanna hear more."

"I want to go to all the cool museums, learn how to ice skate and maybe even go to another baseball game." Izuku gave a wider smile before nervously licking his lips. "And I-I want to live out my d-dream."

"What's your dream?" Katsuki asked curiously.

Like fireworks, Izuku's eyes began to light up with life again. Passion leaked over into deep emerald colored irises and Katsuki felt his heart squeeze at the sight.

"I want to be a good officer and be a good artist—to embody my parents equally," Izuku whispered it like it was a secret. "I feel close to my mother whenever I do art and I feel close to my father when I serve on the force. It helps fill that part of me that misses them. I feel whole again when I do both."

Katsuki looked sadly at Izuku and the smile on his face.

The elder man has seen this look before, but he had never heard the explanation. The deep look of passion on the younger man's face contained an underlying sadness like old paint under new. Still there but not quite visible.

That was the look the greenette always gave whenever he would speak about his parents.

"I just want to be a symbol of their love," Izuku said.

Immediately the imagery of the rose him and Izuku painted popped into his head.

"Like a rose," Katsuki said with a smirk. "The kind you told me your mother used to grow."

Green eyes widened then softened. "I like that a lot. Okay, yeah, I want to be a rose for them. Just a symbol of their love because they fought so hard for it...but it feels like the universe always has other plans."

The end of the sentence died off into a whisper and Izuku's face twisted in hurt.

"If I am a flower, that makes sense. I'm very flammable it seems like," Izuku sneered bitterly, turning his head away.

Red eyes widened at the statement, not anticipating such a dark morbid metaphor.

"What the _fuck_, Izuku—"

"—Sorry. I get cynical sometimes."

"You're not flammable, fucking hell. Please don't ever say that shit about yourself again," Katsuki hissed. He reached out and gently pulled Izuku's face back to look at him. The bloodshot green eyes were tired and stuck in hopelessness.

"If anything, I would say you're fireproof," the blond whispered, wiping away new tears that were forming.

Izuku let out a dry laugh before looking at the elder man strangely. "The left side of my body would disagree _immensely_ with you."

"Just hear me out," Katsuki said with the best smirk he could muster. "You survived the fire that took your family and you survived this one. The chances of that are very low,"—_almost too damn low_—"But you're alive and sitting in my bathroom taking a bubble bath with me. You're strong and if anything, you're fireproof. If it is a deity that's pissed off at you for whatever reason, you seem to have a guardian angel who disagrees."

Katsuki tried his best to translate how he felt through the gaze he was giving Izuku. He wanted the beautiful green-eyed man to know that it was all going to be fine and that he cared for him more than _anything_—

—_wait_.

Katsuki's thoughts came to a stop.

He felt his skin grow hot and blush slowly crept down his neck.

_More than anything?_

"Hm. I never thought of it like that," Izuku whispered, snapping the confused blond out of his daze. "Thank you, Katsuki."

The elder man half nodded his head, pushing down what he just admitted to himself.

"No problem, Izuku. I'm just glad you're safe," he whispered and steered his thoughts fucking far away from _that_ dangerous territory. "As for all those things you want, we can definitely do some of those. I ain't the best on skates but fuck it, we can learn together. It's about to be winter soon anyways."

Izuku immediately perked up.

"_Really_? You'd go ice skating with me?"

The fragile hope in Izuku's eyes made Katsuki realized his initial thought wasn't wrong.

"Yeah...I would," he said barely above a whisper.

_I'd do anything for you. _

. . .

The first few days after the fire on Uchi street were as gloomy as Katsuki expected them to be.

Shouto had approached him the day after and he tried his best to tell half and half to chill the fuck out for a while.

"You can ask him about shit later," Katsuki remembered whispering harshly to the other male. "Give him some time to adjust to the fact he's basically starting over—again."

"I get it, but let's please do it soon?" Shouto asked with a desperate expression. The youngest Todoroki would anxiously stand in his office, wanting to know exactly why Izuku was at Touya's funeral.

Frankly, Katsuki had wanted to know too.

Originally, he had planned to ask Izuku if it was okay for them all to have a sit-down dinner the day following the fire. But the words died in his throat when he came home to the sight of the sullen greenette curled up on his couch, back facing away from the TV screen.

It felt like a brick shattered his peace of mind to see someone like Izuku who was normally so full of sunshine and life just...sad.

Which is why he told Shouto to back the hell off until further notice.

He figured they'd all sit down and talk when Izuku returned back to the precinct, which wasn't anytime fucking soon if he had any say in it. The greenette had tried to push to go back after a full week but Katsuki _avidly_ disagreed.

Mainly because while lying in bed at night that week, Izuku startled awake three times from what he guessed were nightmares. Green eyes would always look around frantically, and Izuku would breathe heavily, covered in a cold sweat.

Katsuki pretended to be asleep when Izuku would let out shaky sighs. He didn't say a word when Izuku would gently touch his face as if checking that he was real.

Then the spooked greenette would curl in tighter to him and go back to sleep.

Izuku wasn't ready. The young detective was nowhere near ready to balance being an officer just yet but Katsuki could sense the greenette's emotions stabilizing.

It wouldn't be long, but just...not right now.

Izuku made no effort to make a move on him sexually and he was okay with that. The greenette looked to be tired and he didn't expect him to have the effort to part take in bedroom activities. But that didn't stop Izuku from lingering closely to him when he was home and curling into his side whenever possible.

Halfway through the second week Katsuki could feel Izuku starting to smile at him more regularly but it didn't go unnoticed how the greenette would be scribbling in his notebook or sometimes just drawing during late nights.

One particular night, Izuku didn't come to bed and it worried Katsuki enough that he stayed awake until 2:00 am waiting.

The greenette never came so he stood up slowly, feeling the red rug beneath his feet sink under his weight.

The worried blond found the green haired man sitting in the kitchen just drawing under the white light. When Katsuki was about to approach he was stopped by the sound of a soft hum. It was gentle and melodic, and it made he realize that Izuku was just having some time to himself.

A small smile spread on Izuku's lips as he sketched, and it made Katsuki quietly backtrack without being noticed.

The sound of Izuku's soft singing gave him an idea.

. . .

"You want us to _what_?" Kirishima asked after work, officially two weeks after the Uchi street fire.

"You heard me hair for brains," Katsuki huffed, rolling his eyes "I want you all to take Izuku out all day Saturday. He's just been laying around my place all depressed and shit. He seems okay with the isolation for some reason, but I would rather he actually have some friends outside of me."

He looked intensely at Sero, Denki and Kirishima who we're all confused but Mina looked beyond amused.

"I think this is very sweet of you, Bakugou," Mina giggled, giving him a pat on the shoulder. "Love really works wonders, huh?"

At the mention of love, Katsuki felt himself pause and verbally stutter. An imagine of Izuku's freckled face and his soft singing rushed into his mind, making a warm feeling swell in his heart.

It was more than he could take in that moment.

Without any warning, his defense mechanism kicked in full swing to deflect from thinking about _love_ of all things.

"Why would you say that? I'm not fucking in love with him," he hissed, contradicting the growing red tinge on his cheeks. All eyes on him looked greatly unconvinced. "I-I just want to be sure he's not fucking depressed."

"Uh, sure dude," Mina said with a quirked eyebrow. She raised her hands in defense and gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry to drop the 'L word' on you like that. Didn't know it was such a trigger."

"It's not a fucking _trigger—_" Katsuki hissed but then stopped himself. He let out a groan before running his hand through his blond spikes and taking a deep breath. "You know what? Whatever. Just, _please_, can you guys keep him out all day Saturday? I need this to be a surprise."

Denki laughed lightly before raising his hand in a salute. "Of course, lieutenant! You have our word!"

Kirishima and Sero gave him soft looks and agreed with Denki but Mina's gold eyes were assessing him curiously.

Katsuki looked away from them with clenched teeth because he wasn't sure if he was ready to understand the concept of love between him and Izuku just yet.

The entire walk back to his apartment that evening the words 'love' and 'Izuku' kept jumbling up in his head. They floated around and the heat inside his chest only made him more puzzled. The concept was riddled with confusion for him because it had been such a long time since he had told anyone 'I love you' and he was really fucking stunted in that part of his vocabulary.

Sure, he cared for freckled man, and Izuku was both beautiful and cute. He was multi-talented in cooking, art, and _apparently,_ he had an angelic singing voice. Izuku also balanced him out and he wanted the green-eyed man there next to him when the day started and ended.

He just never considered that it was love. They had only known each other for a little under five months, even though they spent practically every day together.

Katsuki groaned when he realized it wasn't something so fucking farfetched. Close spaces made shit move quicker and right now him and Izuku were past close. The damn man was living with him and it felt so _right_.

But love was dangerous.

It was something that had burned him harshly before and consumed his heart past repair into its flames. And Katsuki knew he wasn't fireproof towards that type of fire.

However, when he arrived back to his place that evening the smell of sweet and spicy katsudon filled his nostrils and out waltz the very man who had been consuming his thoughts, Katsuki couldn't control the smirk that grew across his face. Izuku reached up and gave him a kiss and took his hand.

Izuku made him happy. That's all he needed to know for now.

. . .

When Saturday came, he told Izuku to go out with the squad and have some fun. Originally Izuku was confused why he was pushing it so hard but Katsuki quickly covered his tracks and said they all wanted to go out and have fun with him.

"Why do they only want to hang out with me again?" Izuku mumbled as he put on his new red beanie for the cold weather.

"Because they think I'm lame, nerd," Katsuki smiled, carefully wrapping his red scarf around Izuku's neck. "You should hurry, they're already downstairs. Plus, I'm sure you're sick of my stiff ass by now. I'm not that much fun despite what you say."

Izuku laughed and pushed him in a joking manner. "I'd never be sick of you, Kacchan."

Katsuki cursed himself even more when a familiar feeling of a flame in his chest flickered at the sentence. His eyes softened and he smirked down at the shorter male. Sparkling emerald eyes looked up at him with just as much care and it made his heart skip a beat.

"W-Well, you should get going before Kirishima starts to think we're fuckin' or something," he whispered, looking away. He could see the confused look Izuku gave him a strange stutter in his words.

"Okay, I'll see you later," the curly haired man smiled sweetly before rising to his tippy toes and giving a quick kiss. "Try not to have too much fun without me!"

Katsuki just laughed and watched Izuku leave out, eyeing the rose on the back of his bomber jacket.

When the door clicked, Katsuki quickly whipped out his phone and started looking up various things.

"Now, where to fucking start," he whispered to himself as he scrolled down the screen, not minding the prices he saw.

The busy blond walked into his old home office that he barely used anymore and looked around at all the large windows and how the sun perfectly spilled inside.

. . .

**[E. Kirishima]: Operation 'Green bean' has been perfectly executed! We're heading back to your place in T minus 5 minutes lieutenant. Better have everything finished ;) **

Katsuki lifted his white t-shirt to wipe away the beads of sweat that had gathered on his brow with a small huff. He looked at the text from Kirishima on his phone and felt his heart start to slam against his chest in anticipation.

Red eyes nervously glanced around at the newly revamped room and hoped that it wasn't too damn much. Katsuki quickly got to his feet when he heard the lock on the door turn and he let out a soft curse when he realized he was still covered in sweat.

"Kacchan, I'm back!" Izuku's soft voice called out.

Katsuki hurried and left the room before shutting the door softly. He walked out into the hallway trying his damn best to look non incriminating.

"Your friends are a lot to handle all at once, not going to lie. But we went to this really cool...arcade." The sentence trailed off when Izuku looked Katsuki up and down. "Um...did you just finish working out?"

"Yeah, something like that," Katsuki murmured, waving his hand dismissively.

Green eyes looked at him unsure before just shrugging and holding his hand out to the taller man. It was then that Katsuki noticed the small green bag with a red bow in Izuku's other hand.

"Here's your spare key," Izuku said through a smile as Katsuki took the key. "Thanks for encouraging me to go out. It actually really helped a lot! I feel a lot better."

"Really?" Katsuki asked, toying with the gold item in his hand. It felt heavier than usual as he considered a serious gesture.

"Yeah! I think I get into my head a lot, but being around people always helps pull me out," Izuku chuckled as he took his outerwear off to hang up by the door. "What do you want for dinner? Feeling sweet or spicy?"

The greenette gave his signature teasing smiling as he poked Katsuki's cheek, but the taller man's hand reached out to entangle their fingers. Green eyes looked at their joint hands confused for a second when a very serious expression settled on Katsuki's face.

Fire filled eyes blazed with a million different thoughts as he gripped the spare key in his hand tightly.

"I have a surprise for you," Katsuki said through a smirk.

Izuku tilted his head slightly like a fox before allowing himself to be led down the hall. They stopped in front of the door the freckled haired man had known as Katsuki's work-study and Izuku looked even more confused than before.

"Is the surprise on your bookshelf inside?" The youngest asked confused, scrunching his nose. Katsuki just rolled his eyes and gestured for Izuku to just hurry up and open the damn door.

The unsure green-eyed man did as he was told, and it felt like everything happened in slow motion for the once-workaholic. While he knew the wooden door was nothing more than a door it felt like it represented so much more as he waited for Izuku to see what was on the other side.

Izuku opened the door with his hand holding the small green bag and the reaction was instantaneous. The green bag dropped to the ground and both of Izuku's hands flew over his mouth at the sight.

Green eyes took in the newly decorated room, fully not expecting to see gentle white fairy lights hung all around and several easels with blank canvases on them. Katsuki could see Izuku stifle a sob at the sight of paint brushes, paint tubes, and several potted flowers on the desk sitting off in the corner.

"K-Katsuki...Y-You…" Izuku tried to start but the words became stuck in his throat. Green eyes started to water, and it worried the blond slightly when he saw the tears start to flow down. But when Izuku removed his hand, there was an unmistakable smile.

"Y-You did this for _me_?" The freckled man turned around, curls bouncing gently as he looked at Katsuki with affection and disbelief.

The now blushing blond rubbed his neck and shrugged like it wasn't a big deal but truthfully, he had worked his ass off all day to get this done in time.

"Yeah, I figured I don't really use my study that often, and you could use something that'll make this apartment feel like a home a bit," he explained in a slightly embarrassed voice. He walked all the way into the now art studio and gestured towards the couch. "I left the couch here just in case you have some nights I get too annoying and you wanna have some space to yourself."

Izuku let out a laugh through his happy tears and started furiously wiping away the tears that were freely falling. When Izuku didn't seem to stop crying Katsuki walked up worried.

"Is...is this too much?" He whispered.

"No," Izuku smiled and shook his head, wiping away the last few tears. "Katsuki, this is perfect. This is literally how I imagined it. I-I...I was beginning to think I'd never get my art studio," Izuku whispered sadly and it made Katsuki's chest swell with pride that he was able to provide one of Izuku's wants for him.

The greenette let out a small burst of laughter as he bent down to pick up the small green bag off the floor with an embarrassed smile. "Wow, my gift seems so silly now."

Katsuki perked up surprised at the words, red eyes zeroing on the bag in Izuku's hands. "Wait, you got me a gift?"

Izuku nodded and opened the bag with mildly shaky hands. "It's nowhere near as grand and wonderful as all of this b-but I got it as a thank you for everything you've done for me so far." Rose colored blush covered the greenette's freckles and Katsuki felt his heart squeeze in anticipation. "I saw them while I was out and it made think of you, or, er, think of us?"

"What is it? I'm sure it's not silly or whatever," Katsuki said with a smirk but his thoughts were reeling. He had never felt fuller than he did in this moment and the grin Izuku was wearing through his tears looked so _pure_.

The younger male's bandaged hand reached in to pull out two simple black bracelets with silver puzzle piece charms. Red eyes widened at the sight and Izuku smiled shyly.

"I know you like puzzles so when I saw these, I thought of you," Izuku muttered. "I had a really rough last two weeks, but you were always there smiling and trying to make me happy. Even when I was cynical and in a down swing. Y-You kinda...You remind me of a puzzle piece. I f-feel whole when I'm with you, Katsuki_—_like we fit together well."

The blond allowed Izuku to step forward and gently slide on the sleek black bracelet around his wrist. He watched how the nimble hands of the artist in front of him adjusted the string to fit perfectly and then did the same with the other bracelet for himself.

Katsuki didn't say anything as he assessed the matching jewelry with awe. He couldn't think of the last time someone did something like this for him, not his parents, not Takeyama, not even his friend at the station. Izuku made him feel special.

"Is this too much?" Izuku asked, echoing Katsuki's earlier question. Green eyes looked nervously up at him.

In that moment Katsuki felt his heart explode with emotions that had laid dormant in his chest for so long. They sparked to life, flickering with the gasoline that Izuku had just poured all over them and combusted into a burning new flame.

"No," Katsuki rasped out as he lifted both hands up to cradle Izuku's face. "Just the right amount."

He sunk down to give a gentle kiss that quickly gathered heat that had always been undeniable between them. Izuku's needy hands clung on tightly to him and the flame in his chest burned brighter. The greenette reached up to turn the lights off, but it only left the fairy lights shining brightly in the room like a thousand fireflies.

Katsuki could feel a shift this time around as they began to stumble backwards into the newly arranged room to land on the couch. He couldn't place the feeling as he squeezed Izuku's waist tightly in his hands and he pressed forward, trying to chase the heat. His thoughts were racing but all the feelings of euphoria engulfing him in everything about Izuku and it felt like he had stumbled into a deep sea.

He could feel Izuku, beautifully fucking complicated Izuku, smile lovingly into the kiss and laced their hands together as the silver charms on their hands dangled. It wasn't long before the blond was unbuttoning the shirt Izuku was wearing and trailing butterfly light kisses all the way down the scarred chest.

Katsuki stopped at each sensitive pink bud, drinking in all the sounds Izuku let out as he worked his way all the way down, planting delicate kisses on each scar on the way down like a roadmap before ridding them of their clothes altogether.

That night when Katsuki sunk into Izuku he studied the bow in the freckled back when the greenette arched off the couch. He studied how Izuku's hands grabbed his shoulders for stability and how his brows knitted together intensely.

He took his time as he watched Izuku's face twist and turn and felt like he was drunk on mutters of 'Kacchan' that were spilled over and over again. He could feel Izuku moan and twitch with each time he slammed into his sweet spot and held down his hips, because he just wanted to give Izuku everything.

He wanted to give Izuku a home, safety and more. He wanted to give him everything and make sure he was happy. He rolled his hips slowly, making sure to press deeply at just the right angle and whispered sweet nothings into soft curly hair as Izuku wrapped his arms and legs around him with a heaving chest.

Right when Katsuki felt himself moving more feverishly deep inside of Izuku's tightness, he heard Izuku begin to cry out for him.

"I'm close! I-I think I'm going to_—_ah!" Izuku cried, nails sinking deep into the skin of his back. The blond above him only jerked his hips quicker and made more needy pleas spill from his lips. "K-Kacchan, I think I-I lo_—fuck_!"

The greenette came with a loud cry and the shock of the almost words pushed Katsuki over the edge. Red eyes widened as his orgasm ripped through him and the moment caused him to hold on tighter to the quivering smaller man.

Their heavy breathing echoed into the room as Katsuki stayed seated deeply inside Izuku. Both sets of eyes were wide as they held onto each other, but neither mentioned the slip up.

Katsuki sat up to look down at Izuku who was glancing off to the side as if surprised by himself and refused to meet the gaze of the man above him. The blond's busy mind finished off the sentence for him, but he couldn't find the courage to say it out loud.

_I think I love you—_

So instead he just leaned down and placed a gentle kiss against Izuku's temple.

. . .

The next three days went by and neither him nor Izuku mentioned the words that had nearly stumbled past Izuku's lips that night. But there was a new flame in Katsuki's heart that he couldn't even deny, and he could see Izuku look at him differently as well.

The greenette greatly seemed to enjoy his new studio and it seemed to speed up Izuku's mood and adjustment to living with him. The greenette would happily prance around the apartment in paint covered overalls with smudges of colors on his cheeks from sloppily painting.

Which brings them to now, with Katsuki laid sprawled out happily across the couch in the art studio, lazily looking through some of Izuku's old sketchbooks.

The greenette gave him permission to look through a couple of the old sketchbooks, just not all of them. He opened the one he remembered seeing the first time he ever went over to Izuku's apartment. He skipped over the half-finished portrait of the male inside that had been apparently drawn on the date as the 'Hero Killer' issues in his life.

But he frowned when he noticed the drawings in this one notebook seemed to dwindle, like Izuku hadn't been drawing during that time in his life. The dates were spaced few and far between and there were more sad poems listed inside with small portraits of what looked to be himself with bruises.

He curiously eyed the happily painting man on the other side of the room who returned his gaze with a smile. Katsuki bit the inside of his cheek on whether to ask about it and just when he thought he would, his fingers turned to the next page.

The new drawing showed a breathtaking scenic view of a dense forest. It was shaded in black and white and in the scene, there was the back of a male on a suspended wooden bridge. The drawing was well rendered and Katsuki wondered what real life location inspired it.

He looked curiously at the bottom to see a date from three years ago and a strange line scrawled across the bottom in Izuku's handwriting.

_I was told today to "think bigger, little flower" but the bigger I think the more I blur the lines between trying to do good and trying to be good. _

_I haven't felt like a good person in a while._

Katsuki couldn't help but tilt his head, curiosity deepening. He wondered what that could mean because Izuku was good. There was no question about it. Toshinori knew it, he knew it, so why would Izuku write something like this?

He flipped the page, hoping to see more, but the remaining two pages of the sketchbook were ripped out.

"Kacchan, what do you think?" Izuku called out, stepping away from the canvas and gesturing him over. "I need your artistic eye."

The blond felt himself pulled away from his pondering back to reality as he shut the black sketchbook. He walked over to the short artist who was wearing a happy smile and there on the canvas was a surreal portrait of himself intertwined with clear, fresh water.

He was stunned by the hyperrealism, but even more so to see himself compared to water. He smiled down at Izuku and affectionately held his shoulders from behind.

"Looks perfect as always, but I think you missed my frown," he teased. "Ain't really a Bakugou Katsuki portrait if I'm not frowning."

"You're right, what was I thinking. A _smile_? In this economy?" Izuku laughed and elbowed him lightly in the side.

Katsuki chuckled deeply and Izuku smiled sweetly before clearing his throat to speak again. "Also, uh, I gave some thought to what you said about me being fireproof rather than flammable," the green-eyed man glanced up at him with a soft look. "I think I like that analogy better. Thank you."

"Good, that fits you much better anyways." Katsuki flashed a smirk and playfully ruffled Izuku's hair.

They exchanged soft kisses and continued talking, but out of his peripheral Katsuki couldn't help but eye the black sketchbook on the couch. He wondered about the missing pages, the bruises, and the last thing written inside.

_The bigger I think the more I blur the lines between trying to do good and trying to be good._

* * *

I hope you enjoyed! I know this is a shorter chapter but I still loved writing it ^_^ next is a continuation of Izuku's past. Thanks so much for reading! Please leave a comment below! 💛

**Preview of next chapter:**

Izuku couldn't get Kai's words out of his head as he walked back to his apartment. He tried to shake them off but they stuck like a bad song on repeat in his thoughts. He didn't want to believe Touya would be capable of hurting him like that, plus Kai didn't know Touya. Touya loved him and they were working on his outburst. All Kai knew is that he showed up late to class with a busted lip.

The tired greenette sighed as he made his way all the up the wooden staircase but the closer he got to his apartment he frowned. Why was the door open?


	15. Thorns

Hello! I bring you some angst! (My favorite flavor too). Sorry about being mildly behind in updating! I had finals the past 2 weeks, but I survived! I was lucky enough to get a day off to focus, sit down and write this chapter and keep us on the 2-week update schedule :)

Thank you all SO much for reading this story and I just wanna express how amazing you all are for sticking with this long-winded story and plot :) This is currently my favorite story I'm writing. This plot means a lot to mean that you all enjoy it this much. Thanks for the 1700+ kudos on A03 and all the reviews here on FF. I appreciate all the comments, and all the love! You are all amazing!

Big shoutout and thank you to my love and BETA buddy, nmatthews on AO3 like always who puts up with betaing my long ass chapters every two weeks :) Give her a medal! Honestly like wow. She polishes up the chapters so incredibly every time.

Alrighty, let's get started on this chapter!

**Warnings: Domestic Abuse up close and in detail.**

* * *

**Chapter 15 - Thorns **

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.

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Izuku often dreamed in vivid swirling colors. They intertwined like long, airy ribbons in an intricate contemporary dance and floated in and out of his thoughts whenever he woke.

He liked to believe they were a direct reflection of his life and a premonition for the future because the dreams would always be saturated, bright colors.

Each time he had a dream like this, it reminded him of the happiness his parents had cultivated for him because passionate red would often be the most dominating color.

Then when he met Touya these dreams shifted to intense rosy pink for an entire year and he dreamed of their future together in extreme colorful detail. He pictured everything with Touya to be tinted in love but after the first incident, the bright pinks faded into a stale, dull purple.

His dreams started to consist of blue and purple hues in the same abstract shapes as the bruises he would start to show up to class with. They would take weeks to fade, and he could feel people beginning to stare and whisper.

Especially Chisaki Kai, his chemical engineering teaching assistant.

Izuku remembered how those gold eyes narrowed like a hawk when he walked in after the first time with purpled wrists and a busted lip. The wound was freshly scabbed over but still sore and inflamed, matching perfectly with the hand marks on his skin.

The PhD candidate didn't ask him anything but when he passed back the exams that day after the first incident, Kai looked down at Izuku in a strange knowing manner without saying a word.

This happened every single time. The green haired teen would look away, feeling strangely ashamed each time. And it began to happen more than he liked to admit.

Touya's outbursts hadn't gotten better, despite the man he loved saying that it wouldn't happen again.

Two months had gone by and there were two more incidents, spaced far between each other enough to lull Izuku into security then rip it from him again.

The first was a plain argument.

Izuku couldn't recall the topic, even if he wanted to. It was clear the issue at hand wasn't really what was eating away at them, causing everything to escalate all too quickly and ending in another brutal slap.

The second time was triggered by another argument about Izuku's career: the real issue.

The topic had come up again when Touya found out that Izuku had in fact, not changed his major. The freckled sophomore hoped that he could change Touya's mind and make him understand how important it was to him, but it was fruitless.

Touya swore up and down that he would never let Izuku become a cop—not if he could help it.

The conversation followed up with another screaming match that segued into Izuku being shook violently for not listening until he started crying for Touya to stop. The redhead held onto him in a bruising grip as he overpowered him. Izuku's head began to hurt and he felt nauseous as he tried to push the larger male off him.

The cries seemed to snap Touya back to reality, out of his clouded angry headspace. Then like clockwork, the situation was diffused with more apologizes.

Izuku stood there shocked, gritting his teeth and trying to ignore the pain in his arms from the death grip.

But the more he listened to Touya's pleas, I love yous, and sorrys…

...He let it go again.

To avoid that happening again, Izuku walked over to campus later that day to change his major, face full of tears.

He didn't look at the woman in the eye, trying to reason with himself that he was doing this to stop triggering Touya. He wanted their relationship to go back to normal and move past this bump, so Izuku did what he felt was best. But it made his chest squeeze with turmoil because the ginger's trauma and anger were so closely tied with policemen due to his father.

Izuku couldn't help but feel a growing hate for Enji for tainting Touya's view of officers as the kind woman told him his major was officially engineering instead of criminology. He figured him and Touya would come back to the topic another time as he devised a plan to try to sit down with Touya and unravel and work through his issues.

And when they did start to talk about Touya's upbringing in detail it was far more horrific than Izuku could've imagined.

Listening to the stories of how Touya's father twisted his position made Izuku realize_ no wonder_ his boyfriend got so easily heated about police and the justice system.

He learned from Touya about Enji taking money from politicians for endorsements and even sometimes working with criminals to advance his own placement in the force to make himself look better.

Izuku remembered how he tried to reason with Touya that not everyone in the justice system was like that—most police were good. His own father, Hisashi, was good.

Touya never disagreed with this, but he also didn't budge on his beliefs that Izuku joining the force would corrupt him.

So, they never spoke about it again.

They were both stubborn on their own fronts like a rock and a hard place and the notion of Izuku's career floated between them.

Touya's ideal future involved himself making the majority of the money and taking care of Izuku while the greenette would stay at home most of the time.

The picture that Touya painted seemed comfortable, but it wasn't what Izuku wanted and Touya didn't seem to understand that.

When the tension was too thick, Izuku told Touya he was going home for the holidays. The end of the semester had finally come around and the greenette figured they could use some apart.

His boyfriend just nodded, not objecting to the idea that they needed space.

Which brought him to being back in his childhood home, helping chop vegetables for katsudon alongside his father in the kitchen. He sliced each one while in deep thought, having no clue what to do or say about his future. So instead he listened idly to the news that was on in the background.

"Two more police officers have been found dead on the outskirts of the city," the voice of the newswoman carried into the house. "Officers are beginning to suspect that this new string of targeted killings was inspired by the rise and fall of the Hero Killer that was in Shizuoka City four months ago. Some believe that it's connected deeply with the drug gang, All For One, who always seems to have a handle on the city..."

"Hey, Izuku?" The soft caring voice of his father spoke over the television.

"Hm?"

"I know this is gushy, but I just wanted to say I'm proud of you," Hisashi said with a smile, dimple showing on his face. "When you told me about making your major criminology, I couldn't help but feel a little bit of pride."

Izuku stopped chopping and felt a lump began to swell in his throat.

"Y-Yeah?" Izuku whispered. Sad green eyes looked down at his reflection in the knife he was holding.

"I told everyone at the station about it! I'm sorry I couldn't help myself. The fact that you got your mother's gift and want to be a police officer too—it's just—" Hisashi paused to push up his glasses before turning to look at Izuku with admiration. "You're everything we could've hoped for a in a son."

"...Thanks, dad." Izuku have a soft weak smile in return. His mind was racing, trying to find a way to tell it father that he in fact was no longer a criminology major.

His heart squeezed at the idea of disappointing his parents. He knew no matter what he said they'd be supportive, but the look of love in his father's cinnamon colored eyes was too warm to correct him.

"Also, hope you don't mind, but I lined up an internship for you at my station for next semester—if you want it."

Izuku's mind stopped thinking and his eyes widened at his father.

"Y-You got me an internship?" He said in disbelief. "B-But I didn't even show anyone my grades or classes or my skills—"

"Don't worry about that, son! Ha, what's the point of having a sergeant father if I can't pull a couple of strings?" His father grinned wider and Izuku felt himself beginning to sink. "Plus, it was my Captain's idea. He knows you're a good kid. After I told him about you settling on a career choice, he told me you could shadow me directly to see if it is a good fit for you."

Izuku opened his mouth, his throat constricting and tears on the verge of his eyes.

His thoughts kept circling back to Touya because he _knew_ the red head wouldn't approve of this but...how could he reject this after his dad went out of his way?

When Izuku didn't respond, Hisashi worried that he's overstepped. A glimmer of disappointment flashed in the elder Midoriya's brown eyes.

"If you don't want it, I get it. You can tell me no, Izuku. Hanging out with your old man at his job isn't the coolest thing—"

"No!" The word fumbled out of his mouth before he could stop it. "I-I mean this is great. Thanks so much, dad."

Hisashi grinned wide and proud and patted Izuku on the shoulder. "Perfect! Ah, this is so exciting! We're going to make a great team!"

His father embraced him in a warm hug. It was tight and all the excitement radiating off the other green haired man was too much to tell him no.

Izuku hugged his father back, smiling weakly.

He realized he had no clue how he was going to tell this to Touya. The greenette winced at the thought of mentioning police to Touya as he recalled the sharp pain that always followed.

The rest of his break passed peacefully, settling Izuku into a new air.

He began the internship with his father, and he loved it more than he could have possibly thought.

Part of him was hoping he'd hate it, that he would never want to step foot in a police station again to make the decision easier regarding Touya—but it was the opposite. Now it was harder.

Seeing his father in action and working alongside him only fueled and made the idea of being an officer more concrete. And Izuku was good at every case his father gave him.

There was one puzzling case in particular his father was working on.

The elder Midoriya was on an elite squad investigating an elusive drug lord by the name Shigaraki. The man held no first name on file, and he seemed more like a concept, a symbol of evil, than he did a real person.

His father worked tirelessly on this case trying to figure out where their headquarters could be located to stunt the ruthless killing of police officers that started, and drugs being peddled into the city. He wanted to pull the gang out at the root but instead he kept getting the branches and thorns while the roots only seemed to grow deeper and deeper in Yaizu.

When they tried to trace these branches to where they could lead, it was always a dead end. But that didn't deter Hisashi from his bright spirit. Seeing the light brown eyes of his dad praise him and laugh on the job showed Izuku how much joy his father got from helping people despite sometimes losing a case.

Hisashi handled every case with care, and he was both personable and professional to the point it was astonishing.

The elder Midoriya was graceful in his own right, moving like a soldier that had all the poise of a dancer. Izuku felt his heart fill as he listened to his father talk about helping serve and protect those in need.

The internship was set to span into the new semester. Originally, Izuku had full intentions of telling Touya about it. However, when he got back to his apartment and saw the smiling look on Touya's face he didn't want to disrupt the peace again.

The redhead kissed him, greeted him with dinner, roses, and tickets to a play while talking about how much he missed Izuku.

So, Izuku lied.

Instead he told Touya he was volunteering at the animal shelter close to campus. The redhead just lovingly ruffled his hair and told him that it was good, and it was too much on Izuku's heart to shatter this refreshed air around their relationship.

As the semester went on, his dreams shifted to dark blues and it left him feeling strangely sullen.

Whenever he was alongside his father at the internship, he was granted peace of mind. He could zone out long enough to enjoy himself and ignore the conflicting dilemma. The days of working as an intern were some of Izuku's fondest memories whenever he'd look back on them. He could hear his dad's soft humming as they rode around on patrols and his hearty laughter about random things that happened at the station.

Whenever he came back from the internship Touya would be there happily waiting, and they fell back into their old sweet routine. It warmed Izuku's heart and he decided never to speak a word about police work around Touya until further notice. Preferably after he was finished working an internship.

Izuku thought he could keep the secret from Touya with ease, and it seemed like it.

But like all periods of calm, it came to an end.

"Touya, I'm back!" Izuku called out as he entered the apartment one day after classes.

Their shared space was dimly lit and the lack of light put Izuku off for a second when he got no response. He chalked it up as Touya sleeping, exhausted from work, and shrugged off his jacket to hang up.

The wooden floorboards underneath his boots creaked loudly as he walked fully inside the dark apartment and rubbed his sore shoulders. He jolted slightly when he walked into the bedroom to see Touya hunched over on the side of the bed looking angrily at his black lighter in his hand.

The window was drawn, allowing light and the color orange to wash over the room. What Izuku usually would've considered a peaceful setting suddenly didn't, the deeper the crease in Touya's brow became without acknowledging his presence.

"Touya?" Izuku asked carefully with a tender voice. A small chill climbed his spine and the energy in the room suddenly felt off. "What's wrong? Why are you just sitting there?"

"Where were you?" Touya asked, voice taut and low.

Izuku furrowed his brows confused. "What do you mean? I-I was at volunteering—"

"—No. You _weren't_. Let's try that again," Touya hissed, angry burning blue eyes finally looking up at him. Izuku startled at the look of absolute anger, hurt, and betrayal that blazed through.

Slowly, the tall man stood up and walked over to tower over him and Izuku took a step back.

"I asked, where the fuck were you, Izuku?" Touya gripped the lighter in his hands tight enough that Izuku swore the metal itself was going to break.

The greenette tried to open his mouth to explain as ocean blue eyes bore into him unforgivingly. They stood there locked in a standstill and when Izuku tried to tell the truth, a lump from anxiety clogged all the words in his throat.

That silence seemed to be the detonator on Touya's short fuse.

The fiery redhead let out an angry curse and punched the wall next to Izuku's head, causing the teenager to yell out. Izuku out of reflex flinched and put his hands up when Touya reached out and grabbed his jaw, forcing him to look at him.

"Where the _fuck_ have you been going these last few months!?" The taller male demanded, fingers sinking into Izuku's skin. The greenette wrapped his hand around his boyfriend's wrist trying to ease the hold but it seemed useless against Touya's unmovable strength. "Huh!? I asked you a fucking question, Izuku! Are you fucking cheating on me!?"

"_Cheating_?" Izuku asked, baffled. He shook his head the best he could in the grip he was stuck in with wide pleading eyes. "N-No, I'm not—ah! Touya, _please_, that hurts!" Izuku shouted when the grip got tighter and he was slammed against the wall.

"How am I supposed to just believe that?" Touya sneered. "Do you know how goddamn _stupid_ I looked today? I got out of work early and was going to surprise you with movie tickets so I walked over to that animal shelter you said you've been going to—imagine how fucking surprised I was to learn that they had no idea who you even were."

Izuku shook his head furiously and tried to shake himself out of Touya's grasp but the redhead just forced him back into the wall, fingernails digging into his forearm and icy cold eyes pinning him in place. Tears started to fall down Izuku's face as he realized everything was crumbling too quickly.

"I'm not cheating on you, T-Touya! I would never—"

"—How am I supposed to believe that _now_? You clearly are capable of fucking lying to me! After _everything_!"

"I'm working at an internship with my dad!" Izuku cried, sobs spilling out from his mouth.

The grip on his jaw and forearm loosened but didn't let go. Gradually Touya's livid expression faded into angry confusion.

"You're working an internship?" The redhead whispered, trying to grasp the concept. "Wait, with your _dad_? At a fucking _police station_?"

Izuku nodded hesitantly.

"What the fuck did I say about that?" Touya groaned and pushed himself away from Izuku. "Are you serious? You've been lying to me and going to work an internship at a goddamn police station?"

"My dad set it up for me," Izuku muttered while nursing his now throbbing jaw. The greenette could already picture the purple shapes that were going to bloom onto his skin. "I didn't want to tell him no…I-I haven't told my parents I changed my major."

Jade colored eyes watched as Touya huffed annoyedly and turned away from him in the dusk colored room. The tension in the elder male's shoulders didn't go away after learning that Izuku was, in fact, not cheating on him but rather lying about an internship for police work.

The rigidity in Touya's figure told Izuku that the two seemed to almost carry equal weight.

"How much longer do you have to be there?" The redhead sighed, anger slowly leaving him, and instead there was just disappointment. Izuku averted his eyes away from his boyfriend's backside, feeling guilty for being caught in a lie.

"It was supposed to go to the end of my sophomore year."

"Are you just doing this to please your father?" Touya asked curtly without looking at him.

"Yes," Izuku whispered. It was a half-truth, half lie.

"Okay," Touya spoke softly. When the ginger turned back around, his blue eyes were opposite of all the fiery anger that was just swirling around in them. "I'm sorry for snapping on you like that. I-I just...I just felt so goddamn stupid standing there with fucking tickets only to realize you've been lying."

"I'm sorry…" Izuku didn't know what else to say. Touya lifted his jaw up to assess the already showing marks and looked down at Izuku's forearm with dejected eyes.

"Be sure you wear long sleeves and concealer tomorrow, okay? I'll get better about that...I'm sorry," Touya murmured. "I just get so angry when you don't listen to me. Please, Izuku. Just follow what I say so we can go back to normal."

Green eyes turned away and gazed down to the floor, studying the fading sunset colors slowly vanishing from the room.

He nodded dully, wanting nothing more than to just go to bed.

Izuku started dreaming in black and white that night.

The color drained from his dreams and it felt like TV static covered his dreams. The picture of the future he had painted with Touya as his partner, doing what he loved happily began to fog up and no longer felt certain.

He felt like he was trying to fix the antennas on top of the vision of his future, struggling to figure out which directly was right and what would return him back to the happy rose-colored picture he had seen every night.

But there was no luck.

The green haired nineteen-year-old struggled to stay asleep, too deeply bothered by the fact he had hurt Touya by lying. The redhead barely spoke to him the rest of the day, and they didn't go to the movies like planned. His boyfriend fell asleep that night with his back towards him and Izuku softly cried into his pillow.

If Touya heard him crying, the redhead made it a point to ignore him.

When Izuku woke up, the morning sun poured into the room all over. The warm sun rays drew Izuku's attention to Touya's side of the bed and he noticed it was empty. He groggily sat up on his forearms, wondering why the redhead hadn't woken him up before he left to work like usual until his eyes landed on the clock.

Izuku's whole body jolted awake with shock to see he had slept in for his exam in Chemical Engineering II.

"Shit!" Izuku cursed.

He hurriedly threw on whatever clothes he could find, which happened to be just his short-sleeved sleep shirt, a set of joggers, his sneakers with no socks, and grabbed his yellow backpack.

He sprinted out the door quickly, stumbling on his feet as he ran full speed all the way to campus. By the time he got there, it was already halfway through the exam and he jolted through the door out of breath, drawing the attention of everyone in the giant hall.

Chisaki Kai didn't brother looking up at him from his desk.

Izuku ran a shaky hand through his hair as he tried to think of an excuse but settled on the truth, feeling like he had enough of lying.

"I am so sorry I'm late. I-I slept in, I'm so sorry—"

"—Take a seat." Kai cut him off. The teaching assistant handed him a blank exam and Izuku tentatively took it. "You have until the end of the period to finish your exam. No time extension, Midoriya. Next exam, be sure to show up on time."

"Will do, I'm so sorry sensei. Thank you." Izuku bowed rapidly and started muttering 'thank you's until another student hushed him from the back.

Izuku sat down in the empty seat next to Shindo Yo and with jittery hands he tried to pull out his pencil case but clumsily spilled the bag over onto the floor. He gave a soft apology as he picked up the pencils rolling all over.

Izuku noticed Shindo's eyes looking at him intensely and he was unsure why until he caught sight of the darkened purple bruise on his forearm in the shape of Touya's large hand.

The freckled teen quickly snapped his arm out of view, but it didn't stop from Shindo looking at him with some level of pity.

"Time's up. Pass forward your exams," Kai spoke to the class.

Izuku bounces his leg furiously trying to scribble a formula that was basically illegible. _No, no, no I barely started_—

"That means _everyone_. Put the pencil down, Midoriya," Kai called out to him and Izuku felt tears stinging on the sides of his eyes.

He slammed the pencil on the desk in frustration and passed his exam forward. The greenette's throat tightened with the urge to cry as he buried his face in his hands. Slowly, he heard his classmates whisper all around him.

Izuku felt himself sinking in his seat at the realization that he failed an exam that made up a large portion of his grade. When he heard the other student's voices fade away, the curly haired teen wiped away his tears and stood up.

He walked past Kai, unable to even say goodbye or meet his sharp golden gaze out of embarrassment. But as soon as he made it to the door the deep voice of his instructor gripped him in an iron hold.

"Midoriya, come here."

Izuku stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder. Kai was standing up, leaning lazily against his desk as he flipped through Izuku's half-finished exam.

"Y-Yes?"

The brunette clicked his tongue and motioned for Izuku to come back inside and close the door. The greenette awkwardly backtracked and did what he was told. He shut the door and walked until he was standing back in front of the tall, crow like man.

Kai had always an air to him that Izuku could never pinpoint. It was calculating, cold, distant and unreadable.

The young man who was the same age as Touya was teaching part time to obtain his PhD in chemical engineering in the study of compounds. His thesis focused on what it meant to take them apart and put them back together and he always seemed so eager to teach about explosions.

Usually Kai was calm, barely said anything because he was always busy with his elusive 'family' business. He just did his teaching, but this time was different as he looked through the empty pages of Izuku's test.

"When you switched your major, I have to say I was surprised. Why engineering?" A dark brow quirked at him and Izuku rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"I'm good with my hands," Izuku answered honestly. "I really liked your class last semester and I'm good at creating things. I figured this would be something I might like."

"Makes sense," Kai hummed as he took out a red pen and began grading Izuku's exam then and there. Green eyes flickered between his test and Kai nervously. He watched as Kai gave him full perfect marks for the few questions he answered with ease.

"You did exceptionally well in chemistry last year and you did pretty good last semester as well." The pen stopped moving once it reached the last answered question. "Up until the end. Now you're showing up late to exams. This isn't like you."

"I'm just going through a rough patch," Izuku whispered, looking apologetically into Kai's eyes. "I promise it'll be resolved soon."

"You mean whoever is beating you will stop?"

Izuku made a choking sound, caught off guard. "_What_?" He hissed, looking at Kai like he said something incredibly off. "You got it wrong, no one is beating me—"

"Izuku, I'm not stupid," Kai deadpanned, crossing his arms with Izuku's exam in his hand. "I saw the bruises from last semester, and I can see the ones on you now. Look at your arm and jaw. It's clear as day someone is abusive towards you—"

"—I said no one is beating me," Izuku repeated solidly. He tried to think of Touya and abusive in the same concept, but the kind smiles and I love yous created a roadblock in his head. Touya wasn't abusive. Just misunderstood. "I'm not being abused."

"Let me guess, he doesn't mean it?" Kai said with an unimpressed facial expression. "He says sorry afterwards and then smooths it over with sweet words and tells you it won't happen again? Izuku, it clearly keeps happening—"

"—It's not like that," Izuku whispered, heartbeat racing. "He-He _actually_ doesn't mean it—he can't control it. They're just small outbursts and we're working on it, he would never hurt me intentionally."

Kai's blank facial expression finally cracked with emotion, and the reaction was a mixture of disbelief and weariness.

"Izuku, that's _worse_," Kai harshly whispered, looking at him with concern. "It's one thing if he's doing it intentionally, but you're telling me that he's doing it because he loses his temper and can't control it? Do you know how that ends?"

Izuku's throat felt tight and the room felt too small as he refused to face the reality of what Kai was saying.

"It ends with him _killing_ you, Izuku. That's how these narratives _always_ end," Kai said harshly and immediately Izuku shook his head because Touya would never try to kill him. "Either he kills you from one of his so called 'outbursts' or he kills you because you try to leave when it's too much. Either way if you don't break up with him right _now,_ it'll be your funeral."

Izuku gritted his teeth and shook his head feverishly. He looked up angrily into Kai's golden eyes, hurt.

"You have no right to say that to me," he pushed back. "He does not _beat_ me and I'm not in an abusive relationship. You have no idea what our lives are like or what he's been through—"

"—No, I don't, and I don't need to," Kai said coldly. "All I need to know is that you have a bright future and that's worth protecting. I don't want to wake up one day to see my top student the headliner of the news that morning because he got his skull bashed in."

Izuku fell silent, giving challenging eyes back at his instructor. Kai sighed and looked down at the exam in his hands and began to write something at the top.

"You're going to retake this exam tomorrow in here with me at 7:00 am and you're going to call me the second the time comes when you need help leaving whoever is hitting you," Kai said with a hard edge in his voice.

He held out Izuku's exam for the shorter male to take but when the greenette tried to pull it out of his hands, the golden eyed man didn't let go. Izuku looked up at him confused only to find Kai's eyes sharp and serious.

"And trust me, Izuku—the day _will_ come when you're going to try to leave him."

Kai let go of the exam and Izuku stumbled back a bit surprised. The green-eyed teenager looked at Kai unsure of what to say or do because Kai was wrong about Touya. He turned around and walked towards the door, curiously looking down at his exam to see what score he got but was surprised when there wasn't a score at all.

In place was a phone number written in red ink.

Izuku looked over his shoulder at the perplexing teaching assistant who just gave him a knowing stare.

Izuku couldn't get Kai's words out of his head as he walked back to his apartment.

He tried to shake them off but they stuck like a bad song on repeat in his thoughts. He didn't want to believe Touya would be capable of hurting him like that, plus Kai didn't know Touya. Touya loved him and they were working on his outbursts. All Kai knew is that he showed up late to class with a busted lip and a couple of bruises sometimes.

The tired greenette sighed as he made his way up the wooden staircase but the closer, he got to his apartment he frowned.

Why was the door open?

Izuku pushed open the door all the way and before he could process what was happening a strong arm put him in a choke hold and a large palm covered his scream.

Fear sparked all over his body like firecrackers as he tried to fight whoever it was until another body came up and restrained him, twisting his arm until it burned behind his back. Izuku let out a muffled loud cry as the numbing sensation shot all over his shoulder and he was overpowered helplessly.

"Bring him over here," a deep voice Izuku had never heard before commanded.

The door was slammed behind him as he continued to try to struggle with no glimmer of hope. The large men dragged him into his own living room, ignoring his cries and pleas. When they got into full view of the living room Izuku's heart sunk deeper than he'd ever felt it.

The apartment was turned inside out, clear indicators of a struggle were all over. Papers were scattered, a table knocked over and broken glass with blood splattered all around. In the center, kneeling on the ground restrained by two more goons was Touya bleeding from his mouth and nose looking wrathful.

The two lovers made eye contact and the most frightened expression Izuku had ever seen on Touya's face spilled out.

The redhead began to struggle against the men holding him in place to the point Izuku could see rug burn beginning to appear on Touya's shins.

"Let go of him!" The enraged redhead shouted, voice cracking desperately. "Jin, get your filthy fucking hands off of him!"

All the people in the room began laughing over Touya's yelling as Izuku whimpered when the man apparently named Jin tightened his hold. It was then that a young man with bluish silver hair sitting casually in a chair and all black stood up.

The difference between him and everyone else in the room was painfully apparent. His clothes were neat, hair polished, and he carried himself with a demeanor as if he was untouchable. His red eyes looked down at Izuku bored as the greenette tried to struggle against the two men holding either one of his arms.

Izuku watched fearfully as a hand reached out to touch his face. The man tilted his head to the side as if appraising him and looking at his bruised jaw line.

"Is this who you run away with to play house for the last year, Touya?" The silver haired man asked, licking his chapped lips. "I have to admit, you always did have good taste. He is quite good looking. I'm sure anyone would be taken with him on sight."

"I said get your fucking hands off of him, Shigaraki! He has nothing to do with this!" Touya yelled and Izuku stilled at the name.

_Shigaraki_? Green eyes widened at the cord of familiarity. He quickly realized that was the same name of the All For One leader his dad was investigating.

Everything suddenly became gravely serious and Izuku stopped fighting against the two men. The newly identified Shigaraki seemed to notice Izuku's sudden petrified behavior and a satisfied smirk stretched across his face.

"Oh, but on the contrary I think he _does_," the silver haired man retorted, turning back around to Touya's bleeding figure. "Jin, is this the brat you said tried to fight you and threatened to call the cops?"

"One-hundred percent sure of it. You don't come across green eyes that often," Jin answered.

"Thanks," Shigaraki hummed before turning to a young blonde woman who seemed to be Izuku's age. Green eyes looked confused when the silver haired leader snapped his fingers and pointed back towards him. "Himiko, take his wallet."

The woman now known as Himiko stepped forward with an abnormal amount of glee and reached down into his backpack to pull out his wallet and tossed it to her leader.

Izuku's heart began to break under the weight of terror when he saw Shigaraki take out his ID and study it carefully.

"Midoriya Izuku? Pretty name to match a pretty face," he said casually. Shigaraki sat back down on the couch, crossing his legs and smoothing out his black dress pants as he took his phone out to snap a photograph of Izuku's ID with his home address on it. "Well, little flower it seems like our Touya is quite smitten with you. I never thought I would see the day where we find our favorite sociopath sitting patiently, waiting for his _'angel'_ to come home."

The group collectively laughed again and Touya shook his head and started pleading for the gang to leave Izuku alone. Izuku felt his stomach turn with sickness as tears began to fall out of both his and Touya's eyes.

"I couldn't help but laugh as he called out _'angel_?' when we first picked the lock," Shigaraki said with a smirk, looking directly at Izuku. "But this is business I hope you understand. You took something of prime property to us and I'm afraid we need a pay back—"

Jin shifted his grip on Izuku's forearm and out of reflex the greenette yelped loudly and flinched at the pain that radiated from the large bruise on his arm from earlier.

"Sit still! Why are you flinching? I barely touched you," Jin reprimanded, gripping him harder and Izuku suppressed another pain filled groan.

Burning green eyes looked up at Jin but he caught the line of vision of Shigaraki's red eyes looking at him curiously, not saying anything. Izuku stiffened under the gaze and Touya fell silent when the silver haired man walked over to where Jin was holding Izuku.

The greenette struggled when Shigaraki touched him, looking down at his forearm. When those invading red eyes studied his discolored skin, a loud bark of uncontrollable laughter sprung from the silver haired young man.

"Touya, you really _have_ been playing house. Dear fucking _Kami_!" Shigaraki chuckled. He shooed the two other men to let go of Izuku so he could fully inspect the young teen with humor. "You went and got yourself a battered housewife just like mommy? Do you miss her that much?"

At the mentions of Izuku's bruises Touya's face fell into a crestfallen expression full of regret. Green eyes met turquoise and Touya hung his head away in shame, clenching his jaw tightly.

"Maybe we should just call him _Enji Jr. _at this point," Himiko taunted and Touya's nostrils flared at the mention of his father. "Apple never falls too far from the branch it's attached to."

"Shut up," Touya's deep voice hissed. "Shut up all of you before I fucking _kill_ you," he spat the word laced in a venom Izuku had never heard. Pure spite and malice burned in Touya's eyes and the only thing inside of them was contempt.

"Ah, there he is! The sociopath we all love," Shagaraki gloated. He stood behind Izuku and loomed over the greenette. Without warning Izuku felt the man reach around and grip his jaw, forcing Izuku to look Touya directly in the eye.

"Does your little angel here know about your past? Is he aware of what you've done regarding that disorder with fire you're afflicted with? You know, the one that _we_ helped you keep under control and gave an outlet for?"

Izuku made a confused face when Touya became eerily silent and looked warily at him.

"He doesn't! Hah! Wow, this keeps getting better and _better_." Shigaraki let go of Izuku's face and pushed him down to the ground in forced kneeling position in front of Touya. "Well, to cut to the chase, angel, we took Touya in, and helped him be the wonderful sociopath is his today. But, unfortunately, Touya here owes us a lot of money. That property you guys took—which we got you on camera stealing—belongs to _us_. All For One."

Izuku looked at his boyfriend, waiting for him to deny what was being said but the redhead couldn't look him in the eye. Izuku choked back a whimper at the ugly reality that was settling in as Shigaraki continued.

"Touya used to be one of us, but he had _quite_ a rebellious streak. Now we need that money back or we collect blood. You see the problem, right?"

"H-How much?" Izuku whispered, looking up at the man above him. "I can pay you from my savings. Just leave us alone."

Shigaraki sighed and pulled out his phone again, lazily scrolling through until he pulled open a word document to flash Izuku a number on the screen.

Izuku's heart sank at the number of zeros tacked on the end.

"I-I don't have that—t-that's an unreasonable amount of money," Izuku tried to reason, shaking his head. How the hell were they expecting Touya to pay _that_ back? "The stuff we took was nowhere near that much—"

"—Compound interest for this last year," Shigaraki interjected like it was plain knowledge. "I'm afraid we need to work out a payment plan otherwise things are going to get _very_ ugly _very_ quickly." The man didn't look at him as he continued to scroll on his phone then paused as if something hit him.

"Wait—_Midoriya_," The silver haired leader said as if he was in a eureka moment. "Your father is that nosy sergeant we heard is trying to work on snuffing us out." A sinister smile creeped into Shigaraki's face as Izuku's sunk in pure horror. "It would be such a shame if something happened to him, no?"

Izuku shook his head when everything suddenly felt too small, tight and the figures in the room began to cackle like demented, hungry wolves.

"Please, there has to be something else that you want," Izuku whispered, vision blinded by tears. "Leave my parents alone."

"I'm afraid we only deal with yen or blood, _angel_. Either we get that money or I'm afraid collateral will be taken. Can't exactly ruin our reputation by having two lovebirds running around scot free. Especially after Touya fucking crossed us."

"But we don't have that money!" Izuku yelled out, becoming desperate.

"Well, I think four lives evens out then. If you're saying you can't pay, then I guess I'll send Himiko to slit your parents' throats and dispose of their bodies somewhere."

"Stop!" Touya finally spoke up. All eyes drew in towards his face, covered with blood and tears. "Izuku and his family have nothing to do with this you bastard, just deal with me. _Please_, leave him out of this."

"No. I think this is much more fun," Shigaraki sighed. He walked up to the two kneeling lovers and affectionately ran a hand through Izuku's hair, causing the teen to flitch at the all too soft touch. "After what I saw on tape, I think there a criminal sitting somewhere _deep_ inside this innocent looking face, waiting to bloom like a little flower. Plus, this way it'll guarantee he shuts up if he's an accessory."

The fingers in his hair twirled around and Izuku squeezed his eyes shut. His body felt violated just from a simple touch as goosebumps rose on his skin.

"Figure something out," Shigaraki said in a final tone, looking at the pair with an icy chill. "Touya, you know the drill. Present us a payment plan tomorrow by 9:00 pm or we come find you. You know where I'll be."

The redhead gazed his eyes downwards to stare at the blood and broken glass on the floor before nodding reluctantly.

The two men holding Touya down let him go, shoving him unkindly to the ground all the way. They stepped over him like he was trash beneath their feet, crushing a couple of his fingers under their boots on the way out.

Izuku watched as Touya hissed, biting the inside of his cheek to prevent from yelling out in pain.

It was then that the greenette looked up at the men leaving who came and took nothing but their peace of mind.

"I'll see you tomorrow, little flower." Shigaraki smiled at him amused when Izuku's face was taken over in anger and despair, his world being turned on its head.

The second the door slammed shut, Izuku hurried to reach over to help Touya stand up.

There was a clear gash in the large man's shoulder and his face was beaten up severely. Green eyes frantically looked at all the damage that was done and winced when Touya spat out blood onto the carpet.

Izuku's body began to shake thinking about the threat on their lives and what the hell just happened.

That was All For One: the dangerous drug gang that killed cops, robbed stores, and done so many more unspeakable things from what he learned at the station with his father.

"Touya, w-we have to call the cops _now_—"

"—Izuku, no," the redhead groaned as he stumbled upright, clutching his head. "That's not how that works with them. You call the cops and they come here and kill us both and then everyone you love."

Izuku shook his head, completely erratic. "B-But you know where their headquarters is, right? We can just tell my dad so he can stop them and there won't _be_ an issue. Touya, please, my parents' lives are at stake—"

"—Which is exactly why we can't tell the cops!" Touya snapped, head whipping around to Izuku angrily. "All For One has _hundreds_ of members, Izuku! Cops _included_! How do you think they get away with everything?! _Hah_?!"

Izuku stared in disbelief, words snatched dry from his body.

"That wasn't even the main guy," Touya exasperated. "Not a soul knows where Shigaraki senior is besides Shigaraki junior. You tell the cops and they raid their HQ then that goddamn drug lord is going to come collect his debt in blood—_our blood_."

The walls of the once secure apartment seemed to crumble along with Izuku's worldview and the light he pictured Touya in because he didn't fucking get it. He didn't understand why someone who was as sweet as Touya would be intermingled with cop killers.

"Touya, I just don't understand why you would hang around low lives like that?" He whispered through tears and it only made his boyfriend shake his head and look at him with envy.

"Because I was _homeless,_ Izuku," Touya hissed through his clenched teeth. "I was out on the fucking streets and I had absolutely nothing. I was weak, vulnerable, cold and hungry. Emotions you have never felt in your goddamn pampered life!"

Izuku staggered back when Touya's voice cracked and the redhead continued to yell at him, all his frustrations spilling over like a dam.

"Those people that you just called lowlifes gave me everything I both wanted and needed then more. They gave me a _home_ and _power_. I finally felt like I was in control for once in my miserable life and that's all I've ever wanted was to feel as though I had some fucking say!"

"But, Touya...they kill _cops_," Izuku whispered, looking at him unsure when the redhead just rolled his eyes. "They've been killing people like my dad ever since that Hero Killer as a statement—"

"—You'll never understand, Izuku," Touya sighed and ran a hand through his bloodied hair. "You'll never understand how it feels to be that _low_ and to have not a goddamn thing to your name. Don't you judge me. If you ever felt as alone as I did, I trust you, the last thing you'd care about is a goddamn _cop_."

Izuku grew silent because it was true, he didn't understand. He knew Touya was too complex beyond his own scope of understanding.

Hurt, unsure, and terrified teal eyes turned towards him as Touya continued speaking.

"You may love me Izuku, but you will never understand me. So please, don't shame me for what I had to do to survive."

"Touya, I-I'm not shaming you. I just want to understand you better and I want to _help—_"

"I know you do, Izuku. You always want to help, but never listen," Touya sighed, shaking his head. He stepped forward and looked Izuku very seriously in the eye. "Please listen when I say this, you're an only child who sees everything as if you're in LaLa land. The world is not as happy and good as you make it out to be and you're going to wind up dead if you keep believing cops can help make this better."

The words hurt, and they cut Izuku down more than he realized.

"I love you, Izuku. You truly are the only thing I care about and I would wage a war if I ever lost you—but you need to listen to me and listen to me _carefully_. What I say goes from now on. If you want to help me, if you want to keep everyone alive, you're going to let me have control over what we do next. I know how these people operate and you don't. Okay?"

Izuku stared up at Touya, fear and shock still settling in his bones and a small sob escaped past his lips. He wanted to keep everyone safe and he would do anything to make sure that his parents and Touya were okay.

However, he was scared, and he had no clue what to do—but apparently Touya did.

There was another inkling of fear stemming from elsewhere that Izuku couldn't explain and he was afraid to tell Touya no.

So, Izuku said his next words as a vow that would promise to drown him. Whether he knew it or not.

"Okay, I'll listen to what you say."

Izuku didn't get the chance to study for his retake exam.

He spent the rest of the evening with Touya cleaning up the whirlwind that wrecked both their lives and their home.

They were able to remove all the broken items out of the home, however the blood stains on the carpet remained no matter how hard Izuku felt himself scrub the beige carpet. He scrubbed until his arms hurt with bleach, soap and any cleaning material he found.

Looking back on it, Izuku would describe AFO just as that: a bloody stain on his cloth of life that he struggled to bleach out.

Just like that stain, they stayed with him forever. It didn't matter if he moved a rug to place over the bloodstain because despite it being out of sight, the pain they inflicted would always linger on his mind.

He knew that stain was always there. Just like All For One.

Izuku took his exam at 7:00 am sharp and used what he knew as a basis. He was thankful for his sharp memory when it came to the creative work that made chemistry and engineering come easy to him. Kai graded his exam directly after he turned it in, and he got the highest mark in the class.

Gold eyes look at him approvingly but not before reminding him with a small push about their previous conversation.

"Remember what I said, Izuku," Kai whispered, handing back the exam. "When you need help leaving him. Call me."

Izuku didn't understand Kai's motives at the time, too blinded by all the other stressors in his life.

The freckled teen just nodded in understanding, wanting to scream out for help to try to escape the clutches AFO now had on him and Touya. But what was his engineering instructor going to do to help him against AFO?

There was no amount of begging Touya that could convince the redhead that going to the police was a good idea, and Izuku was too afraid to speak out of line when Touya struck him again. Scared of provoking another hit to the face, he kept quiet and went along with what the redhead said.

But what he wasn't expecting was how 'payment plan' was code for presenting Shigaraki blueprints for a string of robberies.

Izuku's face paled ghostly white while listening to Touya speak as if it was nothing when he explained to the gang leader his plans to discreetly rob several small stores in the dead of night with Izuku as the getaway driver.

The freckled teen learned that AFO did no crimes without them getting the stamp of approval from either Shigaraki junior or senior. It was how they got away with almost clean slates because everything they did was never half put together and carefully planned out from start to finish.

It was a frightening and well thought out hierarchy.

After Touya finished speaking, Shigaraki snapped his fingers and several men came out and supplied Touya with a large suitcase of guns, ammo, and gear.

"Do what you do best, Touya," Shigaraki smiled greedily, eyes looking directly at Izuku. The man watched the greenette like a hawk that was curious of its prey. "Don't disappoint me again. I don't want to regret keeping you alive a second time."

Touya just nodded and gestured for Izuku to stay close to him on the way out and it took all the freckled male had to hold back the tears when Touya handed him a black beanie and bandana.

Every fiber of his body was screaming as if it was on fire as he prepared for the first robbery of a family owned store.

It was wrong and there was nothing he could do but wait in the black car AFO supplied to them for Touya to finish.

When the time came and the alarms set off at nearly 3:40 am, the redhead hurried into the car. Izuku drove as quickly as possible to where they planned to hide the car and switched to Touya's motorcycle. His mind was foggy as he thought about what he was doing—what he was helping take a part of—

—But when he would go to his internship with his father, he felt his hands tied.

He didn't want to be the reason for his father's death.

Just the thought made him kept his mouth shut like Touya told him to. He prayed that everything would be over soon, and this would be a dark memory he would never revisit again.

During this time, Izuku's dreams started to shift from black and white to just shades of deep black.

The darkness enveloped him, and it felt strangely comforting like a punishment for the crimes he committed with Touya as time went on.

Each time he tied the black bandana around his mouth and nose he felt a little piece of himself chip away. Even more so when he would strap the black backpack full of stolen yen to his body and ride away with Touya quickly to their hideaway station.

His heart grew heavy until his dreams were nothing but a sea of pitch-black ink. Izuku remembered how he dreamed once that he was drowning in an ocean as dark as Shigaraki's heart. He tried to scream out for help, but his head was constantly underwater unable to call out without the thick liquid choking him and slamming into his lungs.

He'd tried to reach out above the tide, but waves of obsidian colored liquid forced him back under and soon it felt like he was swimming in a sea of thorns. They were sharp, drawing blood with every step he took, hurting him the more he struggled against them. They would wrap around arms and drag him deeper and deeper into the blackened sea until he couldn't escape.

Izuku stopped sleeping correctly after that dream.

"I-I'm not meant for this Touya," he broke down one day after the sixth robbery. His body was strung tightly as he cried into the palms of his hands while sitting on the edge of their bed. "I-I can't keep d-doing this—this is wrong. This is so fucking _wrong_."

Touya kneeled beside him and lovingly stroked his leg with a look of remorse.

"Hey, look at me," Touya called with the soothing voice Izuku had come to seek comfort in. Green eyes looked into blue, tired and full of tears. "Those people we're taking from will be fine, no one was hurt, were they?"

Izuku had paused, confused but shook his head 'no' otherwise.

"Exactly. But if we don't do this, Shigaraki is going to hurt people," The elder man whispered with a hard edge in his voice. "By people I mean you, me, and your parents. So we can't fuck around, Izuku. Leave your sympathy for strangers at the door until this is settled."

The words seemed to ground Izuku enough and he rebalanced himself. He nodded slowly and looked into the blue eyes he trusted.

"O-Okay," Izuku whispered.

"Let's get to bed," Touya smiled at him and kissed his forehead lovingly. "I'll call in sick tomorrow and we can just spend some time together. Let's finally go see that movie."

Izuku smiled sadly but happily agreed to the notion.

A month went by and Izuku could feel the lack of sleep start to take a toll on his body.

The bags under his eyes were heavy and they gained weight quickly between the internship, classes, and trying to balance out being Touya's getaway driver at ungodly hours.

The redhead didn't seem bothered by what they were doing, in fact it almost looked as if Touya enjoyed the adrenaline that he gained from it.

Teal eyes were sparked to life by the danger and it didn't go unnoticed by Izuku how sometimes Touya would pick up extra items from certain stores for himself.

He tried to ignore it, tell himself that Touya clearly had a sticky, complicated past but now things were different. He liked the life they had and Izuku didn't feel like he had to worry about Touya resorting to crime again.

Which brought them to the end of the month, presenting the yen to Shigaraki at the AFO headquarters.

Their headquarters wasn't what Izuku was expecting. Green eyes studied the factory warehouse that dealt with domestic shipping and all the gruff looking workers that shuffled about. Prying curious eyes studied him back as if they could smell the fear on the teenager as he stood behind Touya.

The silver haired young adult counted the money carefully in silence, leaning against his desk in the middle of the large space. Touya didn't say a word as he stood tall in front of Izuku like a soldier, shoulders heavy with the weight of both fear and regret.

"How did the heist go?" A voice off to the side spoke. Izuku's ear perked up at the conversation and he cut an eye to two figures off to the side packaging a box full of what he presumed to be drugs.

"We didn't go through with it," another man sighed. "We scoped out that government bank on Kōkai Street and there's literally no way into the safe where all the cash is without risking getting caught."

"Really? No entrance into it?"

"None. It's protected by a thick wall in the back and you'd need basically a wrecking ball to get through there or even the front volt area. Fuckers thought of everything."

"That's a bummer," the first man sighed, shrugging. "Would've been sick pay out."

Izuku made a face of disgust at the conversation. What kind of people were like this? Talking casually about a bank robbery as if it they just missed a play or something. Just as Izuku's thoughts dove deeper in judgment, Shigaraki hummed when he sorted the last of the yen.

"One third of the way there within a month. Impressive," the young gang leader spoke, looking up at Touya happily. "I always knew you were a good asset, so much potential. Shame you traded in this life to play husband. You know it's possible to combine the two? Hm? Your little flower would make great arm candy if you ever decided to come back to us. Just have to train him."

Touya didn't let any emotions slip at the jab and spoke coldly, ignoring the remark. "I'm just making sure we're on track to have full payment back by the summer like we agreed on."

"Yes, you are. Always the timely one." Shigaraki tilted his head to try to look around at Izuku who was standing behind Touya. "But I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you two speed it up. I got an order from my father to collect the cash in full in two weeks."

Izuku stopped breathing and Touya's emotionless composure finally gave in underneath his rage.

"_What_?" The redhead hissed venomously, scaring Izuku as he stepped forward threateningly into Shigaraki's face. "That's not what we agreed on. You know damn well that's not enough time to collect what's left."

"Sorry, not my decision, Touya," the silver haired young adult coolly replied. "You know how my father is."

"But you can fucking talk to him you worthless piece of shit—"

"—Watch how _you_ talk to me or I'll kill you both now versus later."

The warehouse grew uncomfortably quiet and all the men standing around them shifted their bodies ready to strike down Touya as he got too close to Shigaraki. The two young adults' furious eyes clashed like lightning and neither of them moved.

Izuku's heart pounded loudly in his heaving chest when he realized what had just happened.

They never planned on letting Touya off that easily.

"You knew," Izuku whispered, looking at Shigaraki with watery eyes. "You knew this whole time we wouldn't be able to pay the money back in time. Why would you make us do all of that that when you knew all along we couldn't pay it back?"

"Because like Touya here, I like to play games," Shigaraki explained. He walked around the fuming fiery man to Izuku and stopped in front of the short-freckled male. "I like entertainment and I figured some percent would be better than zero. Unless you guys can really pull off something off before next Monday. Then I would be impressed."

"There's no way to get that money in enough time," Izuku whispered, looking at the man in front of him carefully.

Izuku chalked up the conclusion that he enjoyed hurting people and seeing them suffering under his hand. Shigaraki was evil. He should just slit their throats now, but instead he was toying with them like a twisted game of cat and mouse.

"Ah, think bigger, little flower," Shigaraki hummed. He reached a white gloved hand out to trace new bruises on Izuku's cheekbone carefully. "You're thinking too much inside of the box. I thought you were an artist? Use the creative brain of yours to think of something. They say the best ideas are produced under pressure—like a diamond."

Shigaraki retracted his hand and the touch made both Izuku and Touya glare at the man with a loathsome gaze. The silver haired man's red eyes flickered between the two lovers before shrugging his shoulders lazily.

"Alright, you can leave. I'll see you Monday night for collection—whether we leave with yen or blood. Have a good evening you two."

Touya mumbled 'let's go' to Izuku as he led the shaking greenette out of the warehouse. The angry redhead glared at all the men who stared too long. They all leered at them like hungry animals and suddenly walking towards the door made Izuku feel like he was walking down death row.

The couple walked out into the cool nighttime scene silently, the cold air waking them both up to the new misfortune.

Izuku started crying loudly before he could stop himself. The vision of his future was now nonexistent.

"Izuku…" Touya whispered. He reached out to touch Izuku's hand but the greenette flinched away from him, upset. A painfilled look gripped Touya's face when Izuku's sobbing got louder and harder. "Izuku, I'm so sorry."

"I-It's not fair," Izuku wept, hanging his head down as his shoulders started shaking. His pictured his parents faces and felt so angry, desperate, willing to do _anything_. "W-We did what they asked, and they still screwed us over. They said they would let us go—"

"—Hey, don't worry. I'll think of something, okay?" Touya hushed him, embracing him fully. This time Izuku welcomed the warmth, realizing it may be the last time. He buried his face into Touya's leather jacket and let the caring fingers of the other run through his hair affectionately. "You don't have to get involved anymore. I can figure out something and try my best to sway them. I-I'll think of something."

Izuku nodded into Touya's chest, unsure if he could really believe that. Everything felt as if it was spiraling and the usually cheerful teen felt overwhelmingly pessimistic.

"Want to go somewhere?" Touya whispered into his head of curls.

Izuku's thoughts stopped for a moment and he leaned away from the tight embrace he was in to see Touya looking down at him with a sad smile.

"Where?"

"Let's consider it a surprise," Touya half smirked. He reached down to hold Izuku's hand and the greenette squeezed it back lovingly.

The ride over to wherever Touya was taking him was peaceful.

He closed his eyes as he held on tightly to the other and let the cold breeze rake across his face and through his hair. Touya maneuvered his bike expertly like he always did and at every stop light would look over his shoulder to give Izuku a loving, handsome smile.

Izuku's heart was comforted at the sight, allowing him to avoid the reality they were in for just a moment.

When they finally arrived to where Touya had planned, they were slowly engulfed in a wooded area. Izuku sat up, surprised as they continued into the thick woods in the deep of night.

But when they came to a stop it was one of the most beautiful places Izuku had ever seen. He carefully let go of Touya's waist to step off the motorcycle in awe.

Sitting in front of him was a dense forest with trees that looked like they touched the clouds above. Peeking from the skylight were faded mountains and birds floating into the night. The smell of fresh river water mixed with a grassy scent filled the air and paired perfectly with the soothing sound of running water.

"This place is stunning," Izuku whispered in awe, staring up at the clear starry sky through the canopy of treetops. "I've never been here before, it's so big. Where are we exactly?"

Touya smiled at him admirably before looking down at the dirt beneath their feet, kicking the soft turf.

"Kuromata, north and directly between Shizuoka City and Yaizu. I used to come here when I was homeless," the redhead murmured quietly enough that Izuku almost missed it. "I would sleep under the trees because it made me feel safe enough and not so paranoid that someone might try to mug me while I was asleep."

Forest green eyes turned towards Touya surprised and softened. Izuku felt his heart clenched at the thought.

"I'm so sorry, Touya," he whispered, studying his boyfriend carefully. He realized what Touya had said a month ago was right. He didn't know what it was like to feel all those emotions. He didn't know what it was like to have nothing and he had no right to judge what Touya may or may not have done in the past.

"What are you sorry for? You've done nothing wrong," Touya sighed and walked further into the forest. Izuku followed behind him, being careful not to trip over the thick roots and vines that were overgrown on the ground.

As they walked, he noticed underneath were forgotten train tracks, barely noticeable buried under all the wear and tear of the years.

"I'm sorry for what I had said back when Shigaraki first came," Izuku clarified while studying how they followed the metallic railings embedded in the dirt. "You're right, I don't know what you've been through and I don't know what it's like to suffer the extent you have."

Touya's shoulder stiffened and he said nothing for a stretch of silence as he continued walking along the trial.

Izuku followed loyally trying his best to be careful of the thick bush of thorns that Touya climbed into with an issue. Izuku squeezed his eyes shut as he pushed through them as well, ignoring the stinging pain of their sharp edges dragging against his skin.

When they came out on the other side of the condensed foliage, he was surprised to see that they were at the edge of a very tall cliff.

The drop down to the river was incredibly steep and further than Izuku would've guessed. He looked to his right to see the train tracks spanning suspended across the river like a bridge to the other side. The vines from the forest followed the trail and covered the old metallic structure all over.

Izuku thought it was beautiful in its own forgotten way.

Touya took a seat on the ground, leaves crunching underneath his body weight. The young teenager sat down next to him and watched how sad the blue eyes grew as he began plucking small flowers up from the ground.

"How come you never mentioned this place before?" The greenette asked. He watched how Touya slowly ripped the pedals off the innocent flowers, lost in his thoughts.

"I didn't know how to tell the guy I'm in love with about the forest I used to call home," Touya answered truthfully, not looking at him. "It's embarrassing and shows how much of a nobody I used to be. Especially since some of my lowest moments were here, on that bridge," Touya mumbled.

The redhead gestured his head to where the suspended train tracks were hanging over the running water.

Izuku's throat tightened at the implication.

"Not the best feelings associated with this place," Touya sighed. He put down the flower once he had successfully stripped it of its colorful petals. The nighttime setting washed Touya's figure with a melancholy blue hue and made him seem older than he was.

The freckled male glanced around, trying to understand how a place so beautiful could be associated with despair. He allowed himself a bit of escapism when he spoke his next words, hoping they would be true one day.

"How about we make it associated with some good feelings?" Izuku smiled weakly.

Touya turned his head towards him curiously. "Good feelings? What do you mean?"

"Well, when all this All For One business is all said and done and when we figure this out—which we will—let's make good memories here."

"Like what?"

"If we ever get engaged, let's take our engagement photos here," Izuku said and he could see Touya's eyes widen. The sullen mood that had taken a grip on the redhead slowly shifted to something hopeful. "I-It would be nice to have a more forestry theme to them, right? Something fresh out of a fairytale."

The two lovers stared at each other and a bright smile worked its way onto Touya's face. He shifted closer to Izuku, wrapping his arm around the younger male's shoulders.

"That would be nice," Touya's deep voice said, as he intertwined his fingers with Izuku's. "We'll figure this out. Then when we do I'm going to propose to you and we're going to have our happy ending."

Izuku nodded eagerly through tears he didn't notice he was shedding. The colorful vision of happiness that he had in his mind slowly returning the longer he looked into the teal colored eyes that meant the world to him.

Touya leaned in for a soft kiss and Izuku returned it. The greenette knew they were just willfully forgetting their situation, but he allowed himself the inkling of happiness in the dark night.

When the older man leaned back, he sighed as he looked at the bridge. Izuku could tell it evoked a painful memory when the redhead reached in his pocket and pulled out his black lighter again. Izuku had grown to know the item as something Touya just held onto for anxiety reasons.

He sometimes would catch the redhead flickering it on and off when he was stressed. It calmed him down and Izuku just equated it as the equivalent of a stress ball for Touya.

He didn't say anything as Touya flicked it on, the bright orange flame dancing with the slow breeze that blew through. Touya did this again and again and Izuku watched distantly, finding it strangely calming as well.

But when Touya flicked the lighter again, a small bright spark shot up from the trigger and ignited an idea in Izuku brain.

Green eyes went wide.

Touya turned to Izuku who was staring at the flame as if he saw something inside of it.

"What's wrong?" Touya asked carefully, looking confused at the youngest.

Izuku's eyes didn't move, staying glued to the swaying fire that brightly shone in the dark. The orange colors from the flame clashed with the hues of blue on Izuku's face and softly haloed his features.

When the dark thought Izuku had settled in fully, the freckled teen tore his eyes away from the flame to look at Touya.

"Do you trust me?" He asked, voice full of trepidation. His brain tousled with the idea in his head, wondering if he would even speak it into existence.

"Of course, angel. I trust you with my life."

Izuku nodded, not thinking too much about the language Touya had used. But that phrase the redhead spoke would come to haunt every single one of his nightmares in the future, like another blood stain he would never be able to scrub out.

"Touya...I have an idea on how to get the money."

The elder male smirked at him and shut off his lighter, leaning in to hear what Izuku had to say.

The artist's brain started piecing together an intricate plan that would follow him for all of his days. The rest of the night was spent walking around the forest and Izuku sketching around the beautiful location, trying to engrave it into his memory.

The couple rode back to their apartment, with Izuku studying the stars in the sky as if it might be one of the last few times, he'd see them.

When they arrived back inside, Touya went to bed and Izuku stayed up.

The greenette sat at his wooden desk with his lamp on, the only beacon of light in the entire apartment. He scribbled down notes that he would never speak about again on the last two pages of his sketchbook and ripped them out with shaky hands.

His gut twisted and wrenched like he was seasick on a rocky ocean the longer he realized that what he had planned might work. He turned back to the last page in his sketchbook of the beautiful forest Touya had shown him and imagined them there together, happily holding hands when all of this was buried.

He hoped that this sliver of hope for the future would return the colors to his dreams and he could stop dreaming about sharp, painful thorns digging into his skin.

Izuku dated the forest drawing before he went to bed and jotted down his thoughts in hopes that they would stop keeping him awake.

_I was told today to "think bigger, little flower" but the bigger I think the more I blur the lines between trying to do good and trying to be good. _

_I haven't felt like a good person in a while._

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I hope you enjoyed! Please let me know what you think below! Have a great rest of your days!

**Preview for next chapter: **

"Hey, I don't mean to interrupt, but we have a witness from the Uchi Street fire," Kirishima said quietly into the room. Izuku, Katsuki and Shouto all looked over their shoulders to the redhead standing at the door. "He says got a glimpse of someone we think might be The Cremator. He recognized his voice and face from a club he used to work at."


	16. Smokescreen

Hello! :) I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas if you celebrate!

First off, big I love and thank you to my beta nmatthews on ao3 for betaing like always! She's such an awesome person who helps bounce ideas and keeps me in check when I get too long winded.

Okay! Let's get started! :)

**Warnings: Mentions of past assault. Adult conversations. Role-playing sex? Kinda? (Is it really roleplaying when the roles are pretty much true?)**

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**Chapter 16 - Smokescreen **

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"Kacchan...Kacchan, _stop_," Izuku laughed lightly in their now shared bedroom. "We're going to be late at this rate."

"And who's going to write you up, hm? _Me_?"

Katsuki smirked into the soft exposed skin of Izuku's inner thigh. The green haired man laughed more, trying to push him off.

The giggly young man was currently on his back, sprawled out on top of the messy red comforter with Katsuki's head between his legs.

Sunlight poured into the room and dripped all over their entangled figures. Katsuki was fully clothed in his lieutenant's uniform, white shirt clean and fully decorated. While Izuku on the other hand was still half clothed, only in his plaid green boxers, having been interrupted and pushed onto the bed in the middle of getting dressed.

Now the blond had him laid out, legs spread, and sprinkling light kisses up his tanned thighs.

"I'm serious, it would look a certain way to Toshinori if we came late on my first day back in three weeks," Izuku protested. "It's bad enough he knows we're sleeping together! I want to keep it professional."

The lieutenant shrugged and continued to softly bite and trace his tongue around the sensitive spot on the young detective's leg he had recently discovered. By recent, he meant he discovered it the previous night and couldn't help but want to tease and play with it some more.

"We'll get there before nine, don't worry," Katsuki hummed, placing one more kiss to the spot. "Let me give you another damn good orgasm before we go in, I promise you it'll be worth it."

"Kacchan, _no_. We already went three rounds this morning and I'm sore. We're never going to leave if we keep this up!"

"You weren't complaining when I was eating you out while you were cooking breakfast—"

"—_Kacchan_! We need to go to work!"

The tall blond groaned because Izuku was right. If he had it his way, he'd keep Izuku in the apartment moaning all day. But, despite feeling the need to pamper Izuku more, he knew they had jobs to do.

Katsuki reluctantly lifted his head up and shot a devilish smirk towards his new roommate.

Izuku's face was flushed perfectly pink with a flustered yet irritated expression.

And Katsuki fucking _loved_ it.

Izuku stood up again to finish getting dressed when Katsuki rolled himself off. Deep red eyes watched, fully enjoying the visual of Izuku putting on his too tight business pants that hugged his hips.

The handsome green-eyed man sprayed his rosy smelling cologne, buttoned up his dark blue dress shirt and reached for the black tie that lay discarded on the bed. When Izuku started struggling with it, Katsuki walked up behind and gently turned him around by the shoulders.

"You never do this right, here," the blond mumbled, taking gentle control and carefully wrapping the tie. Green eyes looked up at him with a matching smile as he did the tie around Izuku's neck correctly. "You're twenty-three, you should know how to do this by now. When are you going to take the time out to learn, nerd?"

The freckled detective just shrugged and gave a mischievous grin. "Why learn when I'm dating the lieutenant? Are you going to write me up for improper dress code, hm?"

Katsuki's hands stopped moving and his red eyes immediately lifted up from the tie to look into Izuku's.

"Dating?" He parroted, heart rate suddenly tripling.

Izuku's playful grin dropped and his large doe eyes got impossibly wider as the concept they never discussed sunk in. The shorter man immediately started floundering, face transitioning into a bright shade of red.

"O-Oh, I-I just—I-I mean," Izuku stuttered and Katsuki tried to make his brain work as he looked between the matching puzzle pieces around their wrists. "I-If we're not dating, then it's okay! I'm sorry! I just assumed w-with you accepting the bracelet and all—"

"—Okay."

Izuku paused and looked at him unsure.

"Okay?"

"Sure, okay. We're dating." The tall blond cleared his throat and shifted on his feet. A signature smirk melted onto his sharp features as he resumed tying the tie around Izuku's neck. "Let's make it an official thing—date and all after work today."

"R-Really? You would like that?"

"Yeah, of course I would like that," he answered back simply and finished tightening Izuku's tie all the way. "But if we're dating, I absolutely _refuse_ to let my partner leave the house with his tie fucking crooked. Get your shit together, Deku."

"Will do right away," Izuku beamed up towards him and stood on his toes to deliver a sweet kiss. As Katsuki smiled into their joint mouths, he lovingly placed his hands on the smaller man's waist, soaking in the warmth.

Truthfully, Katsuki had been sitting on the idea for a while.

He wanted to attempt to just ask Izuku out on an official date since they hadn't _actually_ done that yet. But it seemed like they were well past trying to eat dinner out together—the man _was_ living with him after all.

Katsuki could picture himself with Izuku as a partner and move past the whole 'we were too busy fucking each other's brains out the last two months to discuss anything' issue they had.

Especially after realizing that he may or may not be in goddamn _love_ with Izuku.

Katsuki had stayed up one day when Izuku was off work contemplating the logistics. He realized a relationship could very much work smoothly with the (sort of) blessing from Toshinori and Izuku was worth the risk.

The starry eyed green haired man broke the kiss and looked up at him with a sugar-coated blush.

They both headed towards the door laughing about the future day. But when Izuku put his blue winter coat, Katsuki paused.

He heard Shouto's voice in the back of his head when Izuku gave him another happy smile.

"Let's please all sit down and talk about Izuku's possible involvement with my dead brother when he comes back," he remembered Shouto saying last he saw him on Friday. "I just really need to know why he was at the funeral, Bakugou. Please. You understand that, right?"

"Hey, Izuku," Katsuki spoke up as Izuku was sliding on his shoes. The freckled man gave a soft 'hm?' of acknowledgement as Katsuki continued. "Shouto...wants to talk to you when we get to the station."

Like a switch, Izuku's happy expression was washed away.

The shorter male whirled around to look at him in surprise and it nearly made Katsuki wince at how ghostly white Izuku turned.

"Why does he want to talk?" Izuku whispered, regarding him with caution.

Katsuki stared at Izuku, not knowing how to approach the situation because there was a clear inkling of anxiety in Izuku's face.

"He says he remembers you...being at Touya's funeral." Katsuki watched how Izuku's face immediately flashed various mixed emotions before turning away from him. "He showed me the article about the fire in Makinohara. We both know it was the same fire: the one that took Touya and your parents," Katsuki whispered with care.

Izuku's shoulders stiffened and Katsuki could see a cluster of painful memories slowly start to arise in the freckled face. He stepped forward to try his best to come off as approachable.

"I also found the article about your last precinct," Katsuki confessed with a heavy sigh. "About how it was burned down."

This time Izuku nodded and sighed.

"I guess that was bound to come up sooner or later," Izuku whispered in a delicate voice, eyes looking dejected. "And I can talk to Shouto later, it's no problem. I knew I couldn't avoid him forever; it was just nice not thinking about certain things for a while."

Katsuki's ears perked up at the strange strained tone Izuku used.

"Is there anything you would feel more comfortable saying in front of me?" He tried to offer, assessing the green-eyed man carefully. "I don't think Shouto is really pressed about your precinct fire, he just wants some closure regarding his brother."

Izuku nodded in understanding and made a small thinking face. Katsuki could feel himself internally sigh before deciding to rip off the Band-Aid.

_Now or never_, he mentally prompted himself before sucking a breath in and asking the question searing through his thoughts.

"Do you know why your last precinct was burned down, Izuku?"

"No, I don't," Izuku answered truthfully.

Sincere green eyes turned towards him and there was a look of worry. Katsuki felt his heart churn at the wearisome expression he was given.

"I honestly don't know _exactly_ why. All the evidence points towards All For One, so I assumed it was them...like always," Izuku whispered the end of the sentence with a bitter edge. "They have very deep roots in Yaizu and they've always been a direct threat on cop lives in that city. I was lucky enough to avoid the fire since I resigned that previous day."

"Why did you resign?" Katsuki asked smoothly, unable to stop the questions from flowing out of his eager mind.

"It was a forceful resignation," Izuku confessed with a shrug. Katsuki frowned because that was not the answer he was expecting. "I wasn't given much of a choice. Either I turned in my badge willingly or I would've been fired for assaulting my captain and stained my track record."

Loud brakes slammed inside of Katsuki's head.

"You did _what_?" He hissed before he could stop himself. "Izuku, what the hell? Why would you assault your goddamn _captain_ out of all people?"

The greenette winced at the harsh tone and nervously fidgeted with the red scarf wrapped around his neck. Katsuki watched how he retreated into himself and his shoulders went rigid.

Forest green eyes searched his face carefully before speaking.

"You won't think less of me if I tell you the truth?"

Katsuki felt a lump in his throat at the question.

He took a small second out to listen to the ticking of the clock in the background and asked himself if he really wanted to know. But this was Izuku, he was good at the end of the day, like Toshinori said. So he trusted him.

"Of course not," he said with a solid tone, trying to reaffirm Izuku. "I would never think less of you but you have to tell me what happened that made you assault him."

"It wasn't _exactly_ assault," Izuku muttered, glancing his eyes down to his shoes. "M-My captain had gotten a certain impression of me because I-I had slept with just about every single man at the precinct—higher ups included. He thought he was next in line then tried to force himself on me when I rejected him."

Now, that wasn't what Katsuki was anticipating.

Rage quickly boiled inside of his chest, filling him up until he could almost feel himself explode.

"He tried to fucking _rape_ you?"

Izuku nodded, eyes still focused on the ground.

"I-I don't like to talk about it a lot," the smaller man said, hands tightly clutching the scarf around his neck. "I was really messed up mentally at the time. I let an unhealthy coping mechanism take the wheel whenever I felt the desire to be close to someone again after I lost everyone. But I-I was so terrified to get _too_ close to someone again...so I took the cheapest, shallowest route."

There was a long pause, allowing Izuku to suck in his lips like he was contemplating his past decisions. Katsuki felt his own hands tense into fists because he wanted to so fucking badly wring someone's neck.

Preferably Izuku's old Captain's.

Katsuki felt his stomach knot and what tasted like acid slowly crept up to the back of his tongue when Izuku continued explaining.

"I didn't realize I had a problem until he was telling me it shouldn't be a big deal for _someone like_ _me_ and forcefully bending me over his desk. I ended up breaking his nose in self-defense."

"You should've reported him, Izuku. Not resigned."

"It was hard when I tried," Izuku said with a distant look in his eye. "There was a lot going on, especially when the precinct was attacked the next day. It was his word against mine, but I was doubtful people would believe me. I had a track record for being promiscuous while he was decorated and praised for his hard work. I decided to go ahead and resign before he could take any action against me."

"Izuku...I'm really fucking sorry that happened to you," Katsuki sighed out.

He lifted a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose because he had no idea _that's_ what it would've been. No fucking _wonder_ Toshinori emphasized getting the story from Izuku himself. That really was a fucking mess.

"It's fine, it's in the past. I feel a little happy I got to break a couple of his bones." The greenette gave a small smile and Katsuki chuckled a bit. "But, Mirio and Toshinori know that's why I turned in my badge...sorry, not the best story."

"Don't apologize for that," Katsuki grumbled.

He stepped forward without thinking and pulled Izuku into a tight hug, interweaving his hand into the soft curly hair. He could feel Izuku stumble a bit at the sudden embrace, before returning it, hugging him firmly.

"I'm glad you got to break some of that fucker's bones. Wish he got fired though," Katsuki muttered into Izuku's messy head of curls and he could hear the younger man lightheartedly laugh.

"It doesn't matter anymore. It's all in the past," Izuku said while smiling into his chest. Izuku's small hands gripped him tighter and the young detective nuzzled into him playfully. "If you ask me, I'm more excited about the fact that we get to go on an official dinner date later."

"Only took us nearly six months, huh?" Katsuki chuckled and laid a loving kiss into the side of Izuku's temple.

…

When they arrived at the precinct, everyone welcomed Izuku back with warm smiles and hugs just like they both were expecting.

What they weren't planning on was how Ochaco and Iida organized a small 'welcome back' party in the break room that included everyone giving Izuku small basic home items.

"I know Bakugou has very strict taste with colors, so I made sure to buy you things that fit into his place," Denki snickered as he handed Izuku a colorful bag with a bow.

It only half surprised Katsuki when Izuku reached down to grab what was inside, he pulled out a bright green mug that read _'I take fuck the police literally' _in bright orange lettering.

Izuku's eyes went wide as he shoved it straight back down inside the bag with an awkward 'thank you' and nervous smile. Everyone joined in the laughter and it relaxed Katsuki to see Izuku rebounding well and feeling at home with their squad.

The happy expression on Izuku's face turned serious when Shouto approached him with a kind, welcoming smile. The duo colored sergeant had waited until everyone was distracted with their morning coffee and cases. Katsuki could see Izuku's eyes glance at him out of the corner of his eye.

Shouto politely asked if he could talk with him later and Izuku nodded with a genuine understanding look in his eyes.

The level of sincerity showed Katsuki that there was something there Izuku had been avoiding for the last six months but he was now ready to fully confront it.

When midday approached, the workaholic blond stayed seated in his office as he looked over different small crimes in Shizuoka City. Izuku had come in to give him a stack of reports from sergeant Yaoyorozu, but when they were sitting down to chat for a small break, someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," Katsuki called out.

Izuku peered curiously over his shoulder at who it could be, but his eyes softened when Shouto entered into the room.

"I figured this would be a good time, with all three of us," Shouto said, assessing the two lovers. "If it's bad timing I can just come back later."

"No, you're fine," Izuku said with a level of trepidation and a taut smile.

Shouto's face perked up and Katsuki motioned with his hand for his subordinate to shut and lock the door. The dual colored man did as he was told before taking an all too eager seat next to Izuku across from his desk.

Katsuki glanced down at how both men's hands were clasped tightly together, nervous.

"Hi," Shouto started off, unsure of how to go about it. But Izuku didn't seem like he minded and just gave a small smile at the awkward starter.

"Hi," the green-eyed man replied, accompanied by an apologetic look. "I'm so sorry about avoiding you all this time."

"It's fine," Shouto said quickly, looking at Izuku carefully. Katsuki could sense the millions of questions that were stockpiled inside of the youngest Todoroki's head, cramming together like a traffic jam and stunting his words.

"We can jump into questions you have," Izuku tried to offer when Shouto seemed unsure of what to say. "Katsuki already told me you reread the article about Makinohara and remembered me being at Touya's funeral? I don't really recall meeting anyone...it was empty when I went."

_Ah_. Katsuki resisted the urge to click his tongue. _He was there. _He placed his hand over his mouth to stop questions from shooting past his lips.

"It was quick," Shouto clarified. "You bumped into me on the way out when I had come back into the area with my mother."

Izuku's face lit up with familiarity and his eyes stared at Shouto with new light. "That was you?"

Shouto nodded and nervously rubbed behind his neck as he leaned in. "Yes. We got word from police in Makinohara about Touya's death based off the dental records. D-Did you know him?"

Izuku sucked in a deep breath and nervously smoothed out his black dress pants. Green eyes were so intensely focused on Shouto, but only in that moment did they briefly flicker over to Katsuki as if nervous again. The blond furrowed his brows at the action.

"I did," Izuku said barely above a whisper. "We dated for two years."

"What?" Katsuki spoke in an instant. "_Two years_?"

What the _fuck_ was someone like _Izuku_ doing with someone like goddamn _Touya_ of all people? Touya who was involved in gangs and drugs since he was a _teenager_.

Izuku nodded and Katsuki could feel a 'sorry' teetering on the edge of Izuku's tongue like he was unsure of how Katsuki took the new information.

"After Enji kicked Touya out, he took a train to Yaizu. The two cities are really close distance wise," the green-eyed man whispered, glancing between the two other detectives. "We dated when I first got to college and lived together for the full two years. He didn't have a place to go when I first met him and again when I was eighteen, so I let him stay with me."

Shouto leaned in like he was captured with the new missing puzzle pieces about his brother, but Katsuki was still wrapping his mind around the fact Izuku was romantically involved with fucking Todoroki _Touya_.

"Did you guys date up until…" Shouto's sentence ran dry.

_Up until he died_. Katsuki finished in his head when Shouto started seeming too pained to finish. Izuku slowly nodded, staring at the ground between his and Shouto's feet.

"...Yes." Izuku said. "We never technically broke up." Izuku made a pained face. "Touya was complicated, but he meant the world to me at the time. I just wanted to save him—but I failed. Now he's gone along with everyone else I loved."

The sentence struck a deep chord in Katsuki as he studied Izuku closely.

His mind flashed back to the first painting of Izuku's he saw. He could perfectly envision the self-portrait that was deep shades of sullen blue and depicted the raw emotion of loss. He could see the bright red heart and the three orange flames surrounding it and everything about Izuku clicked into place.

Izuku's parents were the first two flames and Touya was the third.

Touya was the third person Izuku lost.

"He had called me the night before the fire," Shouto said, staring at Izuku like he was a bird about to fly away. And truthfully, Izuku looked as if he might.

His shoulders were tense, hands clutching his pants unnaturally tight and it seemed like it was taking years of training to keep him from running away.

"Touya said he was in trouble. He was planning on running and coming back here...with another person. Do you know who was running from?"

"Yes," Izuku let out shakily, blinking rapidly to hold back tears. "It was Shigaraki. The top lead for All For One." Izuku clenched his fists tighter. "I-I was the other person. It was my fault...everything was my fault."

"What do you mean?" Katsuki whispered, fully looking at Izuku with both intensity and sympathy.

Izuku looked over his shoulder from what felt like reflex before turning to the other two detectives with a gravely serious expression.

"You two have to promise that this _stays_ in this room," the youngest detective said, looking at them with earnest eyes. "The only other person who knows what I did is Toshinori."

Shouto and Katsuki exchanged weary looks before both quietly nodding.

Izuku nodded back in return before carding a shaky hand through his hair and taking a deep breath in.

"There was going to be a police parade in Yaizu, to celebrate crime rates dropping and to try to uplift the city. Toshinori was going to be in it along with Mirio," Izuku said with an unsteady breath and dread of premonition sunk into Katsuki's bones. "I-I found out through Touya's involvement with All For One that they were going to bomb it and kill all the officers."

Izuku's voice cracked at the end and a lone tear escaped his eye.

"I-I couldn't—" he choked, before swallowing thickly and paused. Izuku took a deep breath in and re-centered himself, encasing his expression in a serious one. "I _couldn't_ let that happen. I ended up tipping off my dad about it and made him swear that it would be anonymous. They stopped the bombing, were able to arrest several people and confiscate the bombs. It was a huge blow to All For One when some of the people arrested started talking."

"They found out," Katsuki bit out, face etched in a deep frown. Izuku looked at him helplessly and nodded.

"There was a mole at my dad's station that I guess must've overheard me telling my father. All For One burned down that building in Makinohara because of me as punishment and payback for my father dismantling several of their branches."

"I messed up," Izuku said weakly and gave a defeated expression. "I messed up _really_ bad. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't save _everyone_. I've gone over it in my head repeatedly...and there's no outcome where everyone lived."

When tears started to flow out of Izuku's face along with a small sob, Katsuki sprung out of his seat and grabbed the box of tissues off his bookcase. He walked over silently in front of Izuku and handed him the box, making weary eye contact with Shouto.

Heterochromatic eyes looked right back at him with just as much worry about the information.

"Touya was involved in All For One that much?" Shouto asked, hesitantly touching Izuku's shoulder. Katsuki leaned on the front of his desk, hands gripping the ledge as he listened.

Izuku tiredly nodded as he wiped his face with the Kleenex. "Their claws were very deep inside of him—but it wasn't as forced as I wished to believe."

"What do you mean?" Shouto pushed and Izuku gave him a look a sympathy.

"T-Touya was complex...and he…" the greenette paused as if looking for the right words. "Touya was drawn to power. He always felt like he had no say all his life and they fed into that side of him that was hungry for control."

"You're saying Touya was an active member of All For One?" Katsuki pried. "And you _still_ dated him?"

He didn't mean for the judgmental tone to slip into what he was saying, but the fact that someone like Izuku, who was sweet and selfless, would date a gang member...didn't feel right.

"He d-didn't tell me when we first got together," Izuku correctly quickly, looking at Katsuki cautiously when his red eyes seemed to be seeing him in a completely different light. "He had been involved prior to us dating. Then after about a year together, things happened. Next I knew, he was always hanging around them all over again."

Katsuki frowned at the vagueness of the word 'things' and the way Izuku's eyes skated off to the side.

"He wasn't all bad though," the green eyed man continued. "I wouldn't have fallen in love with him the way I did if he was. He was romantic for the most part. However, he was _very_ selective with who he was empathetic towards. His world view was skewed dramatically, and his temper was sometimes dangerous."

Shouto sighed loudly and leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs. His mixed matched eyes looked at Izuku with a large level of understanding.

"I can agree with that—I think all three of us can," Shouto echoed, gesturing between the three of them. "While he was my brother, I understood Touya's wrath was something that ran deep but it was the only thing keeping him going. I still have to think about it every day I look in the mirror."

Katsuki grimace when Shouto motioned towards the burned half of his face and Izuku's eyes widened in horror.

"H-He gave you your burn?" Izuku asked, looking at Shouto in disbelief.

"Unfortunately, yes," The dual colored man gave a regretful expression. Katsuki recalled his own feeling of horror and disgust after hearing the story behind Shouto's burn. "Like you said, Touya was complicated. Did he...ever hurt you?"

This time an uncomfortable silence followed and Izuku's eyes darkened.

Katsuki already knew the answer when Izuku's leg started jittering.

"Yes," Izuku finally spoke, and Katsuki felt his stomach nearly fucking hurl at the thought. "H-He hit me sometimes—well..._a lot._ More than I like to talk about."

"The black eye and bruises you had in the article," Katsuki spoke up, the big picture coming together, and he didn't like a single fucking bit what he saw. "I assumed it was from the gang members attacking you. But it wasn't from All For One...was it?"

"No, it wasn't," Izuku whispered, not looking at either of them. "Touya found out that I tipped off my dad and when he confronted me about it, he was livid to say the least." Katsuki looked at how Izuku flexed his hands, like he was trying to keep himself grounded. "I wish things were different. I wish Touya wasn't in that building with me because he wasn't their target. But he defended me and look where that got him."

"Why did they let you go then?" Katsuki pushed. "If you were their target, you're clearly still alive. You stayed in Yaizu for three years after and no one tried to finish the job?"

"They decided to let me live in the end," Izuku said without any emotion in his voice. "They came into the hospital room and told me losing my parents and Touya would be a punishment worse than death to recover from. They told me if I talked again then they would make sure my death would clean and quiet."

Katsuki remained silent, taking in the information.

_They let him live so they could watch him suffer_. He thought to himself, disgusted at that thought but something else clicked. _Then the precinct fire must've not been about him if they weren't going to off him, even if they were, they said clean and quiet. Fire isn't exactly clean or quiet. _

"You did what was right in the end, Midoriya," Shouto comforted. "No one can blame you for pulling the plug on a bombing. That was a terrorist act that would've left hundreds of people dead and injured. You saved a lot of lives."

_And took on their pain for them. _Katsuki thought bitterly to himself.

Izuku saved the lives of many, but at what price? Why the fuck did the sweetest person Katsuki knew have to shoulder something as heavy as losing all of his loved ones, just because of Touya's fucking mess?

"I'm also sorry my brother hurt you," Shouto whispered, looking at his own hands. "I had a hunch he was involved with All For One given his history with shady people when I learned Makinohara was done by them. But I'm happy and thankful to finally get the full story behind everything. Thank you."

Shouto offered a soft smile and Katsuki watched as Izuku tried his best to return it.

"It's no problem, I'm happy that I got the chance to finally talk to you," the freckled detective said, looking at Shouto with new light. "I'm sorry again for avoiding you for so long."

"It's fine, Midoriya. It's not easy to talk about something like that."

"Touya loved you a lot," Izuku said with a sad smile. "He never spoke poorly of you except the cop thing, but he didn't really hold it against you from what I could tell."

Shouto shrugged with a half smirk on his face as he looked at the greenette. "He just hated cops. Could never persuade him on that stance."

"Blame Enji for that one," Katsuki muttered bitterly and they all nodded in agreement.

"And whoever was his intern was that summer," Izuku tacked on with an irritated tone. "He would always rant about some guy that worked with his father. Touya just..._hated_ him. _Loathed_ even. He refused to say his name because he despised the guy so much."

Both Shouto and Katsuki froze and the lieutenant's mouth hung open a bit, a loss for words.

_Shit._

Izuku looked at them oddly, confused at the sudden speechless expressions. "What?"

"Um," Shouto started, clearing his throat. "That was Bakugou."

Izuku's eyes widened and his head snapped towards his now boyfriend. "That was _you_? W-Why would you do something like that? He said you were the one that got him kicked out."

The blond was at a loss for words because he knew what his nineteen-year-old self said was shitty. But the shocked, and judgmental look in Izuku's eyes made his throat feel tight.

"More or less," Shouto interrupted and Katsuki felt thankful for his long-term teammate in that moment. "I don't know what story my brother told you, but I can defend Bakugou enough to say it wasn't his fault in my own opinion. My father can be very manipulative."

Based off the conflicting emotions dancing across Izuku's face, whatever version of the story Touya told Izuku painted Katsuki poorly. _Extremely_ poorly.

But he could also see Izuku trying to understand, looking at him with those damn doe eyes that admired him so much.

"Okay," the green-eyed man said, nodding, "Um, I-I guess Touya might've villainized it a bit? I would like to hear it from you one day, Katsuki."

The blond nodded. _Well, at least this shit is all out in the open now. _

"I have a lot of other questions I want to ask you, actually," Shouto added, leaning in towards Izuku more with a hopeful expression. "Not important questions, per se, or even relating to his death. Just about what he was like. I felt like I never really knew my brother despite always wanting to, and now that won't ever be an option. Can we do coffee sometime? To catch up?"

"That would be nice." Izuku smiled at Shouto as if he found a new friend. "I would like that a lot. I never really get to talk about Touya outside of therapy sessions."

Shouto returned the brilliantly soft smile and in that moment Katsuki understood the ghost they all shared.

He would have never guessed how tightly wound their lives were from afar, weaved neatly by the messy web that was Touya.

But that's how the redhead was.

He was a wildfire that burned and burned, even in fucking death the fiery man left behind ashes and only now the smokescreen of everything intertwined with him was clearly up.

The more Katsuki thought about Izuku's relationship with Touya, the more it made sense.

Izuku was kind and selfless. Of course he would offer Touya a home and of course he would be one of those people who saw the best in him despite how much the redhead was covered in red fucking flags.

It all made _sense_.

But in that moment when Shouto and Izuku while exchanging numbers, something dreadful clicked in Katsuki's brain. A memory that now had a completely different meaning to it now that the smoke had cleared.

"_Am I wrong? Am I not your type?"_

"_No, you're completely right. It's almost uncanny how similar you are." _

His brain supplied him the vivid imagery of him and Izuku at Kirishima and Mina's wedding. He remembers how full of both admiration and lust Izuku gazed upon him with and their passionate weekend together.

The realization hit Katsuki like a ton of bricks.

Izuku compared him to Touya.

…

The rest of the workday Katsuki was disquieted. No, in fact, he was past disquieted—he was completely fucking unnerved.

The fact that Izuku directly compared him to abusive fucking _Touya_ plagued his mind more than he thought it would.

When Shouto and Izuku wrapped up their convo in his office, he watched the green haired man give Shouto a hug and witnessed the new budding friendship. He half listened when Shouto made a joke about catching up on six months of possible friendship because he was now worried.

_Did_ he act like Touya?

He knew when he was younger, they had mirrored personalities but Katsuki thought he was different now.

He thought he had made an effort not to be like that—not to be like his mom, or dad, or Touya. In general, he thought he tried his damndest not to be fucked up and abusive.

Yet, here Izuku was comparing him to his fucking dead abusive ex-boyfriend.

It fucked with his head.

Katsuki grew silent for the rest of his shift and immediately Izuku noticed it when the subtle flirting in office went away. Green eyes lingered on his body and he could feel those gears in Izuku's big ass brain turning trying to figure out what was wrong or if Katsuki was off put by the talk.

Which is why he wasn't very surprised when it came time for them to walk back home, they were grid locked in a thick silence.

Neither of them spoke as they walked down the bustling sidewalk in Shizuoka City. The streetlights were already on because of the sun setting early, and families were out and about shopping. Both red and green eyes watched the gentle flurries that swirled around in silent thought.

"Did something I say today change your mind about dating me?" Izuku whispered into the early winter air.

Katsuki didn't say anything right away as he thought about it. He wanted to scream about how he felt _years_ of hard work to _not_ be like his mom were all shit now. Over one small comment.

But Katsuki held it in.

"No," he answered in a clipped tone. "I'm not changing my mind about dating you."

"Are you sure? You're being quiet. You can tell me if something is brother you," Izuku whispered, eyes focused on the snow falling. "Today was a lot of information...not all the best."

"Okay, okay fine," Katsuki groaned, head turning to the short man next to him. Izuku looked up to him and there was acceptance but some level of worry. "At the wedding when I asked if I was your type, you said yes...If I remember correctly you compared me to someone."

Izuku's body went rigid. "Oh—you remember that."

"Yes, I _do_. Were you comparing me to Touya?" Katsuki hissed, red eyes burning with hurt. "When you said we were similar to the point it was _uncanny_?"

"...Yeah, it was Touya," Izuku mumbled out. "Does that bother you?" Katsuki rolled his eyes and huffed.

"Considering I spent the majority of my life trying my _best_ to fucking ensure I turned out nowhere near like my mother, who hit me every day, but then only to find out I'm similar to the ex that hit you—_yes._ It bothers me a whole fucking lot."

Izuku grew silent but didn't take his eyes off Katsuki as if he was waiting for more words.

The blond groaned out loud, heart feeling suddenly heavy to the point he stopped walking. Izuku paused beside him and the couple let the people on the crowded street pass them by.

"I would _never_ hurt you like that, Izuku," Katsuki professed feeling desperate. His dark red eyes searched into Izuku's looking for something he wasn't quite sure of. "I wouldn't dare a day in my goddamn my life even _consider_ fucking hitting you."

"I know you wouldn't, Kacchan."

"You _know_? Then why did you compare me to Touya? That's my _worst_ goddamn nightmare! People always used to say that shit when I interned for Enji—how _alike_ we were. It made me so goddamn worried like I was looking into a future mirror of myself that was twisted."

Izuku sighed and looked off to the side and for some reason the silence only worried Katsuki more so he continued, the words spilling out of his mouth like a fountain of thought.

"You heard what Shouto said about how Touya gave him his burn. What kind of person is capable of that? Is that what you really think of me?"

"No, of course not," Izuku exclaimed, looking back at Katsuki with a strange calmness. "When I said that I was more so talking about on the surface. You both have the same vernacular, similar upbringings, and you even had a shared love for baseball. Touya even drove a motorcycle...I felt like I was seeing double when I first met you."

Katsuki scrunched his face in displeasure, unsure if that was any fucking better.

"You first liked me because I reminded you of your dead ex-boyfriend?"

"Kami—_no_," Izuku firmly said, trying to get him to understand. "I like you because you're Bakugou Katsuki. The day I started, er, feeling things for you was the day I realized that you're not like him at all. Your cores are _entirely_ different. You have a kind touch despite coming off grouchy and abrasive verbally."

"A kind touch?" Katsuki made a confused face and Izuku smiled a little.

"Yeah, _kind_. Your actions are sweet at the end of the day."

"I dunno if anyone would describe me as sweet besides you."

"You are, you're _so_ sweet. It's why I like you," Izuku whispered, and a look of what could be closely named as affection translated through green eyes. "Touya wasn't. His words were sweet but Touya liked seeing things destroyed and his touch wasn't kind."

Izuku opened his mouth but then closed it again, looking down as if he was scared to say the next sentence.

Katsuki just silently waited, not minding the cold. His body was warm from the burning questions that were demanding answers in his head. He watched as tiny snowflakes collected in Izuku's dark curled that were peeking beneath his red hat.

"Katsuki...Touya enjoyed hurting people," Izuku finally muttered and the level of fear the words were spoken with threw the blond off. "You're not Touya and for that I'm thankful. I would never date someone like Touya ever again in my life."

Katsuki felt himself relax at the admission, his fears melting away underneath the warm gaze of Izuku.

"You're completely opposite of him. You don't even hit or fire at _criminals_ when chasing them. You only do the bare minimum of physical take downs if needed," Izuku said, pleading viridian eyes looking up at Katsuki. "Please, understand I think of you two _very_ separately. I like you because you're you. Touya is in the past for me. I've grieved him and I've moved on."

A gentle blush spread across Izuku's frosted cheeks and nose as he reached forward to take Katsuki's gloved hand in his own.

"I want to keep moving forward a-and I want _you_ in that future with me as time goes on," Izuku confessed, holding onto Katsuki's hand gently. "If you'll have me still."

All the loud city noises in the background gradually faded the longer Katsuki stared at Izuku's handsome face. His red eyes only detected sincerity and an overabundance of affection. But they also picked up on fear of judgement.

Izuku's past was stickier than he expected.

Mirio had been right to want to give Izuku some sort of stability after all that.

"Of course I will," Katsuki finally said. He decided in his head that Izuku trusted him enough to tell him all of that so he shouldn't judge him. "We're fine. Just a lot to process today."

"I know...I'm sorry," Izuku sighed, giving his hand a light squeeze. "I should've told you about everything sooner. The precinct, my captain—_Touya_. I-I just assumed when I moved here, I could bury that all and leave it in the past. You know, start fresh without dragging my baggage around with me."

Katsuki laughed a little and squeezed Izuku's hand back, and like magic green eyes filled up with relief.

"You're talking to the _king_ of baggage here," the blond muttered with a smirk. "You're within your right to want to try to move past all of that shit. The past should stay dead and you deserve to start over after that hell you were dragged through."

"Would starting over include a very special dinner with my new boyfriend?" Izuku flashed a mirthful smile and Katsuki smirk widened.

"I think it does," he chuckled. He grabbed Izuku's hand firmly before they started walking back home together again.

With their fingers interlocked Katsuki decided to give Izuku his wish.

The freckled man deserved a new life, and to be granted the right to move past all of that goddamn mess.

"Alright, all of that is done. We're together now and I have the perfect place in mind for dinner," he grinned cockily. "I like to be at the best at shit and I decided that I'm going to be the best damn boyfriend. I'm going to make sure you smile _every_ damn day"

Izuku's unique laughter filled the air as he leaned into Katsuki's side while walking. "Every day? What about days I'm grumpy and don't wanna smile?"

"I think grumpy is my role, nerd. Sunshine in a bag is yours. It's officially my job to make sure you're smiling."

"Thanks, Kacchan," Izuku whispered, looking up at him. "I want to make you smile too."

Katsuki felt his chest expand full of realization. He looked into Izuku's eyes and the words spilled all over his thoughts.

_I love you. _He thought privately. _I love you a lot. _

"You already make me smile, nerd."

…

Katsuki has no idea how to tell Izuku.

He thought it over and over again about how exactly he should tell the man with artistic eyes that he was in love with him.

First, he considered doing it over dinner.

When him and Izuku finally got back to his apartment, Katsuki changed into his most expensive black dress shirt but the greenette changed into a beige cowl neck sweater and black jeans and _fuck_ he looked gorgeous.

Izuku ran some product through his hair that made his curls look fuller and shinier. He even parted it to the left and Katsuki instantly felt lucky. He could do this. He could easily just blurt it out with Izuku looking like _that_.

But when they sat down at the upscale restaurant, and he was fully seated right in view of those sparkling emerald irises, Katsuki's felt his feet run cold.

What the hell was _wrong_ with him? It's not like he was trying to propose to the damn man!

So why the _fuck_ was it so hard to tell Izuku he loved him?

The man he was trying to confess to was utterly unaware of his inner turmoil. Izuku just gently held his hand from across the table, staring at him like he was worth a million stars.

But all things aside, the dinner date was as perfect as Izuku's smile.

There was a new air around Izuku that felt lighter with everything out in the open. Over wine and their meal Katsuki explained his side of the Touya story and learned the redhead completely neglected to tell Izuku about dragging him across a desk and punching him in the face.

There was a sad flicker in Izuku's face at the new information.

Katsuki tried his best to make it go away because he could sense Izuku realizing Touya skewed a lot of stories and left out detail by omission. The smoke veil was being lifted from Izuku's eyes and reality was sinking in very quickly.

But the freckled man shook it off and smiled nonetheless.

After the date Katsuki tried to tell Izuku a second time when they got into bed for the night after the long day.

He figured it would be perfect to whisper 'I love you' while he was reading his latest novel purchase and Izuku was just doodling in his new sketchbook. They were both propped up in bed peacefully with the TV in the background. Katsuki sported his glasses and Izuku was snuggled into his side. It would've been perfect.

But the second he tried, Katsuki choked up—_yet again_.

Finally, he decided maybe he should just casually slip it in at work. Try not to make a big deal out of it. They were adults and it shouldn't be like proclaiming an engagement. He could just give Izuku a quick peck on the cheek and slip in a 'love you' and _boom_. Like a Band-Aid, he'd rip off this heavy weight on his chest.

Which brings him to now, staring intensely at Izuku's backside as the greenette talked casually with Shouto unaware.

The youngest detective was laughing and smiling with coffee in his hand, looking as carefree and happy as ever. They had just arrived to work and were reviewing over the cases for the day. Katsuki figured it would be a great time.

But when he finally worked up the nerve to approach Izuku, Kirishima came rushing in.

"Hey, I don't mean to interrupt, but we have a witness from the Uchi Street fire," Kirishima said quietly into the break room. Izuku, Katsuki and Shouto all looked over their shoulders to the redhead standing at the door with a ghostly expression. "He says got a glimpse of someone we think might be The Cremator. He recognized his voice and face from a club he used to work at."

Shouto, Katsuki and Izuku all exchanged serious stares.

_Well...this is a turn of events. _

…

All four detectives walked to the holding room with tense bodies and shoulders, and all thoughts of confessing to Izuku were in the back of Katsuki's head.

"Now who is this guy exactly?" Katsuki said as he started through the one-way mirror at a very slim, clean looking man. He was average looking with long black hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. He looked inconspicuous and average with dark skin like Mina's and brown eyes that looked beyond tired.

"Sato Kiyoshi," Kirishima answered, his red eyes looking at the man. "He came in this morning and wants to make a statement about what he saw and how he remembers seeing the same guy where he used to work. It was a place called Gemuoba."

"That's a strange name for a club," Katsuki replied sarcastically.

"Why now?" Shouto whispered, looking distrusting. "It's been over three weeks since Uchi street burned down. If what he says is true, why is he just coming forward?"

"He was a bartender there for the past three years," Kirishima answered while looking at his notes. "Says here that he was let go last night. Part of his contract was keeping quiet about the clientele that came through, but in light of the fire that burned down his apartment, he's been feeling _'pissy'_. His words not mine."

"Well, let's go talk to him," Katsuki said, eyes locked on the figure on the other side of the door. "Sooner we catch this pyro the better."

The lieutenant pointed confidently at Izuku and Kirishima and gave the signal to follow him inside while Shouto remained on the inside taking notes.

When the three of them entered the small grey room, the man named Kiyoshi perked up.

"Ah, perfect. Shizuoka City's symbol of victory," the deep voice hummed. "Just the man I wanted to talk to."

Katsuki took the lead naturally and sat in the seat across the table from the man. Shouto coolly and swiftly sat in the next available chair and Izuku stood on the opposite side of Katsuki with relaxed posture.

"Good morning Mr. Sato. I'm glad we can talk," Katsuki greeted. He reached his hand out at the man who grabbed it back in a firm handshake. "One of our other officers says that you know who is responsible for the arson on Uchi Street. You saw his face and heard his voice?"

"Yeah, I did. I had come back to my apartment and overheard a trio talking in the lobby. I didn't think much of it originally but when I saw his face, I remember him talking to Yotsubashi, that drug dealer you almost busted six months ago but got away."

"The one that was holding captain Aizawa captive," Kirishima tacked on.

"Yeah, that one," Kiyoshi sighed. "My boss keeps the club afloat by promising his place to be a middle ground for drug dealers, criminals, and gang members who like to host parties and make deals. I saw that ass-wipe pyro there a couple of times with Yotsubashi when he was trying to get the man to hand over that black haired cop to burn alive."

"What did he look like?" Katsuki asked, eyes sharp.

"He had pitch black hair and blue eyes."

"The hair color fits the bill on the guy who tried to kidnap Izuku," Kirishima muttered. "Any other distinctive features about him?"

"He was around a hundred and ninety cm—about the same height as you, lieutenant. He also had an extremely deep voice. But what you can't miss is how the guy's face is really messed up," Kiyoshi whispered and made a deeply disturbed face. "His entire neck and chin are covered in deep dark purple burns and he has them under his eyes too. But the weirdest part is he has the line where they stop pierced. Like Frankenstein."

"Sounds unique," Katsuki commented, trying to paint a picture of the disfigured man in his head. He imagined The Cremator to be someone that was burned by his own creation and looked like some demon, bent on destruction.

"Extremely unique. That's how I know he was the one who has to be responsible for these fires," Kiyoshi grumbled. "He has a weird thing with fire too from what I can remember. I think he's genuinely a pyromaniac."

"Do you have his name?" Izuku spoke up, drawing all attention to himself.

"He calls himself Dabi. No surname."

_Dabi_? Katsuki questioned in his head. Red eyes squinted slightly at the new information.

"You wouldn't happen to know if he'd be going back to Gemuoba anytime soon would you? Or any more information about his whereabouts?" Katsuki asked, trying to piece together a plan to catch this guy.

"Well, that's why I'm here, detectives," Kiyoshi said sounding both scared but determined. "Yotsubashi is hosting a costume party in two days and I happened to get a peek of the guest list right before I was so _rudely_ let go. Sitting pretty right at the top for the V.I.P section was Dabi himself."

"Well damn," Kirishima whispered, raising his eyebrows surprised. "This is perfect."

"I figured you guys could do a raid and just end it all now."

"Easier said than done," Katsuki replied. The blond's eyebrows furrowed deeply as he tapped his lips with his index finger. His brain started to put together jigsaw pieces on how to go about this properly. "Dabi might have a connection to All For One. If we did a raid and made arrests, we lose the opportunity to get them too and set off warning bells that we're onto a trail. That would put people in danger."

—_Izuku specifically_. Katsuki knew they had to do this carefully if AFO was involved. They didn't take mercy and were just as efficient as the police system.

The dark-haired witness sighed and leaned back, seeming conflicted. There was a pause before his face looked as if it remembered something. He looked at all three detectives with an unsure face before continuing.

"Well, if you can't do a raid, the next option is stealth cover right?"

Kirishima nodded. "Yeah, but we can't exactly get into the V.I.P section right off the bat to get more intel on these guys. We're not on the list."

"You don't need to be," Kiyoshi supplied, piquing all of their attention. "Yotsubashi has a weakness that would be an easy into the V.I.P section."

Katsuki quirked his eyebrow, curious. "And that would be?"

"He's the biggest pervert on this planet."

"_Excuse me_?"

"He likes to roughly gang bang young men at his headquarters with other members of his inner circle," Kiyoshi sneered with a disgusted look. "They love short, slim guys that are just _barely_ scraping the drinking age. He takes pride in being a sugar daddy for men half his age."

The dark eyes of the witness carefully assessed Kirishima, then Katsuki before settling on Izuku.

Katsuki felt his arm hair rise up at how long Kiyoshi's eyes stayed on Izuku like he was measuring him and up down.

"He fits the bill like a glove."_ And there it was._ "How old are you? Twenty?"

Katsuki resisted the urge to ball his hands into fists. He heard Izuku stumble over his tongue, caught completely off guard.

"I-I'm twenty-three."

"Close enough. Just lie about your age," Kiyoshi said dismissively. "Put on some skimpy short kimono and bend over in front of him. He'll have you snuggled up to his side in the V.I.P section in no time. You could easily get his headquarters' address by leading him on."

"If this is all true, why are you just handing us blueprints to take down these men?" Katsuki interrogated. All of this felt too strangely easy and out of nowhere. "You worked for this shady bar for years. What do you gain from this now?"

Kiyoshi brown eyes looked at the blond man across from him with an intense burn. Slowly, wetness gathered inside of his eyes and the witness clutched his fists tightly as he leaned across the table.

"My wife died in that fire," the deep voice hissed, a tear slipping out. "I tried to save her, but I _couldn't_ and now she's _gone_. I can't get her back." All three detectives looked at the man with pity as he started breaking down in tears.

"I had given the boss of the club a two weeks' notice when I realized I couldn't stand to be around that _maniac_. But instead of allowing a two-week grace period so I could get on my feet, he just fucking fired me then and there."

Katsuki turned his head to the side to look at Izuku who let a single tear roll down his face, looking at Kiyoshi with eyes that understood his pain. Izuku's resolve look as solid as an immovable mountain.

"That pyro took everything from me." Kiyoshi's nostrils flared with rage and the thirst for revenge clouded his eyes. "They can't keep destroying lives like this whenever they see fit."

The witness looked at all three before locking eyes with Katsuki and Katsuki alone.

"Make him and all those criminals _pay _for all the dead bodies they leave behind."

…

There was unmistakable chill in Katsuki's spine after the witness gave his statement.

The rest of the workday passed and the next day began but the chill was _still_ there.

Knowing that The Cremator's name was actually Dabi added to the clearing smoke surrounding the case. But he couldn't tell why the closer they got to this the more dangerous it seemed. He had never dealt with an arsonist before—much less one that seemed so ruthless.

Kiyoshi had come in, full of hurt and it put everything in perspective for Katsuki about how many lives were at stake, and how many families had already been ruined at this man's hand.

But there was something so terribly eerie about the idea of Izuku being their key in.

Katsuki always trusted his gut, but in this instance, he wasn't sure if he could. He felt worried for Izuku to go on this operation even though he knew damn well the freckled detective could handle himself.

The blond figured it was his newfound emotions and the fact he's never been on a dangerous operation with someone he loved this deeply.

So, he pushed down the gnawing feeling when they all sat down in the debriefing room with Toshinori, Shinsou and Monoma to devise a plan for the next day.

And the plan involved Izuku as bait.

"Bakugou you're going to go undercover with Shouto, Shinsou and Izuku for this operation," Toshinori spoke in a solid tone. "Given the nature of how dangerous these men are I need four of you to navigate this. Izuku is the mark and make sure he doesn't get out of your sights too far. The second you find out any possible headquarters you're going to signal the rest of the squad and Monoma's that'll be waiting to take over."

Katsuki nodded his head in understanding but his heart twisted with uncertainty.

"Midoriya you need to make sure he notices you and get a spot in that V.I.P section without hesitation, can you do that?" Toshinori asked and Izuku dutifully nodded.

"Yes, sir. I can do that," the youngest detective said.

Katsuki turned his eyes to the messy white board in the front of the room. Lines and words of all colors created an intricate web of connections that they had gathered about the case so far. The one that stood out the most to him was the large acronym 'AFO' written in red with two blurry pictures of men that were believed to be Shigaraki senior and junior.

Katsuki traced the red line that connected them to the phrase '_weapon: incinerator bomb_' that transitioned into another red line that connected to _The Cremator_, or now known as _Dabi_. Izuku did a rough pencil sketch of the man based off the description Kiyoshi gave.

It was tapped to the board and it made Katsuki's skin fucking crawl.

Dabi looked like he stepped out of the depths of hell with the massive surface burns he had covering himself all over.

The meeting was adjourned and most everyone went back to work but Katsuki stayed in the room looking at the board they had pieced together, trying to memorize it.

_What the fuck do you want, Dabi? _He thought while looking at the sketch.

His eyes traced all over reading the information, feeling like the answer was somewhere in the massive board.

Izuku came and stood beside him with his hand covering his mouth, looking in deep thought as well.

"My dad always believed the best route for stopping All For One was pulling them out by their roots," Izuku spoke softly. Katsuki turned his attention the greenette whose eyes were solely focused on the letters 'AFO'. "If we get the Shigarakis the whole system crumbles like a house of cards. He had notebooks upon notebooks filled with different strategies for taking them down."

At the mention of Izuku's father's note taking, the blond couldn't help but smile as he thought about the thirteen volumes of police notes sitting at Izuku's desk.

"I'm guessing that's where you get your obsessive note-taking from, nerd?"

Izuku chuckled and gave him a soft smile. "Yeah, it is. He always emphasized that it was important to study your surroundings closely. If I can get in close to Dabi and Yotsubashi and possible find out where AFO headquarters are too...there's a slim chance we can find All For One, or get a least get a lead on them. This could be a triple bust if done right."

"It's a far stretch considering the only connection to All For One and Dabi are these bombs," Katsuki muttered seriously, looking doubtful. The intense feeling of worry in his gut grew stronger. "But I guess it's worth a shot since it's such a specific connection."

His mind kept anxiously turning and it caused the blond to clench his teeth out of habit.

"You're worried," Izuku stated. "What's bothering you?"

"Nothing."

"C'mon, don't lie to me. I can see the telltale extra forehead crease in your brow. It only appears when your stressed out."

"I'm always fucking stressed out."

"_Kacchan_," Izuku whispered only for him to hear and, put his hands on his hips. He turned his body around fully to face the elder man. "Look at me. You know what I mean." Katsuki turned around and faced Izuku but it only made it harder.

"I'll be fine. I'm just not _fond_ of the idea of using you as damn _bait_." Katsuki tapped his foot and crossed his arms, trying not to let his spiraling thoughts get the best of him. "I don't want anything to happen to you and for some reason I have this gut feeling this operation is going to get complicated."

"I can handle myself, Kacchan," Izuku tried to reassure with a gentle warm smile. "You have nothing to worry about, okay? I feel safe knowing I have you there watching to make sure nothing goes wrong. It'll be okay."

"I know." Katsuki sighed as he returned the warm look. "I think I'm just paranoid. This case has just been one of the hardest I have ever gotten. Even if we catch this guy, I still can't piece together what he _wants_. None of the three attacks have a pattern to them—not even the kidnapping."

"There could be one, you just haven't seen it yet—none of us have. Give it time," Izuku tried to reassure him. "If anyone can figure it out, it's you."

Katsuki took a deep breath and relaxed at the words. Izuku could always do that like magic every time: make him breathe in and take a step back.

Izuku gave him a firm pat on the back before his eyes looked up at the clock.

"Ah, I have to go do my patrols with Iida soon," the freckled detective announced. "I'll see you later tonight? I'm going to go directly after work and try to find some skimpy clothes with Ochaco and Iida for tomorrow."

Katsuki frowned at the mention of the skimpy clothes and nearly let out a groan. He raked his calloused hand through his spikes.

"You got the spare key right, Izuku?"

"Yeah! Of course," the freckled man chuckled and held up his new keychain. Dangling bright was Katsuki's spare key and it made the blond give a happy smirk.

"Okay, have a good day and I'll see you later then. Be safe."

Katsuki could see Izuku step forward towards him out of reflex, almost leaning on his tippy toes to deliver a quick kiss. But the short green eyed man stopped himself at the loud sound of Monoma's voice chatting with Shinsou.

"O-Okay! I'll see you later, lieutenant!" The greenette blushed at his near mistake and gave an awkward smile and wave before leaving. Katsuki's gaze followed behind him and he couldn't help but smirk.

_Adorable fucking nerd. _

As he was staring after Izuku, the tall blond didn't see Monoma approach him from behind, looking between the two detectives curiously.

"I heard through the grapevine that you and detective Midoriya are living together. Seems like that rumor checks out," Monoma spoke up from behind. Katsuki turned around and cut his eye at the other blond who looked way too smug.

Instantly Katsuki felt his defenses spike.

"Toshinori implemented the buddy system until further notice and Midoriya has nowhere else to go," he stated coldly with no emotions. Katsuki turned his attention back to the web of lines and pictures in front of him, trying to drown out the other lieutenant.

"I know, I feel sorry for him honestly," Monoma said with genuine sadness in his tone, but it didn't last long. "But it's nice that you're allowing him to stay with you _temporarily_. When is his move out date?"

"I told him he could take his time and move out whenever he's ready." Katsuki answered in a tight voice, quickly catching onto what Monoma was fucking implying and it made the anxiety in his heart churn miserably. "It's not a big deal, we're just roommates for the time being. My place is more than big enough for two people."

"Another very nice move for you. But I have to say, you seem to be awfully sweet on detective Midoriya recently. Is there a reason for that?"

"Where the fuck is this conversation going? Don't you have other shit to attend to?" He spat out unkindly and shot a glare as sharp as ten thousand daggers.

"Oh, I do. I'll attend to them in a minute. I'm just taking notes of small things," Monoma murmured.

Blue eyes quickly glanced down at the thin leather bracelet that was wrapped around Katsuki's wrist.

Monoma's eyes flickered back up to him and a fake smile was tossed Katsuki's way as the other blond bowed and took his leave. "I hope you have a good day and best of luck on the operation."

"You too, Monoma," Katsuki mumbled, turning away from the other to stare at the sketch of Dabi on the wall.

…

By the time Katsuki got home he was exhausted from running through all the theories in his head over and over again.

First, he assumed maybe Dabi wanted money. But then why did he not rob the Sekai bank on Kaze Ave before burning it down?

Then Katsuki thought maybe this was a bigger picture and there was a possible connection to the three arson fires on Kaze Ave, Ichirizuka street and Uchi street. However, the first was a bank, and the homes on Ichirizuka and Uchi streets were nowhere in distance of each other.

There wasn't even a connection putting all three together outside of the fact that more people died each time. One girl the first fire, three people the second and over ten for the last with even more injured from serious burns.

Then to complicate things was the attempted kidnapping of Izuku.

Katsuki groaned as he turned the lock in the door.

Why can't serial criminals ever make shit _easy_? Why is there always _one_ dick with a complicated motive?

"I'm back," Katsuki tiredly called out to the large space.

Soft music floated to his ears and filled up the large apartment. Katsuki removed his outerwear and slipped off his dress shoes to go upstairs, following the humming melody. He rubbed his shoulders sore from the day and hunching over endless stacks of paper trying to draw a conclusion on this damn case.

"Welcome home, I'm upstairs!" The lighthearted voice called out. "How was the rest of your day?"

"It was shit," he called back, heading up the stairs. "I didn't make any more leeway on that damn arsonist. I was hoping to figure out what Dabi might want before the operation to...mor...row..."

Katsuki's sentence ran dry as his mouth did at the visual sitting _really_ fucking pretty in his bedroom.

Izuku leaned back on the red sheets with an alluring smile and his legs crossed.

"How do I look, Kacchan?" Izuku asked in a flirty singsong tone. Katsuki swallowed thickly and approached step by step carefully into the room.

"Good...you look _really_ fucking good," he rasped out hungrily.

The blond man had no doubt his eyes were blown fully to black, a small rim of red showing. His mind was trying to drink up the sultry image of Izuku on his bed and how he perfectly contrasted all the red.

The green haired man was dressed in exactly the item of clothing Kiyoshi told them would draw in their target.

The shortest and thinnest fucking kimono Katsuki had ever seen barely draped over Izuku's legs. It rode up to rest just above his mid-thigh and the texture looked soft and silky to the touch. Resting to nearly meet the hem of the kimono and covering Izuku's legs were a pair of thigh high black socks and he never would've guessed they looked so good on the greenette.

The kimono itself was a rich forest green, the same color of Izuku's curls. It was littered with intricate gold and white floral patterns that swirled around all the way up to the red slash tied around Izuku's slim waist and teased the hems of the low neckline.

"Doesn't look weird with my scars and burns? I-I got the thigh highs too to try to cover some of it up," Izuku asked with a small hint of insecurity in his eyes. Katsuki shook his head immediately and walked further into their bedroom.

"I doubt a king pin is going to give a single damn about scars when you look this good," Katsuki said in a low tone, ogling every inch of his boyfriend.

Truthfully, he didn't even register the scars on Izuku's legs that were peeking out. He had come to know every inch of Izuku as a masterpiece. And right now, the work of art in front of him looked incredibly—

"—fuckable. I at least look fuckable, right?"

Katsuki chuckled and nodded. "Yes. You look _incredibly_ fuckable."

"That's good, it fits the role: a desirable sugar baby that's prowling for wicked gang members to take care of him," Izuku smirked and twirled a curl around his index finger. "Kami knows what type of _bad_ stuff I've done or what type of dangerous criminals I've slept with."

Katsuki felt his dick twitch in interest.

"Is that so?" The blond whispered. "Sounds like someone needs to set you straight if that's the case," he replied back in a coy voice, playing along.

The blond felt heat gather underneath his lieutenant's shirt when Izuku's eyes darkened at the comment and a small sly smile appeared on his dimpled face. The freckled man uncrossed his legs and stood up slowly to make his way over to him.

Katsuki didn't dare make a move but he breathed in the cologne that smelled like roses when Izuku approached. Tenderly, Izuku ran his hands down his decorated uniform top, feeling his chest through the cloth.

They maintained eye contact until one of Izuku's hands toyed with his belt buckle and then the soft sound of a metallic chain jingling echoed out into the room.

_Ah._

Katsuki curiously quirked an eyebrow at Izuku when the greenette's nimble hand continued to toy with the handcuffs hooked to his holster.

"I think if I need punishment, I know just the man for the job. How about we give this outfit a test run?" Izuku whispered, tugging suggestively on the silver handcuffs. "Right, lieutenant? It'd be responsible that we cover all the bases."

Katsuki mind was filled with the imagine of Izuku bent over, bound by his favorite pair of handcuffs but then an image of Izuku sore in the morning flooded over the former one.

"We actually shouldn't. You limping tomorrow for an undercover operative isn't ideal," Katsuki whispered breaking out of character for a bit. He was trying to use the logical side of his brain, but it short circuited the second Izuku bit his plump bottom lip.

Katsuki could feel his boyfriend's hardon so clearly pressed against his leg as Izuku moved in closer.

A mirthful look sparked inside the deep forest eyes as the younger man fully unhinged the rattling cuffs and began to reach down in his kimono's pocket for something.

"Can I persuade you?" Izuku smiled as he held up a tube Katsuki has never seen. "I think I _really_ need to be taught a lesson."

Red eyes studied the tiny item in Izuku's hand before giving a feral smirk at the words 'cum lube' across the side.

All his logical thinking flew out the window as soon as his blood raced down to his groin.

…

"_H-Harder!_" Izuku screamed at the top of his lungs over the loud sound of skin slapping. Katsuki grinned like a mad man at the music of Izuku's beautiful desperate ragged breathing and the creaking of his bed.

Katsuki grunted in response and tightened his grip on Izuku's forearms, pulling him upright in their doggy position. Lust filled red eyes admired the silver handcuffs decorating Izuku's wrists and binding the green haired young man's arms helplessly behind his back.

"You look so damn pretty like this, cuffed and begging," Katsuki swooned.

He picked up the speed, plunging deeper into the wet hole that was overflowing with a mix of his cum and the thick white lube. Izuku's legs shook violently as the white liquid dripped down freckled thighs to pool into the cum already on the sheets from Izuku's previous two orgasms.

Katsuki zeroed in on himself sink inside of his lover's bent over figure over and over. He relished in the whimpering sounds spilling past the moistened pink lips. The flimsy kimono was pushed up all the way, exposing Izuku's presented position and it bounced with each vigorous thrust of Katsuki's thick cock stretching the twitching hole.

"M-More, fuck me more, Kacchan," Izuku moaned when there was a sharp impale directly against his pleasure button. The freckled man gasped at the ripples of intense pleasure raking through his body and arched his back against the large figure driving into him.

But within the second, Izuku screamed loudly at the feeling of a hard spank to his backside. Green eyes rolled back in rapture when the hot sting from the hit radiated through his body and a hand worked its way into his curls.

"Wrong name, 'zuku," Katsuki hissed as he pushed himself all the way inside of the shaking figure, reaching deep and resting against Izuku's prostate. He clutched the thick locks of hair in his hand, snapping Izuku's head to the side to make him look up at him.

At the new view of Izuku's face, Katsuki could see just how magnificently blissed out the younger man looked like this: helplessly handcuffed, bent over with his ass in the air and dick shoved deep inside of him.

There was a short whine as the freckled man pushed his ass back against him, urging him to move again and in return Katsuki gave another harsh spank.

"If you want my cock, you gotta say the right name." Katsuki applied more pressure to his grip on Izuku's hair and he could feel the tight ring around his length tighten in excitement.

"Please, lieutenant," Izuku groaned desperately and wiggled his hips more. "Keeping fucking me, please—hnn-ah!"

Katsuki snapped his hips again and began pounding into Izuku with a new speed. The spasms and the pleasure filled moans filled their bedroom like a choir of prayers. Izuku closed his eyes in riding the wave of euphoria flood inside of his body.

"Is this good? You like to get roughly handled by your superior?" Katsuki demanded as he used his free hand to reach around and start to stroke Izuku's neglected cock. "I take such good fucking care of you, don't I?"

"Y-Yes, you do, sir!"

"Then why the _hell_ are you going around flirting with fucking drug dealers?" He hissed, slipping fully into his role and tightening his grip around the base of the thick shaft. "Do you think you deserve an orgasm after all the naughty shit you've done, _hah_? Fucking around with _criminals_?"

"No, sir," Izuku whined, shaking his head and pushed back helplessly trying to meet Katsuki's brutal pace. The cuffs dug into his skin and only added to the pleasure radiating like a pressure inside of him.

"You're lucky I'm nice. I'm gonna make sure you cum like you always do because you're my baby boy. Look at you, moaning and whining, always such a fucking slut for your lieutenant's cock." Katsuki deeply chuckled and gave a squeeze to the dripping length in his hand, thumb smearing precum.

"You've been really fucking bad, haven't you? You need the _right_ cock to put you in your place."

Izuku gave a throaty moan of deep approval and bit his lip.

"Kami, _yes_," Izuku rasped out in deep satisfaction. "I-I've been bad. I need your cock! I really _really_ fucking do. Punish me, lieutenant, _please_—m-more!"

Without missing a beat Katsuki let go of Izuku's length and leaned down to wrap his free arm around Izuku's back to pull him flush against his sweaty chest. He tightly wrapped his large arm around Izuku's body to hold him steadily as he fucked upwards inside the tight hole clenching around him and held on tightly to the narrow hips of his lover.

Without a doubt, Katsuki could feel Izuku's breathing becoming more erratic as the younger male threw his head back to rest on his shoulder. The beautiful freckled man seemed like he was drowning in heavenly feelings. Green eyes were closed and his was mouth agape as Izuku handed control over to Katsuki.

And it felt so goddamn _good_.

"Need the bad fucked out of you by the top officer of Shizuoka City, huh?" He rasped out several octaves lower than usual into Izuku's temple, hot breath tickling the sensitive skin along the shell of the pierced ear.

"Yes, _yes_," Izuku nodded feverishly. Out of habit, the young detective flexed his arms against the binds on his wrist only to be met with a snapping metallic sound, reminding him he was at his superior's mercy. "Do it! Do it, please—a-ah! Fuck it out of me, sir. Make me behave—_f-fuck!_"

"I think stuffing this tight ass to the brink with cum will do the trick, hah?" Katsuki groaned when more shocks of pleasure spiked through his body and he knew he was close. He snapped his hips desperately and grazed his teeth along the back of Izuku's neck. "What do you think?"

"Yes!"

Another hard spank and cry chimed out. Katsuki growled into Izuku's ear.

"Yes _what, _you fucking slut?"

"Yes, lieutenant!" Izuku's voice cracked when a series of unrelenting harsh thrusts rocked his body. His voice climbed higher and higher as soon as Katsuki started stroking his cock again, overwhelming him in intoxicating pleasure.

"S-Sir, I'm gonna c-cum again," Izuku warned in a breathless hoarse voice, body stiffening and tightening.

Katsuki squeezed his eyes closed at the searing wet heat that was wrapped around his girth. Pleasure rocked through his burning body as he worked with fervor to get Izuku off.

Right when he felt himself slam against his own peak, Izuku's delicate voice vehemently cried out his name in a shout that was _bound_ to get them noise complaints tomorrow. The freckled man's cock twitched and sprayed out long ribbons of white cum all over the sheets and a small collection of wetness gathered on the edge of Izuku's eyes.

"F-Fuck, _Izuku_!" Katsuki hissed when he felt himself tip straight over the edge.

He tightened his grip on the quivering body and buried himself to the hilt. He groaned with deep satisfaction as he shot off spurts of cum deeply inside of Izuku's already full body. The overstimulated freckled man whimpered and tensed up, causing what felt like a damn river of liquid to flow out of his body and down his legs onto the sheets.

Katsuki loosened his hold on Izuku and he carefully guided them both down onto the sheets where cum wasn't sprayed all over.

The blond buried his face into Izuku's dampened hair and let out a huff of exhaustion.

"We always make such a fucking mess," he chucked and Izuku gave a sharp laugh in return.

…

After basking in soft kisses and chuckles, the pair eventually got up to clean their mess and shower. Izuku tossed the freshly purchased kimono into the washer and made a joke about hoping Katsuki doesn't try to ravish him tomorrow when he puts on the same outfit.

Katsuki grinned and didn't make a single promise as soon as Izuku snuggled back in bed with him for the night. While they were waiting for the piece of clothing to run through the cycle the pair spent the time under the covers, talking. Katsuki listened to Izuku go on about some new manga he had found while they played with their intertwined fingers.

"The lead character of the series reminds me of you," Izuku whispered into the darkness, staring at the dusky red eyes of the man across from him. "He's strong and noble."

Katsuki shrugged as he looked at their matching bracelets. "You're being way too nice again."

"It's true though. You _are_ noble."

Katsuki hummed with a smirk on his face. "And you're being too sweet again."

When the kimono was fully dried and hung back up for the next day, the couple turned off the lights and cuddled together in bed. Katsuki wrapped an arm around Izuku's waist, pulling the smaller man's back against his warm chest as he buried his face securely into the back of Izuku's head, smirking into the mess of soft curls.

He breathed in the freshly showered scent that flowed freely of the man in his arms and tried his best to go to sleep. Izuku fell asleep first in the spooning position. The greenette held on tightly to his hand and a light snore filled the room.

But as the night moved forward, Katsuki didn't fall asleep quite as quickly.

He watched as the clock crept slowly into the late night with dread. Katsuki tried to bring himself to sleep by aimlessly studying the large, grey clouds in the sky. They strangely reminded him of smoke with how dark they were. He knew they weren't, and it was his own brain adding the imagery of fire related things.

His mind slowly began thinking about their mission tomorrow and the man named Dabi as Izuku's tranquil breathing filled the room. He knew he was only worried because of his newfound feelings for Izuku and the deep-seated fear that something might happen to him. But even knowing that didn't ease the worry growing in his stomach.

Katsuki shifted to hold the smaller body closer to him as he studied the top of Izuku's messy curls he'd come to love. Each curl was so unique, and only then did he realize there were different shades of black and deep forest green mingled into his boyfriend's hair.

The blond tiredly looked towards the digital clock on the dresser in front of them before he sighed. Katsuki shut his eyes and softly muttered into Izuku's temple the words that had been heavy on his mind.

"I love you," he whispered, barely above a whisper.

Katsuki didn't expect an answer back this late at night.

Quietness rang out for a long period of time. Slowly, Katsuki felt better about finally being able to get his tongue to form that phrase. Izuku's breathing was deep and steadily, and he had a feeling the green eyed man was still asleep, tired from the day.

Katsuki smiled into Izuku's curls. His chest suddenly felt lighter because he had finally released those three little words into the vast universe.

Gradually, the ash blond fell into a peaceful slumber, face buried into soft green hair. He remained completely unaware of Izuku being wide awake, staring at the smoke colored clouds in deep thought about what he heard.

* * *

Thank you so much for reading I hope you enjoyed! Please let me know what you think!

**There's no preview this week because anything is spoiler going into the next chapter after discussing it with my beta. Next chapter is the full undercover mission at the club/headquarters!**

Thank you so much for reading & reviewing! :')


	17. Oxygen

Hi all! Sorry It has been so long! I'm currently finishing up my Masters of Science in Biomedical Sciences and I had my thesis due the beginning of this month, and then all the craziness with the COVID-19 happened. I completely forgot in the midst of my thesis and all-nighters to update the story on . I will be doing a double update for you all so it'll be chapter 17 and chapter 18! Yay!

Its a really big word dump so I hope you guys enjoy! Especially in these times were its looking like we're going be inside for a while. I hope you all are in good health and please stay safe! Thank you so much for reading and please leave a review if you're still out here! They mean a lot to me!

**Warnings: Top Ten Anime Betrayals**

* * *

**Chapter 17 - ****Oxygen**

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.

.

The first thing Katsuki remembered feeling was the fresh breeze that blew into the room.

He blinked opened his eyes slowly, confused as the early winter air brushed over his exposed torso. A small trail of goose bumps followed as he fully sat up, palms rubbing his eyes of sleep.

Next, Katsuki did was what he now did every day for the last two months: reach out for Izuku. His vision was blurry, the bright sun blinding him as he lazily reached for the warm smaller body that was usually snuggled into his side.

However, instead of warm freckled skin, his fingers were met with the cold surface of the mattress.

_Huh?_ Katsuki turned his head fully this time and blinked several times. The absence of the usual bundle of literal sunshine made the grogginess quickly leave Katsuki's body.

"'Zuku?" He called out confused in a raspy tone.

The bright sun flooding over the red sheets made Katsuki squint his eyes, and his world was blurry. Sharp red eyes and messy bedhead shifted to gaze over his shoulders to the bathroom in the master room, wondering if Izuku was showering, but no water was running. He frowned.

Just as he was about to get up and wander into the bathroom, gradually the savory smell of cooked vegetables, eggs, and meat filled his senses. He then realized that Izuku was already up and in the kitchen. Katsuki smiled and slowly made his way out of the bed.

The tired man stretched his limbs and followed the alluring aroma and light call of music drawing him in closer and closer to the kitchen. When Katsuki arrived, he until he stood in the walkway, drinking in the happy sight of Izuku.

The greenette was already dressed in his work clothes, eyes wide awake and a gleeful expression engrossing his face. He was adding the finishing touches of cooked vegetables on the two plates full of food just in time for the blond to enter the space.

"Already up bright and early I see," Katsuki teased, voice still raspy. He leaned against the white wall in his red boxers to toss a handsome smirk towards the busy working, green eyed man.

Then, like slow motion those shimmering viridian eyes turned towards Katsuki and for some reason they looked a million times brighter than they usually did in the morning.

"Ah, mornin', Kacchan!" Izuku happily beamed as he picked up the two plates gracefully. "How did you sleep?"

Katsuki studied his boyfriend who seemed to be in an exceptionally cheerful mood as he walked up to him and stood on his toes to plant a small kiss on his cheek.

"I slept good. Took a while to get to sleep but I'm well rested now," Katsuki said with a smile as he followed Izuku to the dining room table. They took their normal seats and the elder man couldn't help but notice the abundance of extra food piled onto his plate. "You're in a good mood. Extra eggs? What happened to you saying too many eggs is a bad thing for my cholesterol?"

"I think today can be an exception," Izuku replied back easily with a soft expression. The greenette picked up his chopsticks and playfully poked Katsuki's nose with a grin. "Big operation calls for a big meal, right? I already ironed your clothes and stuff as well so you can sit back and enjoy your morning."

"Oh, wow," he responded with an inflection of surprise. "Thanks, 'zuku. That's really thoughtful of you." Katsuki's golden-brown eyebrows raised up, taken with the saccharine mood.

Of course Izuku was sweet, he always was—it came naturally. But this, it felt different. It somehow felt even _more_ sweet, like it was intentional.

The rest of their morning continued, coated in the bright sweetness. Izuku walked around like he was happily in his own head, and the younger man was even fucking _humming_. Katsuki had no damn clue what the hell changed but he wasn't going to try to tear it down.

If the young detective wanted to be in a good mood before this operation, then hell, why not? At least one of them was.

Admittedly, Katsuki was still worried about the undercover plan. Even after Toshinori set up the extra precautions, the lieutenant's unsettling gut feeling kept the tension in his shoulders strained. It strung up the air in his lungs tight and made him sometimes forget to breath until he would blink and recall to exhale.

As they headed down the elevator in his building, Izuku made a small suggestion about riding Ground Zero today. Katsuki resisted the urge to roll his eyes with a smirk when the younger man said he missed wrapping his arms around Katsuki's waist.

The blond shot down the idea, winter streets in Shizuoka City covered in snow was no place for Ground Zero. Until the roads were clear, they would just walk.

They headed towards the glass doors outside, hand in hand, ready to go about their day until the voice of the doorman stopped them.

"Mr. Bakugou," the doorman called. "A gentleman came by and left something for you."

Both officers turned around, not thinking much about it. But it admittedly gave Katsuki a level of pause.

Who was dropping stuff off at his place that couldn't wait until he got to the station? Katsuki tried to recall the work schedule, and last he remembered, he scheduled all his pain in the ass friends to come in today.

However, when the doorman held up a cerulean blue rose, simultaneously Katsuki and Izuku both felt their hearts stop for entirely different reasons. Katsuki's expression twisted in offense while Izuku's sunk into a deep pit of dread.

Immediately Katsuki reached out to grab the item, fingers careful of the sharp thorns that were not cut off. His fingers touched the green stem and eyes assessed the poem on the brown aged paper carefully with judgmental eyes.

"**Losing you knowing **

**you no longer love me. **

**but loving another. **

**at is simply, but dreadfully, **

**the worst pain to ever cross my heart."** —_L.W_.

_Why the fuck is Mirio still sending Izuku this shit?_

"Can you tell Mirio to stop sending you this kind of crap?" Katsuki hissed. "I know we just recently made things official, but it is extremely disrespectful to send this type of shit to my home."

He waited for Izuku to say something, but green eyes were transfixed on the unnatural sapphire colored flower.

"It's not Mirio," Izuku whispered, like he was both ashamed and afraid. Katsuki brow creased with confusion because that wasn't the answer he was anticipating.

"What do you mean it's not Mirio?" He asked slowly. "There was one on your bed at your old place when you had the housewarming and another when I slept over. Who else would be sending you roses with sappy ass love poems attached?"

Emerald eyes snapped up to meet his own and sitting there, deep in Izuku's eyes, was apprehension. The earlier happiness that graced his features had been chased away. Katsuki watched as Izuku's Adam's apple bobbed with a thick swallow and his mouth parted slightly.

"I don't know," Izuku said wearily. "I...I really don't—it's been happening for over a year now."

Katsuki paused his thoughts, and stared at Izuku's unsure expression, letting everything sink in.

"Wait...Izuku do you mean—"

But before he could finish, the ghostly looking green-eyed man let go of his hand and walked up to the doorman. Izuku's eyes were wide, worried, and wild as he placed both of his palms flat on to the surface of the wooden desk and leaned in, desperation emitting from him.

"E-Excuse me, what did this man look like?" Izuku's soft voice pushed as he leaned in. "The one who dropped off the rose?"

"Oh—um, I didn't get a good look, I'm sorry." The door man looked up, startled. He glanced between Izuku and Katsuki perplexed at the sudden interrogation. "He had his coat's hood all the way up with a baseball cap and mouth mask covering his face. I didn't get a good look at his face before he kept his eyes down, just heard his voice."

Despite the dark-haired doorman giving Izuku an apologetic look, the young detective pushed more.

"Did he have bluish silver hair by any chance?"

That's when Katsuki made the connection. Izuku had drawn colored portraits of both Shigarakis out for everyone and that was their key feature: silver hair with blue undertones. The blond's frown creased deeper into his face when everything suddenly felt like it was spinning.

His crimson eyes looked down at the blue rose in his hands and stared at the thorns with a new meaning.

"No, it was just black, I think. Like I said, I didn't get a good look because of the hood and baseball cap. He just dropped this off and said it was for the guy living in apartment 902, Mr. Bakugou."

"Damnit," Izuku sighed. The greenette turned around with a frustrated look and ran a shaky hand through his curly hair. His eyes started to dart around the lobby like he was dizzy from trying to draw connections in mind, but none were coming up.

"Izuku, what the hell is going on?" Katsuki interrupted. He could tell his voice pulled Izuku back to reality when the distant green eyes focused back on him. Slowly, Izuku's face dropped and a look of shame and fear washed over him.

"This is going to sound like a lot," Izuku started, shifting nervously on his feet. "First, you have to promise me not to freak out."

Katsuki looked at the freckled man sideways. He wasn't about to make promises he couldn't keep.

"_Izuku_," he spoke sternly and immediately Izuku bit his lip and his eyebrows knitted together with a daunting task.

"I-I started receiving those when I turned twenty-two," Izuku whispered after a long pause. He gestured towards the rose in Katsuki's hand. "I-I don't know who sends them. My best guess is either it's Shigaraki Jr. sending them to me as a reminder that he's keeping an eye on me—he likes to play mind games like that. Or...my next guess it that I have some poor guy with an unhealthy fixated on me. Probably someone I slept with during my spiral."

_What the fuck—_

"You're shitting me, you have a fucking _stalker_?" Katsuki hissed, walking into Izuku's space.

Instantly the doorman's head shot up and the elder gentleman dropped his wooden pencil to the ground. Both officers realized they were in a public space when the doorman awkwardly tried to seem like he wasn't listening.

Izuku breathed heavily out of his nostrils before gesturing with his head outside the door. The two walked outside into the chilly winter air, the frost in the air nipped at their noses while they both stared at the unnaturally colored flower in Katsuki's hand.

"Have you told Toshinori about this?" The blond whispered, worried.

"Of course he knows," Izuku replied, shoving his hands in his jacket's pockets. "When it started to become a pattern, every time I got one of these, I ran it for prints or DNA. But it always comes up clean. Toshinori has even tried to track people who purchase roses in Yaizu around the time I get them but it's always too much to filter for."

"Well, have you narrowed down a list then? All the people you've slept with and who it could be outside of Shigaraki junior?" Katsuki asked like it was common sense. But the silence from Izuku said otherwise.

"...I can't."

"You can't? Why not? It should be simple to compile a list of people you've been with Izuku."

"I can't because I don't know how many people I've slept with," Izuku said so quietly Katsuki barely heard. "I stopped keeping count after a while. I wasn't always coherent, and I was in and out of a lot of sketchy places. Majority of the people were just strangers that I never saw again."

Red eyes stared down at the shorter man in disbelief, trying to process the information. Everything in Katsuki's mind jumbled when he realized just how entangled this was. _Izuku didn't know_. Izuku didn't fucking know how many people he slept with—

"Please, don't give me that look," the greenette said while averting his gaze down to the ground and away from Katsuki. "I know that's not what anyone wants to hear about someone they just started dating. But you have to understand, I wasn't in the best place mentally and I was so naive. I-I lost the three people I loved the most all at the same time. I would've given _anything_ to make my mind just stop spiraling for a couple of hours."

Katsuki watched how Izuku's eyes quickly swelled with tears as he tried to hold them back from falling. When one escaped past Izuku's emotional mask, the greenette quickly lifted his shaky gloved hand to wipe it away. Katsuki felt his heart clench.

"I don't give a damn about _that_ Izuku, we've been over this," Katsuki whispered, walking closer to the now silently crying man. "I'm not going to fucking slut shame you for a goddamn coping mechanism you had no control over. I know you're actively working on it. But _this_—" Katsuki held up the blue rose to eye level for emphasis. "_This_ right here is fucking dangerous. Why didn't you say something about this sooner?"

"It's not your battle," Izuku muttered under his breath. "I'm not going to put you in harm's way and I didn't exactly know how to come out and say, 'Hey, there's a possibility that I'm either being stalked by some lovesick guy, or one of the most powerful drug lords in Japan is reminding me he has his eye on me'. Just everyday problems—no big deal."

Izuku exhaled heavily, the oxygen in his body made what seemed like a small smoke cloud in the air.

"Everything about my past is complicated and it's why I wanted to leave it behind in Yaizu," Izuku continued. "I-I'm just afraid of you lo—_liking_ me less when you hear about the type stuff I've done...or the type of things _past_ me did. I don't want to lose you...I just got you."

"Kami, come here," Katsuki said while shaking his head.

He affectionately hung his arm around Izuku's shoulders and pulled him close. They walked together in the cold weather in silence, with Izuku studying the ground, body clearly stiff.

"Why do you have to always go and say sad shit like that? I'm not going to drop you over having a phase like that. While I personally will _never _understand that type of need, I don't judge you for it. I'm just more worried about the fact that whoever is keeping close tabs on you. But Toshinori is well aware of this, right? How about Mirio?"

"Yes, Mirio knows—er, well, _kind of_. He's just aware of the possibility that it's a stalker. I-I never explained the All For One issues to Mirio...just Toshinori. He told me not to tell Mirio."

"Has anyone tried to harm you? Like break into your apartment?"

"No," Izuku murmured. "It's just been these flowers at my door. My guess is that whenever I get drunk, I start talking about roses, so they probably thought this would be romantic to give the lonely broken-hearted guy. As for Shigaraki...well, he was aware of my mother selling roses and even bought a couple as a power move. It could honestly be either."

"But nothing has happened."

"No," Izuku said while shaking his head. "It's just been roses. Always roses." The end of the sentence was said with a decent level of contemplation as Izuku's voice dipped low into a whisper.

The conversation drifted off as Katsuki held up the thorn covered rose in his gloved hand. Its petals were pure and fresh like it had been recently purchased. The azure flower felt like it was staring right back at Katsuki and it made him sneer thinking about All For One.

He tossed it in the next garbage he saw without a second thought, taking Izuku's hand.

. . .

After they arrived at the station, Katsuki kept trying to figure out how Izuku managed to keep it all together. On the walk over, Izuku explained the roses first appeared after he went out for his 22nd birthday and then shortly after gang activity in Yaizu spiked briefly.

The greenette said all of this with a distant look, and a smokescreen in his eye that was unreadable. There was a small glimmer of something close to anger that trickled out of the emotionless mask Izuku kept solid whenever talking about All For One.

Izuku resented them.

Katsuki could tell. Izuku hated the Shigarakis for what they had done to his life, and the assumption that the roses were a sick, twisted joke from Shigaraki Jr. only added to Izuku's burning hatred.

The rest of the day was spent reviewing over the operation's layout: getting Izuku close to Yotsubashi, finding out his headquarters and close enough to Dabi to figure out what his endgame was. They all sat silently with Monoma's squad and S.W.A.T going over the details of the plan:

The first stage was entering. Katsuki, Shouto and Izuku were chosen to go inside the club while Shinsou would stay outside in two separate cars with Monoma that would be parked discreetly in the alley that was across from the entrance of the door.

Toshinori detailed how everyone that would be inside would be equipped with tracking devices to ensure the best safety. Izuku especially.

As time grew closer Katsuki watched Izuku change into the short, decorative green kimono. His dark colored crimson eyes traced the delicately intricate floral pattern and noted mentally that they reflected Izuku in a strange way. Beautiful, alluring and complicated.

When Izuku finished getting dressed Ochaco came in with the kitsune mask Izuku would wear off to the side on his head to fit the 'costume' theme of the nightclub. She placed it perfectly to only cover the top half of his head tilted to the side.

Embedded inside was a one-way audio device that would allow everyone on the intercom channel to listen in on the conversation inside the V.I.P section while the rest of them talked and communicated through two-way earpieces.

Katsuki tried his best to ignore the growing feeling an uneasiness as the clock ticked and ticked closer to nighttime. Ochaco put light makeup on Izuku claiming that it would 'enhance' his features and, unfortunately, she was right.

Whatever the fuck she did, she made Izuku's already smooth skin on his face seem pore-less like a doll without covering his freckles. The brown-haired woman pulled out some cherry tasting gloss that made Izuku's lips pinker and fuller. She even styled his hair to have a flowing bang without losing the curls and waves he naturally possessed.

Even Shinsou made a light comment about how with the clothes and the light make up, Izuku looked close to irresistible—and Katsuki knew he was right. Izuku would be a shoo-in the second he stepped outside in those clothes.

Everyone left, Shinsou and Monoma heading out early to get visuals on the gang members and the other officers got suited up in their tactical gear. Katsuki, Izuku, and Shouto waited for the signal from Toshinori in the precinct patiently. When Shouto dismissed himself to step outside for some air, it left the couple sitting alone getting fully in gear.

Katsuki chuckled a bit as Izuku tied the laces on his red sneakers tightly and then picked out a small pistol and began to load it. The greenette closed one eye and aimed the weapon at Dabi's photo to test the weight of it in his hand.

"You know," Katsuki spoke with a mirthful tone. "You look _really_fucking sexy with a gun in your hand and dressed like that." He smirked wide when Izuku shot him a playful look from over his shoulder.

"A deadly kind of sexy, right?" Izuku teased back, sliding the gun in the back of the kimono's bow and walking over to Katsuki sitting at the table. The lieutenant just smiled and reached out a hand to play with the hem of the black thigh highs covering Izuku's burns.

"Like a black widow," he laughed and Izuku joined in the small humor. Red eyes settled on the soft looking green ones and slowly some warmth slipped into the expression Izuku was giving him.

The greenette quickly looked over at the door of the conference room before sitting down next to the blond man.

"Katsuki, there's actually something I want to say before we go," the soft voice whispered. There was pure affection in his eyes and soon Izuku's soft hands reached out to hold Katsuki's own calloused ones with great care.

"What is it? Are you worried about going?" Katsuki asked but Izuku shook his head, beautiful curls bouncing with the motion. The freckled man squeezed his hands, emerald eyes staring down at their intertwined hands in a contemplative manner.

"No, it's not that. It's just…I meant to say something on the way over, but the rose ordeal distracted me," Izuku began, eyes still not lifting. "You're so kind and you've been so patient with my mess. I-I care a lot about you—more than I've cared about someone in a _very_ long time."

Izuku paused briefly to suck in his lips.

"Certain words and phrases are hard for me to voice because I always worry what will happen after I speak them," Izuku whispered lowly.

Small hairs on Katsuki's arm stood up, the air suddenly feeling warm. He realized where this was going. The blond's breath hitched, and eyes went wide when a sugar sweet blush spread across Izuku's face.

"I love you, Katsuki," Izuku whispered like it was secret. Jade colored eyes slowly lifted to meet his and Katsuki felt himself let out a heavy breath of relief when a weight was lifted from his chest from hearing those three words. "I heard you say it last night. I had been thinking about it for a long time, but I was just afraid to say it because—"

Without letting Izuku go on further Katsuki leaned forward all the way to capture Izuku in a passionate kiss. He could feel Izuku make a surprised sound, but the blond didn't care.

_Izuku loved him._

With everything Katsuki had, he passionately kissed the man he had fallen so unexpectedly in love with. His fingers intertwined into too soft curls and he worked his mouth against the cherry tasting lips that kissed him back like he was oxygen needed to breathe.

They broke apart, breathing heavily. The two lovers stared into each other's eyes and slowly started a chuckle happily between each other as Katsuki rested his forehead against Izuku's, cradling his freckled face dearly.

"I love you too, Izuku," he whispered back.

Katsuki couldn't recall a time his heart felt fuller.

It felt like everything was amplified and Izuku had become the oxygen that fed the flame inside of his chest. The youngest broke out into a large, gorgeous smile and squeezed their hands together while leaning in for a simple chaste kiss.

A knock on the door broke the spell that had enraptured the two officers. They both glanced up to the doorway to see Shouto leaned against the door frame with a knowing look on his face.

"If you two lovebirds are ready, I just got the signal from Toshinori. Everyone's ready to go and Yotsubashi was spotted heading inside."

All three of them shared a serious nod as they suited all the way up to leave. They piled in the back of Shouto's plain black detective car. Katsuki couldn't help but steal one more kiss and an 'I love you' as Izuku gave him the warmest smile.

But it worried Katsuki, that even with all this love filling his chest, how the growing feeling of dread didn't go away.

. . .

Katsuki smoothed out the dark blue open button up he was wearing as he walked up the club with bright neon lights accompanied by Shouto. The venue looked like any other ordinary night club on the outside, but Katsuki supposed that's what made it the perfect spot for drug lords: hiding in plain sight.

The loud bass music filled their ears and the vibration sunk into Katsuki's bones with each pulse of the beat. Calculating red eyes looked at all the people standing in a disorganized line that snaked around the corner, everyone engrossed full of idle chatter. The blond resisted the urge to roll his eyes when he noted how everyone's clothes _barely_fit the theme of 'costume' party.

_I fucking hate clubs_. Katsuki thought privately to himself. He looked over at Shouto who wore an expression that was equally unenthusiastic. They mutually shared an exhausted stare while scanning over the crowd.

Majority of the women were in skin-tight shimmery dresses accessorized with some form of animal ears and, every now and then, a tail. Many of the men were wearing what Katsuki and Shouto were, just regular clothes with various types of masks on.

Both Katsuki and Shouto went the route of plain black baseball caps and black mouth masks that had sharp, shark toothed smiles painted on them in luminescent ink. The white print intertwined in the masks glowed brightly giving both undercover officers a look that blended in just enough.

On the other hand, Izuku, several people in front of them, undoubtedly stood out amongst the crowd in his kimono and kitsune mask. Several people were already chatting it up with the freckled beauty.

"Are you all in position?" The voice of Toshinori echoed over the intercom.

Katsuki discreetly raised his hand to press the button on his hidden earpiece to respond in a low voice. "Yes, everything is set up. We're going in now."

"Okay, good job, Bakugou. Monoma's squad and S.W.A.T are on standby. Remember no losing sight of Midoriya tonight."

"Got it. Won't let it happen."

"Signal Shinsou and I in when they begin to make a move towards headquarters," Monoma's voice chimed in. "We'll come and drop off Todoroki's car for you and begin the trailing."

"Will do," Katsuki replied easily and Shouto nodded approvingly.

The intercom signal died and slowly the trio inched into the club. Katsuki showed his fake ID that had his father's name on it for extra precaution due to his high status in Shizuoka City.

When they fully got inside, the club itself was vibrating with life. Neon colored spotlights were anchored on the ceiling and moved around with the high bass music. Katsuki squinted when the flashing deep hues of blue, red, and blue nearly blinded him with the dark contrast. The bartenders were all dressed in the same white colored dress shirts and red bow ties shaking up colorful drinks for people clearly already inebriated.

In the center of the large black tiled floor was a large elevated stage with male and female strippers doing impressive acrobatic poses on silver poles. Colorful yen was overflowing from their clothing that was clinging to their gracefully moving bodies and pouring onto the stage.

Katsuki scanned the room to see Izuku posted up against the bar, already working his charm. The bright, irresistible smile was on his face and the aura of innocence with a hint naivety was leaking off his figure. Katsuki watched as the greenette slightly propped out his hips and he could see everyone that walked by taking a quick glance at the short-hemmed kimono that was barely hiding Izuku's sensitive areas.

Dark colored crimson eyes scanned the large room and zeroed in on a small section off to the side holding just the man they were looking for. Behind a red rope and three bodyguards there was a decent sized group of people sitting in a comfortable section, spoiled with wine, food, and flat screens.

Yotsubashi's loud chuckle echoed through the air, cutting through all the loud music. The gang leader's bright orange hair was slicked back, and he was wearing, in Katsuki's opinion, a really fucking tacky green pinstriped suit.

The man was leaning against dark red cushions smoking openly as a woman brought out a large bottle of wine with a bright sparkler. He paid her no mind as he continued to laugh alongside several other powerful looking men, however none of them fit the description of Dabi.

"Yotsubashi is off to the right side in the back, Midoriya. Position yourself in eyesight," Shouto said.

The greenette looked over his corner to lay eyes on the ginger man. He turned back around and wrapped up whatever conversation he was having with the bartender to move gracefully down to the other side of the long bar. The enticing curly haired man aligned himself directly in Yotsubashi's line of vision without seeming suspicious.

Katsuki glanced up to see an upstairs that was as equally packed and motioned to Shouto for them move up and get a clear aerial view of the entire situation. The two undercover officers weaved themselves through the dense crowd. The various smells of perfumes, colognes, sweat and strong alcohol mixed together as they worked their way up their stairs.

They blended into the chaotic scene as they casually leaned against the railing with other people in the dimly lit nightclub scene, but both their eyes were focused on Izuku who was actively flirting with some extra. Then like magic, Katsuki could see the tall ginger man stare curiously at Izuku's backside and tilt his head.

_That was quicker than I thought._

Yotsubashi took a long swing of his drink, all the metallic rings decorating his hand clinking against the glass he was holding. His deep brown eyes stared at Izuku's smiling profile and Katsuki could already tell he was enchanted the same way he way he was all those months ago.

Without taking his eyes off Izuku, Yotsubashi put out his cigarette, lifted his free hand and snapped his fingers. Everyone in the V.I.P section instantly grew quiet, a testament to his power and it undoubtedly put a chill in Katsuki's spine.

The three bodyguards standing in front of the velvet red rope looked over the shoulder to see the ginger man point to Izuku with a greedy smile. The tallest of the three nodded to him before walking over to Izuku and tapping him on the shoulder. Izuku paused his conversation, orange drink in hand to look up at the tall serious man that had his hair slicked back into a neat bun.

"Yotsubashi would like you to join him in the V.I.P section," the deep voice echoed through Shouto's and Katsuki's earpieces.

The man Izuku was talking to immediately looked surprised and backed off without being told, scurrying away and disappearing into the overcrowded nightclub.

Izuku gave a kind smile and allowed himself to be led over to the other side of the room. The guard patted Izuku down briefly, probably not guessing there was a fully loaded gun concealed on his figure due to the lack of clothing. The large man's hands completely failed to feel out the back of his kimono and lifted the rope for Izuku.

Katsuki felt like almost puking at how downright ecstatic the Yotsubashi looked. The ginger man sat down his glass of alcohol and gestured for Izuku to come stand in front of him.

"Well, isn't this the prettiest sight I've ever seen," the deep voice chuckled, wicked smile pointed from ear to ear. Izuku held the kind look on his face and timidly played with the hem on his kimono. "_And_ you're shy? What's your name handsome?"

"Haru," Izuku replied easily in an air light voice. "Your guard told me your name is Yotsubashi?"

"You don't know who I am?" The ginger asked in a highly amused voice. Everyone sitting on the pristine leather couches joined in a choir of chuckles and looked Izuku up and down like prey. But most of all, Yotsubashi looked more than satisfied by the answer. "How old are you, Haru?"

"Twenty." Izuku smiled, and ignored the hungry eyes roaming his body. "Sorry, I don't really get out much. I heard about this party through someone on campus. I've been really stressed out and came out tonight to try to have some fun."

There was an unmistakable hint of suggestion in Izuku's soft voice that made Yotsubashi bite for the bait. Katsuki almost felt proud at how easily Izuku was reeling him in. The freckled man truly was an expert at flirting.

"Would getting in trouble with some bad men be fun to you?" Yotsubashi smiled, leaning forward with his hands clasped. His eyes crawled up and down Izuku's body and stopped right on the edge of the green kimono that was directly eye level to him. "Because if it is then I have a lot of _fun_ to offer you."

Izuku flashed his signature "innocent, yet not" look and shifted in closer. He lifted a careful hand to place on the tall man's shoulder and kneaded it ever so slightly with a sugary sweet smile.

"I think that sounds like just the type of fun I'm looking for. I'm a little cold in this too—I would love for someone to warm me up."

"Wow, you're downright perfect," the ginger man said satisfied. His deep chuckle echoed out and he leaned back and crossed his legs. He threw his arm on the back of the couch and patted for Izuku to sit next to him. "C'mon, take a seat right here and let me keep you cozy."

Izuku gave a flirty smile as he took a seat underneath the wing of the most powerful man in the room.

Time passed on with Izuku throwing his charm all over the V.I.P section, while Katsuki and Shouto chatted idly. Shouto mentioned how surprised he was by Izuku's ability to slip into this persona but Katsuki didn't feel as surprised after knowing he everything did.

He watched Izuku put on those clothes and saw him slip into a part of his mind that had seemed closed off, a place he only assessed when he wanted to. When they had entered the club, he noted how easily Izuku weaved in and out of the crowd, easily slipping into the skin of 'Haru' like this was second nature to him.

The lieutenant watched and listened as Izuku smiled and complemented the clearly tipsy gang leader. The man's eyes were half lidded as he leaned into Izuku's space, offering him drink and whispering very vulgar shit into Izuku's ear, not knowing that Shouto and Katsuki could hear it all.

The witness was right, this man _was_ a fucking pervert.

Just when the all too vivid suggestions Yotsubashi was giving Izuku peaked borderline jail worthy, Katsuki noticed two men gradually enter into view. Katsuki squinted his eyes from up above as he watched them come closer and closer into view, people parting for them like the red sea.

The deep music got louder, and the flashing red lights mixed with purple fell on the two men's faces when they got into full view. That's when Katsuki's knew who at least one of them was.

Standing there like the nightmare he was, was Dabi.

His shoulders were broad, intimidating and his hair was black as his heart. He sported a leather jacket that was lined in silver chains and heavily decorated with silver studs and spikes. The raven-haired man cracked his knuckles and flexed his strong hands that were covered in fingerless leather motorcycle gloves. Katsuki could even very scarcely note the purplish burn marks could be seen peeking out from underneath.

The purple burns on Dabi's neck and upper chest crept up to cover his chin and mouth just as as the witness described, making the silver chains around his neck stand out. They perfectly matched his silver piercings—but what frustrated the shit out of Katsuki was how the upper half of Dabi's face was covered in a black wolf mask.

The mask itself looked hungry, dangerous and emitted the exact same threatening aura as the flames The Cremator wreaked havoc with. It cast a dark shadow over his eyes, making it hard to see the exact color in the already dimly lit room and made him seem soulless.

However, the man with him was someone Katsuki's didn't recognize.

He was of equal height to Dabi with sleek silver hair that was tied back in a half bun. Stoic, deep purple eyes grazed around the club in a calculating manner. His mouth and nose were covered by a black mouth mask with a detailed white skull drawing of a mandible that glowed purple in the dark setting.

"Ah! Finally, Dabi! Nine! There you are," Yotsubashi laughed, grabbing Izuku's waist and pulling him in close. The powerful gang leader motioned for his bodyguards to move aside and gestured for the two newcomers to come in. "The men of the hour! I was worried you two were going to flake on me again."

Izuku turned his head to look at the two men and smiled.

"Hi there, nice to meet you two." The greenette stuck his hand out as the two men approached him, flickering neon lights danced around them.

The silver haired companion politely greeted Izuku, shaking his hand.

But Dabi didn't do anything.

Katsuki frowned, dark blond brows knitting together when Dabi clearly went stiff at the sight of Izuku. The man's focus only seemed to grow progressively more intense as he stared at the dolled-up detective.

Yotsubashi didn't seem to notice the rigidity and playfully ran his hand through Izuku's hair with a smile. "I have a very special guest here tonight. Isn't he ravishing?"

But once again, Dabi didn't say anything.

_What the hell is wrong with him? _Katsuki thought to himself in a hiss.

This time Yotsubashi squinted his eyes and turned towards the silver haired man. "Nine, what's wrong with him? Is he in one of his moods again and not talking today?"

The man now identified as Nine turned towards Dabi who finally peeled his attention off Izuku's face. The raven-haired man leaned over to whisper something in Nine's ear that seemed to make the silver haired man nod in understanding.

"His throat is sore he says. Can't speak above a whisper," the silver man said beneath his mask, giving a deceptively kind smile through his eyes. "The laryngeal burns have been acting up with the dryness in the weather. You know how it is."

"Damn, that's unfortunate," Yotsubashi murmured with sympathy. "Well, that's okay. Dabi, I want you to meet Haru. He's been a great conversationalist while we were all waiting on you."

"Hi, so nice to meet you," Izuku smiled again and held out his hand for a handshake.

But to everyone's surprise, Nine included, Dabi gently took Izuku's hand and bowed slowly to place a small kiss on the top of his bandaged hand.

Izuku's eyes went wide along with Yotsubashi as Dabi lifted his head to stare directly at Izuku, mere inches away. Katsuki watched how a strange look washed over Izuku's face as he leaned in slightly, squinting while looking into Dabi's eyes.

But just as Izuku leaned in too close, Dabi rose back to full height and let go of the small hand.

The freckled man clearly stumbled and looked at Dabi confused. Katsuki felt like rolling his eyes.

_Of course, the goddamn pyro would be a romantic. _

"O-Oh, wow. A gentleman," Izuku nervously laughed, fidgeting with his hands. "You're very sweet."

Dabi shrugged and Yotsubashi pointed grin grew undoubtedly wider. Without warning, the ginger slammed his glass on the table with vigor causing everyone to flinch.

"Well, I'll be damned! Tonight is a night of good luck!" Yotsubashi called out, looking between Izuku and Dabi like he just witnessed the impossible. "I've _never_ in my life seen Dabi be cordial towards anyone. It's a fucking miracle—quick, someone go get us another bottle of wine for this special occasion!"

Izuku cocked his head, fully returning his attention to the man whose arm was draped over his shoulders. "It's a special occasion?"

"Well, it's my fifty second birthday, Haru," Yotsubashi said casually. "But I'm becoming an old man, not much to celebrate but this—your looks breaking _Dabi's_ ice wall. We have to make sure its special."

Several people sitting next to Izuku got up quickly and moved when Dabi motioned with a simple, quick hand gesture for them to go elsewhere. The two newcomers took their seats next to Izuku, with Dabi on the other side of the small green haired man.

Izuku continued to talk up the ginger who kept curiously peering over him. Yotsubashi's eyes studied how Dabi kept studying Izuku in between pauses. The man in the wolf mask's attention didn't seem leave Izuku's figure, particularly glancing at the white bandage on his left hand.

Without thinking much about it, the inebriated drug lord bent slightly to whisper in Izuku's ear. "Why don't you go be a good boy for me and sit on my friend's lap, eh? He keeps peeking at you. I'm sure he could use someone to warm him up."

Izuku nodded with a smile before turning around to Dabi and asking if he wanted some company. Dabi slowly leaned all the way back and spread his legs, giving a simple two pats on his leg for Izuku.

"Midoriya's ass is like a magnet for attracting men in powerful positions," Shouto commented with the earpiece off, accompanied with a smug look. "That's a pretty impressive talent I have to admit."

"Shut the hell up, Shouto," Katsuki hissed. He 'tch'd immediately and glared at his partner who only raised a singular brow. Katsuki shook his head, worried for his blood pressure as he held a finger up and pressed down on the small earpiece. "Midoriya, try to get him to take the mask off so we can see this bastard's face."

Izuku shifted himself slightly, crossing his legs directly across Dabi's figure as he turned inward to the man. His laid his arm around Dabi's shoulders while Dabi himself gripped Izuku's waist possessively.

"Dabi, right?" The detective said as he smiled. "I like your mask a lot, it's very suiting for you. But I have to admit, I would love to see your handsome face as a whole."

Dabi shook his head and Nine sighed.

"Ah, sorry about that," Nine commented, leaning in with an apologetic smile. "My friend here can be a little self-conscious of his looks. He has a lot of burns on his face that he doesn't really like to show off in public spaces."

"Which is why I keep telling him to dump those All For One assholes and comes over to me," Yotsubashi chimed in bitterly. "If he became _my_apprentice versus their errand dog, I can give him all the power he wants. Not a damn soul will give a damn about his looks if he controls half the drug traffic in Shizuoka City."

That information piqued all three undercover detective's interest. Dabi was connected to All For One.

"He's working on excommunicating, don't worry," Nine laughed as he took a sip of his purple drink. "It takes a little bit of wiggling to fully get out of AFO's debt with your head still on your shoulders."

"I know, I know," Yotsubashi sighed, running his hand through his ginger hair. "I'm just very excited to get my hands on the Incinerator detonator blueprints. Give me those, Dabi, and this whole city is yours to burn how you please—but first make sure you cut the Shigarakis off clean."

Izuku cleared his throat and looked at Dabi cautiously. "You work for All For One?"

Dabi shook his head again.

"He's more so _affiliated_," Nine cleared up. "Dabi is working on his own right now but he has close ties with them."

"Ah, is that how you two met?" Izuku asked with a sweet smile. He leaned fully onto Dabi who started to tap his leather boot and hold Izuku closer.

"Oh no, I don't. I met Dabi recently. His work caught my attention, and I was curious to see what his grand plan was. Now we're more so _business partners_ with mutual interests, you could say."

Izuku smiled and lifted a hand to run through Dabi's hair. "I would love to hear about you're working on—" but as soon as his hand got close to touching the black spikes, Dabi's free gloved hand snapped upwards to grab Izuku's wrist, stopping him immediately. The one holding Izuku's waist clutched him tighter.

Katsuki's breath hitched when the freckled man immediately flinched at the sudden grab, green eyes going wide.

"Careful, Dabi's not a fan of his personal space being invaded," Nine said with a hint of humor.

Katsuki watched how something flashed across Izuku's face as he stared at the large hand tightly wrapped around his wrist. Dark green eyebrows furrowed, looking confused by the grip and Katsuki could see Izuku break character for a bit before shaking his head, trying to snap himself out of whatever memory was triggered.

"A-Ah, sorry. I didn't—" Izuku tried to start again. But the words died off in his throat when he tried to gently pull his wrist back only for Dabi to grip him harder and pull him closer. "...D-Didn't mean to," Izuku whispered, confused.

After several moments, the gloved hand let go but green eyes continued to stare at this wrist as if something important was lingering behind on it.

While Izuku's eyes were downcast, Dabi lifted his fingers again to slowly brush a stray curl behind the detective's pierced ear and carefully touched the gold hoop in Izuku's ear. The sensation made green eyes shoot up and there was a ghostly expression written across Izuku's face that both Shouto and Katsuki could see.

"What the hell was that?" Katsuki hissed to Shouto, who also starred on just as perplexed.

"I don't know, but it looks like the grab threw Izuku off," Shouto murmured.

They both watched how the conversation in the V.I.P section continued on with Dabi lazily tracing circles into Izuku's leg but the freckled detective's eyes kept flickering back and forth between Dabi and where the man had grabbed him.

Izuku did his best to cover up the faltered smile and laugh shallowly at all the jokes everyone made, but both Katsuki and Shouto could see something was wrong. Izuku was disorientated. There was something off in his laugh like his brain was trying to process something contradictory.

"Haru, my friend Dabi seems to like you a lot," Yotsubashi hummed, watching the two of them hungrily. "Would you be up for coming to a private after party with me and a couple of my close friends? I'm trying to show Dabi here what it would be like if he came over to me."

"Yeah," Izuku said with a tight, fake smile. "I would love to help persuade him."

"Perfect little fox," Yotsubashi smirked and turned his attention to the masked silver man on the other side of Dabi. "Nine, do you want in too?"

"Sure," Nine shrugged casually, looking at Izuku. "It's been a while since I had some group fun and he's cute."

"Perfection! Ah, best birthday in a while. Let's finish another bottle, then we'll head out."

As all the men and women in the V.I.P section continued to laugh on, Katsuki could see Izuku start to grow a distant look in his eye. The gnawing feeling of worry grew more intense inside of the blond male's stomach when he could see Izuku's brain was running a mile per minute—but for _what_?

Time passed on, more people filed into the already packed club, knocking into each other and giggling loudly over the music. The dangerous men finished off their last bottles with Yotsubashi laughing in conversation, while Dabi's attention stayed fully fixated on the greenette in his lap, hands playing in his curly hair the entire time.

Yotsubashi snapped his golden fingers twice and the entire mood of all the whole V.I.P party changed. Everyone in the private party cheered loudly and began to pack up their things. The drunken men and women hung off of each other happily as the selected few people began to head for the door.

"They're on the move," Katsuki spoke into his intercom for Toshinori, Monoma and Shinsou to hear. "They have a medium sized party heading for the exit. Shinsou and Monoma keep an eye on the crew that's heading out and tag where they go to headquarters."

"On it," Monoma and Shinsou replied back in unison.

Katsuki made a signal for him and Shouto to move when Dabi stood tall, and lazily draped an arm around Izuku's shoulders. The raven-haired man led Izuku out the club while loyally following behind the crowd engulfing Nine and Yotsubashi.

Katsuki kept his eyes on the red sash tied around Izuku's waist that stood out against all the dark colors as the group walked outside into the chilled air. Several black cars immediately pulled up and the assortment of gang members piled into them randomly. However, Yotsubashi, Dabi, Izuku, Nine and the three bodyguards got into the only white luxury car that was stationed comfortably into the middle.

"Shinsou, Monoma—pull the cars around," Katsuki whispered into his intercom.

The parade of expensive cars started to pull off and within the second the two other undercover officers pulled around the side signaling for Shouto and Katsuki. Smoothly, Katsuki and Shouto walked over to the two black cars positioned off to the side.

Shinsou tossed Shouto the keys to the car as he swiftly got in the passenger seat of Monoma's car. Katsuki opened the door and took his place next to Shouto who was already turning on the engine of the car.

Both detectives stripped themselves of their hats and masks, running their hands through their hair. Shouto drove off, trailing behind Monoma and the long string of cars in the busy, bustling nightlife.

"Let's go end this," Katsuki hissed as he reached in the backseat for their guns and began loading them.

. . .

It felt like forever.

Katsuki's attention and adrenaline were sky high as they trailed behind the cars now blasting loud music, completely unaware of the two cop cars following them. Their radio and earpieces chimed loudly through Izuku's hidden headset from inside the car and dear fucking _Kami_ these men were terrible.

"Haru, I would slit fifty men's throats just for you to sit on my face," Yotsubashi's drunken voice slurred through the intercom. "Like goodness, you're giving me so many dirty ass fantasies right now. I can already see you perfectly covered in all of our cum fucking crying and begging while Dabi fucks you."

"Just fifty? I was thinking more around one hundred," Izuku teased back and everyone in the car erupted in laughter.

Katsuki could feel Shouto look at him out of the corner of his eye, but the lieutenant kept a serious face.

"Do you find it strange Dabi hasn't said a single word all night?" Shouto commented as they turned the corner. "Do you really believe he has laryngeal burns?"

"Possibly," Katsuki murmured, eyes staring at all the people packed on the sidewalk. "You saw those scars on his face and neck. It's very plausible that his throat was damaged somehow."

"How do you think it was burned?"

"He builds bombs, Shouto," Katsuki muttered over the loud radio that seemed to be getting louder. "Unique bombs that can take down entire buildings without a single trace of the device. There's no way the trial and error of making the incinerator left him scot free. That type of shit is bound to follow you for karamatic reasons."

Just when Shouto was going to comment further, the radio signal for Izuku's audio spiked with an argument and the white car slowed down to pull off into a different road completely.

"Nine, are you serious right now?" Yotsubashi hissed loudly. "Everyone is on the way to my headquarters and you guys want to drive to a fucking ground beta right now? What did you forget that was so important? You know damn well I can't be seen on AFO territory—"

"—It's the blueprints for the incinerator," Nine said casually. "Dabi wants to go ahead and close this deal tonight. He says we have everything we need now to complete it. Then we can have some fun later."

"—Bakugou, we lost visual of Yotsubashi's car," Monoma's voice said slowly in his ear. "Should we keep trialing the others?"

Katsuki wearily looked at Shouto before making a split decision when the white car completely pulled an illegal U-Turn.

"Shit, yes," Katsuki hurried while pointing for Shouto to follow discreetly behind the expensive car. "Pinpoint their headquarters and signal your squad for the raid. We'll follow wherever the hell they're going and figure out what the fuck is a ground beta."

. . .

The car drove off to the outskirts of the city and eventually the traffic thinned out the further they got out. Katsuki wearily looked around at the dark sky that was swelled with grey clouds as the tall building soon started to fade out into nothing but barren land.

Shouto slowed down his trailing and turned off his headlights to linger behind when it became apparent that they wouldn't be able to blend in as easy.

The white car eventually stopped at an abandoned warehouse and the radio signal from Izuku's head piece started to fizzle with white noise.

"Why are they pulling over?" Katsuki questioned, face encompassed in worry. "It's the middle of nowhere." Shouto looked at him equally as baffled when the car turned off and everyone got out. The detectives discreetly parked their car far enough and looked onward on the scene with binoculars for clear vision.

Katsuki could see Izuku look around worried when there was no one in sight and stared intensely at Dabi like he was still trying to figure something out.

"Well, we're here," Yotsubashi said, clearly still drunk and bitter. He straightened out his green pinstripe suit with his head down. "Can we hurry this up. I have people waiting on me—"

Quicker than anything Katsuki had ever seen, Nine and Dabi pulled out hidden handguns and lodged bullets inside of Yotsubashi and his three bodyguards. The duo perfectly landed kill shots directly in their foreheads sending blood spattering into the air.

Katsuki and Shouto's hearts stopped.

The bewildered blond lowered his binoculars and stared wide, his pulse pounding loudly in his ear.

"Wait—what the _fuck_—"

Izuku screamed loudly when all four bodies dropped to the ground and suddenly two other cars encircled the scene. Four people in gas masks got out and tossed Dabi and Nine two masks of their own with a quickness.

When the two tall men began to put on the gas masks, the greenette immediately turned around. Izuku made a move to run but one of the newcomers grabbed him, wrapping his arm fully around Izuku's smaller body and shoving a hand over his mouth to muffle the screams.

"Sorry but you're not going anywhere, angel," the distorted voice chuckled.

Izuku started to struggle and scream, fingers clawing at the overpowering man. He tried to shake his body free hard enough for his kitsune mask to fall off and shatter to the ground.

The radio audio died into nothing but static and Katsuki felt his heart nearly break watching the man he loved being forced into the old warehouse by gunpoint. The silver pistol pressed against Izuku's head firmly and the greenette stopped struggling as he was roughly forced inside the dimly lit warehouse.

Dabi said something inaudible to everyone while pointing to the four dead bodies bleeding out on the ground. Nine bent down to search Yotsubashi cold body and toss the car keys to Dabi who caught it with ease. The black-haired arsonist began to pull out his cell phone and make a call while getting into the car to drive away.

"Bakugou—what the hell is going on over there? Why did Midoriya's audio just die?" Toshinori's voice immediately cut through the signal into the car.

"They took Midoriya inside this warehouse called ground beta by gun point. Dabi and Nine just killed Yotsubashi and his top bodyguards," Katsuki hissed, looking at the scene that was unfolding way too quickly. The new men and women in gas masks expertly cleaned up the bloodied bodies forgotten on the ground. "Monoma what's your status?"

"We're ready to raid Yotsubashi's HQ on your command Toshinori," Monoma echoed back.

There was a long pause and Katsuki felt his heart rate triple waiting for what Toshinori would signal what to do.

If the captain was feeling anything like Katsuki was at this moment, knowing Izuku was being held inside by gunpoint, a fucking turn _no one_ expected, his heart was probably pounding just as loudly as Katsuki's.

"Bakugou, Todoroki—go retrieve Midoriya immediately," Toshinori commanded. "I'm sending back up your way right now, keep your trackers on. Try to get the hell out of there as quickly and discreetly as you can. Something isn't right. Monoma arrest every single person at Yotsubashi's HQ."

"Got it," Katsuki said into his headset and within the second began to strap himself with his holster, bulletproof vest and gun.

Shouto did the same as he killed the car completely. The scene cleared in a matter of minutes, Dabi gone into a different direction with the white car and everyone else going inside the abandoned building.

The two crouched low as they approached the building, searching for an entrance. The winter air snuck under their clothes and vests as they crept around the dark brick building, testing the doors until they found a metallic one that was propped open.

Cautiously, the pair kept low with their guns locked and loaded as Katsuki slowly opened the door without a sound. The smell of rust and old dust filled both of their senses as their eyes adjusted to the dark building. The floor was cement grey, full of cracks and the sound of people shuffling around and talking could be heard.

Katsuki signaled wordlessly for Shouto to head the opposite direction of the voices, trying their best not to get caught as they stealthily rounded the corner. They kept on their toes trying their best to avoid being caught by anyone as they ducked behind various crates and metallic structures when people in gas masks walked by.

They walked further into the labyrinth until they came across a long all way of what felt like prison doors. Shouto peered inside one, flinching backwards when he saw someone sitting inside on the cold floor curled up.

Katsuki quickly noticed the trend as well, confused as to what the hell this place exactly was. They were about to turn the corner until Katsuki quickly held his arm out, stopping Shouto at the sound of someone being choked.

They both crouched low again, guns ready as Katsuki peered around the corner only to see Izuku holding a man in a choke hold on the ground.

Katsuki quickly put his gun in his holster and signaled for Shouto to follow him. They quick paced towards Izuku who finished putting the person in a sleeper lock and stood up, looking extremely disheveled. Green eyes looked wildly up at the two men, startled but relaxed just slightly when he realized who it was.

"Izuku, are you okay?" Katsuki questioned quietly, touching the spot on Izuku's forehead that was oozing bright red liquid. The greenette shook his head 'no' and stared at the two other officers with great fear.

"They tried drugging me. Katsuki, We need to leave _now_," Izuku said with a shaky voice, looking at them desperately. "All these people belong to All For One and something is wrong with this picture—there's people—t-there's people that should be in _jail_. My father and Toshinori arrested them three years ago."

Shouto and Katsuki looked at each other went they realized this escalated further than they planned.

"Okay, let's hurry and look for an exit so we can get out of here before Toshinori comes and does the raid," Shouto said as they began to walk down the dark hallway with only one flickering light.

All of the officers' attentions were drawn to the sound of someone groaning and a nauseous feeling in Katsuki's stomach churned as they walked past people stuck inside the rooms.

"What the fuck is this place?" Katsuki asked as bile raced up his throat, the smell of sweat and humans caged filling the air the deeper they all moved into the large building.

Izuku turned towards him, deep apprehension in his eyes.

"All For One, they have ground betas where they keep all their hostages and shipments for drugs," Izuku explained in a low voice.

"This one of their headquarters?" Shouto asked as they looked around a vacant area.

"Not exactly," Izuku sighed as he reached in the back of his sash for his gun. "They have a lot of ground betas, but they have one singular place called 'ground alpha', where the Shigarakis live. If a ground beta is upended, they move ground alpha. It's like a game of chess, sort of. They move their king and double down before you can get close to checkmating them."

"So, if Toshinori comes, then we lose any chance of figuring out where ground alpha is for a really long fucking time," Katsuki hissed.

"Unfortunately," Izuku murmured. "Unless someone can find out where their ground alpha is before they move, they're very quick about moving their leader. Get their King arrested and their whole kingdom crumbs like ash."

_Why the fuck did these people think of everything?_

Just as they were about to go around the corner, the sound of incoming footsteps could be heard coming in fast.

All three officers looked over their shoulders to see the incoming look of two shadows coming towards them and immediately duck around the corner. Katsuki and Izuku broke right while Shouto went left and hide behind the closet staircase that was casting a dark shadow.

Izuku forcefully pulled Katsuki down behind a tall box of crates and pushed him up against the wall. Each officer held their breath as the footsteps rushed towards them and stopped. The gang members began to knock down boxes looking around, clearly agitated.

"Where the hell did that brat go?" A distorted voice echoed out. "They want to transport him to ground alpha by tomorrow—we can't fuck this up!"

"I still think Dabi should have done this shit himself," another man said bitterly, 'tch'ing. "I don't know why they ordered him to go back to ground alpha and are having us do all the grunt work. They didn't mention how strong that little fucker was; he broke my goddamn nose."

"Because they have favoritism towards that pyro, and you know that. They've let him live three times now when they should've just let him burn to death instead of saving him—hey...wait."

One man stopped walking and Katsuki felt his heart sink.

"Over there! I see someone!" The man called out and the sound of gunshots echoed out to the left and Katsuki could hear Shouto begin running and shooting back. "Get back here!"

On reflex, Katsuki tried to stand up and reach for his gun but Izuku snapped his hand up, pulled him back down and pushed him back against the wall with a deadly serious expression.

"Katsuki, you need to lay low—they cannot find you here," Izuku hissed, green eyes burning into him, pinning him in place.

"I fucking get that. But Shouto—"

"—No. You don't get it. Shouto will be okay. He's good at escaping these types of things," Izuku pressed, hand pushing harder on his chest. Katsuki frowned but the longer he stared into Izuku's eyes he saw something that looked absolutely terrified.

More terrified that Katsuki has ever seen Izuku look—more than afraid than he was at the sight of fire.

The greenette peaked above the brown boxes as the footsteps echoed off into the distance before squatting low again to look Katsuki in the face.

"This specific squad of AFO kills cops—_for sport_. I-I recognize them," Izuku whispered. "They collect badges as some sort of sick trophies. They get giddier the higher the rank and right now if they find out the _Symbol of Victory_ of Shizuoka City is here; they would do _more_ than shoot you. They will _torture_ you."

Katsuki felt the waves of terror rolling of Izuku and realized that the young detective wasn't afraid for his own life—he was afraid for Katsuki's.

Izuku grabbed his hand and they started heading in the opposite direction. The pair quickly stepped, trying to find an exit. Cold dread slowly gripped Katsuki's skin as Izuku's hand began clutching his unnaturally tight.

The more they searched for an exit from the labyrinth, it felt like every door they tried led to a dead end or was locked. The more doors they tried, the more worried Katsuki could see Izuku become undone.

There was a panicked look in Izuku's eye like he was trapped in a maze of a nightmare he had been inside before.

Just as they finally finished weaving through too many rooms for Katsuki to count, the lieutenant pulled out his phone to check for Shouto's tracker. The green dot on the screen flashed, signaling that the sergeant had somehow made it outside, and it gave the blond some sort of ease.

The pair crouched low around the corner, guns ready, blood dried on Izuku's face as they slowly worked their way silently up to one last door.

Katsuki let out a sigh of relief when the metallic door pushed open and the crisp air of the night winter setting flooded into his lungs. He pulled Izuku forward when the sound of footsteps could be heard while looking around to see where they were, and it seemed like an intricate back alley way.

The freckled man beside him let out a shaky breath, eyes still wide and on high alert. They started moving quickly towards the street and Katsuki could hear Izuku's breathing start to become rapid.

"Hey, Izuku," Katsuki said lowly while stopping. He turned around to grab the smaller man by his shoulder and look in the eye. "You sound like you're having a panic attack. Breathe and focus for me, okay?" Katsuki said and Izuku slowly nodded.

They began to walk quicker and quicker, running into silver fence after silver fence.

"Fuck!" Katsuki yelled out, kicking one of the gates loudly with a rattle. "Why are there so many goddamn dead ends?!"

He turned around, heading the other direction, desperately looking for an out. Izuku reminded quiet and stayed close to him the entire time.

"K-Katsuki," Izuku whispered, footsteps slowing. "Katsuki—stop walking for a moment. There's something _really_ important I need to tell you about me and All For One—"

"—Can this wait for when we're not in goddamn gang territory?" Katsuki hissed, walking around another corner carefully. He tried to step forward but Izuku's hand reached out to grab him by his bulletproof vest and yanked him backwards.

He paused and turned around to see Izuku's face covered in tears.

"No, it can't," his weak voice trebled. A sinking feeling crept into Katsuki's lungs, filling his chest like air as he watched Izuku's eyes nervously dart around. "I-I've been keeping s-something from everyone out of fear—b-but if these people are in Shizuoka City I _need_ to tell you."

Katsuki looked wearily at Izuku. "What is it?"

The bright red blood trickling down Izuku's forehead fell to the ground, but the freckled man didn't seem to care. The red liquid soaked through the white snow on the ground underneath Izuku's red sneakers and spread slowly when more blood trickled to the ground.

Izuku's wide eyes were staring at Katsuki desperately, as if everything they had was going to vanish into thin air with his next words.

"Katsuki...when I was nineteen, I was the one who made—"

Izuku's sentence was stopped short at the loud sound of a gunshot and a bullet came too close to Katsuki's ear for comfort.

"_Shit_!" Katsuki yelled when a sharp burn grazed his ear, drawing blood.

Without wasting time, he grabbed Izuku's hand and began running around a corner when three more shots rang out. Katsuki tried his best to dodge to the shots that didn't seem to be aiming for Izuku at all, and were trying to immobilize him only.

They ran quickly when the echoes of footsteps crept up quickly behind them and three more shots attempted to land inside of Katsuki's body. The blond huffed heavily as he turned around to stare at what seemed to be the figure of a woman in a gas mask coming full speed at them.

He pulled out his gun from his holster, whipping around on his heels. He pointed and perfectly aimed a warning shot at her head that caused her to jolt, surprised and fumble her gun to the ground.

An angry resolve settled into Katsuki's core when he realized whoever this was wasn't skilled at holding a gun. He could see Izuku reach for his pistol as they both turned around and began to chase after the woman who scrambled for her weapon and took off in the direction she came.

"Follow her," Katsuki called and Izuku ran quickly with him. "If we can arrest her we can get _some_ answers."

They kept hot on the trail as she weaved expertly through the endless turning of metallic structures until it was another dead-end.

Both officers held up their weapons and pointed it directly on the back of her figure, chests heaving.

"Drop your weapon right now. You're under arrest," Katsuki called out. But instead of doing what she was told, the woman began cackling loudly, shoulders shaking in the oversized black hoodie and mask.

She turned around, distorted laugh still loud and it gave Katsuki chills at how unhinged the woman was becoming.

"Darnit!" She called out snapping her fingers like it was a game she just lost. The petite woman lifted her hand to remove the gas mask and hoodie, revealing the face of a young fair skinned woman with blonde hair in two buns. "Kami, that thing is stuffy."

Izuku's breath hitched and immediately the bleeding freckled man cocked his gun. "_Himiko_? Why the hell aren't you in jail?" Izuku hissed lowly in a dangerous voice Katsuki had never heard before.

Crimson eyes curiously eyed the detective next to him when the woman gave a friendly wave towards Izuku.

"Hi, Zuzu! So glad to see you again!" She giggled. "I know you must be _super_ disappointed to see me not in an orange jumpsuit."

"Izuku, do you know this woman?" Katsuki questioned. Something was immediately off about this whole situation.

"Of course he knows me—he knows everyone here. Really well too!" The woman named Himiko answered for Izuku before the greenette could form any words. Weary green eyes looked at him with his gun still pointed on Himiko and the woman started laughing again at the two officers.

"Aw, he didn't tell you everything, lieutenant? Well, I guess if I was Zuzu I don't think I would openly admit to what I built either—"

"—You need to stop talking," Izuku cut her off, clenching his teeth. "Drop your weapon immediately and come with us."

"Or you could come with me, Zuzu." Himiko smiled mischievously. "He's waiting on you, y'know—and he has a lot of questions for you."

"And who the hell are you talking about?" Izuku questioned, looking at the woman completely baffled and angry.

"You know who," she whispered, shrugging her shoulders vaguely with a large grin. "Just think about it."

Katsuki was about to put an end to this bullshit when he realized what she was doing. She was fucking with them, and Izuku was falling into it.

The greenette tightened the grip on his gun and shook his head. "That's not possible. He's dead. I _watched_ him die because of you all—"

"—Are you sure? _Completely_ sure?" She pushed, stepping forward. She tilted her head like a cat playing with a mouse and Katsuki felt his stomach sink further and further because he didn't know what the fuck was going on. "C'mon, I know you're at least curious to see _who_ I'm talking about Zuzu—"

"—No, it's not possible. Quit screwing with my head!"

"Izuku, keep your cool and think straight," Katsuki hissed, looking at Izuku out the corner of his eye while trying to maintain not taking his gun off the woman in front of him. "She's fucking with you and trying to get you to let your guard down—focus for me."

Izuku looked at him again and blinked rapidly before nodding, but there was a skeptical, unsure expression underlying his freckled features.

Katsuki nodded towards Izuku, trying to ground him and fully turned his attention back to the woman in front of him.

"I'm not going to ask you again to drop your weapon," he threatened, placing both hands firmly on the steel gun. "More backup is coming and this place is getting raided. You need to turn yourself in _now_."

Himiko's smile faltered and she sneered unhappily at the new information.

The blonde woman looked between the two officers before carefully putting her hands up and lowering the weapon down to the concrete. "Fine—_there_. Are you happy?"

She leered at Katsuki when he didn't lower his gun.

"Be careful where you point that gun, lieutenant," Himiko muttered, unamused. "I know you don't actually have the heart to pull the trigger and kill me. You're too honorable for that. But out of the three of us standing here in this alley, only one person is directly responsible for countless deaths at this point."

_What the fuck does that mean_—

"—I'll give you a hint," She chuckled. Izuku stiffened beside him as the laughter got louder and louder into the grey night. "_It's not me_!"

Katsuki clicked the information into place.

"...Izuku, what the hell is she talking about?" He asked wearily.

But Izuku didn't answer.

"C'mon, Zuzu," Himiko called sweetly through a laugh. "Let's go to ground alpha together. He's waiting for you and I _promise_ it'll be worth your time. Otherwise, big boss isn't going to be happy. You don't want to be responsible for another repeat of Makinohara again, do you?"

"_Izuku_," Katsuki stated firmly, trying to ignore what was being said when Himiko's threatening gold eyes stared right back at him. "Don't listen to her."

Katsuki eyed the man next to him again and saw a distant, petrified look on Izuku's face and a single tear streamed down his freckled cheek. Furious green eyes burned, staying locked on the blonde woman in front of him as if he was afraid of her next move.

"Come with me." Himiko held out her hand sweetly for Izuku to take.

Katsuki stared confused at the gesture and his heart rate tripled.

"...I'm so sorry. Please forgive me for this later," Izuku's shaky voice whispered beside him and immediately the hairs on Katsuki's arm stood up.

"What—" Katsuki snapped his head fully to look at Izuku only to be met with the blunt end of Izuku's gun hitting him full force in the side of the head.

A loud crack of the steel against his echoed into the night, sending Katsuki's world spinning as he slumped down to his knees and fell forward. His vision quickly faded into black as the searing pain from the hard hit to his skull made his blood race.

Everything blurred together into the cloudy, blackish grey night after that.

Katsuki struggled to keep from going under but the hit against his temple was too strong and quickly hauled him under. He briefly felt himself lifted and dragged somewhere. He wrestled to keep his eyes open but all he saw was double vision of Izuku's apologetic face whispering _'I love you, I'm sorry.'_

As he slipped under, further and further into the blackness engulfing him, Katsuki wasn't too sure if he heard Izuku's voice say _'don't touch him and I'll go with you_'.

Katsuki felt his body propped up against some brick surface. The wet, cold snow seeped through his clothes, and the gritty texture of the grovel poked at him.

The last thing Katsuki remembered was Izuku's sweet touch caressing his face before vanishing like smoke into the darkness.

. . .

"Katsuki—Katsuki wake up," Shouto's voice slowly came into focus with blaring sirens.

A light tap on his cheek slowly brought him back, red eyes blinking open gradually to see half red half white hair in place of where Izuku was last. Red and blue lights swarmed his vision and worried mixed matched eyes gazed upon him. Shouto shook Katsuki's body, trying to get him to focus when panic dripped into his face.

"Katsuki, where's Midoriya? Toshinori just arrived and he's looking for him."

Katsuki held his groggy head as he stood up frantically, world spinning.

Images of the strange blonde woman mixed with Izuku's worried face right before he was knocked out flashed inside of his head. Katsuki stumbled upright, world still dizzy, ears ringing as his pulse pounded in his ear, dulling Shouto's voice in the background.

He looked around to see himself safely surrounded by other officers, snow falling but no Izuku in sight. The dizzy man pulled out his phone to try to locate Izuku's tracker only to find it turned off.

Katsuki felt all the oxygen leave his body when he tried to refresh it over and over again, but no green dot appeared on the map.

"No," his voice cracked, and he let out a lone tear as he leaned weakly against the cold brick wall. His body grew four times heavier as he sunk down into the cold ground, ignoring the petrified stare Shouto was giving him.

Muffled questions of _'Katsuki_?' and '_Where is he_?' kept coming from the other officer but the blond could do nothing but shake his head in disbelief over what had just happened.

He refreshed one more time when he heard more squad cars pull up—but the map stayed blank. He repeated a string of '_no, no, no, no_' out loud and quickly, Katsuki forgot how to breathe when reality sank in fully.

Izuku was gone.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed! Please let me know what you think below! I am so excited that were finally rearing into this part of the story. I have been eager to write the full story of Izuku's past and it will be officially revealed in chapter 18 and 19. :)


	18. Flames

Second chapter of the dump!

A small note about four cities this story takes place in.

**Shizuoka City** \- Current timeline and where Katsuki, Izuku and everyone who works at UA precinct lives  
**Yaizu **\- Where both Izuku and Toshinori are from (Toshinori's hometown and where this chapter takes place in).  
**Makinohara** \- Where the Fire that killed Izuku's parents took place (this chapter).  
**Kuromata** \- The forest that Touya took Izuku too in chapter 15 and explained it to be his old 'home'. It's only been mentioned a couple of times but it'll start to make an appearance soon again and is important moving forward. It lies directly midpoint between Shizuoka City and Yaizu :)

Alright, let's get started!

**Warnings: Domestic Abuse, graphic violence, minor character death, arson, drug mention, heavy angst.**

* * *

**Chapter 18 - ****Flames**

.

.

.

Searching.

Izuku was always searching after Kuromata. The burden on his shoulders was as heavy as a thousand stones to collect the money.

He searched for that vision of his future that used to be so vivid, but was now nonexistent. It floated away into the air like smoke from flames just like his peace of mind whenever he thought about possibly being killed along with Touya and his parents.

Izuku searched for the vision of his future in everything: he searched in Touya's half reassuring smile. He searched in the flame he stared into while they were in Kuromata. He searched for it when he wrote down a design to build something on one page of his sketchbook and an intricate plan to use it on another.

He searched for it desperately when he finished writing it out, staring at the pages with a dry lump in his throat.

Then finally, he searched for it in the chemical engineering lab at nearly 2:00 am when no one else was around.

Izuku had scrunched his face when he accidentally breathed in a large waft of yellow powder that snuck under his white paper mask. The smell of the chemicals burned the inside of his nostrils as he aggressively tried to breathe it back out, coughing as he took a forceful break from soldering.

He dropped the metallic soldering gun quickly and ripped off his mask to cough violently, pounding on his chest. The loud coughing fit echoed in the lonely room that only housed Izuku and his deep seated fear of Shigaraki.

When the freckled teen stepped back fully, he gazed down at the mess of powder, metal and colorful wires with a twist in his stomach. He tried to push down the building guilt when he resumed what he was doing, pulling the white mask back over his face.

He kept repeating to himself that this was for his parents. It was for Touya. It was for the people he loved most in the world and he would do anything for them.

The weight of his heart tripled as he replayed in his head what he had overheard in the strange looking warehouse.

"_We scoped out that government bank on K_ _ō_ _kai Street and there's literally no way into the safe where all the cash is without risking getting caught." _

"_Really? No entrance into it?" _

"_None. It's protected by a thick wall in the back and you'd need basically a wrecking ball to get through there or even the front volt area. Fuckers thought of everything." _

Izuku soldered harder in the dimly lit room, hands shaking. Tiny orange colored sparks flew in every direction as his green eyes stayed intensely focused on the cluster of metal and wires in front of him.

His concentration remained solid like a dutiful soldier, until the creaking of the metallic door reached his ears.

Izuku's head instantly snapped up to see the shadowy outline of a man at the doorway. Piercing gold eyes met his and immediately the trembling nimble hands of the teen stopped melding.

"Izuku?" Kai's deep voice echoed in the empty lab room while he turned on all the lights. "What are you doing here by yourself? It's past two AM."

Izuku could feel the large thump of his heart as he looked around, slightly panicked. He wasn't expecting anyone to walk in during the depths of night. Izuku immediately scrambled to hide the two sheets of paper underneath his notebook.

"N-Nothing!" He lied, nervously.

He tried his best to scatter the clear markings of some sort of machine in front of him but Kai swiftly moved across the room. Gold eyes squinted to study the mess in front of him.

"You're building something," Kai muttered suspiciously. "Sulfur. Copper. Fuse wires." Kai paused and Izuku swallowed dryly.

"…Izuku...is this what I think it is?"

Izuku's heart pounded loudly in his ears as golden eyes took in everything. The inside of Izuku's throat ran dry as he tried to squeeze out a lie, but it seemed as if Kai had a sixth sense. The tall brunette narrowed his eyes like a hawk.

"Don't lie to me," Kai spoke sternly, looking at Izuku with a mixed expression. "If you lie, I'm required to report you to the police."

There was something tethered strangely in Kai's voice that didn't sound fully accusatory. Izuku looked harder at the pale man in front of him, searching the wrinkles around Kai's brow and found a glimpse of understanding in those sharp colored eyes. They translated something Izuku didn't quite understand.

Izuku hesitantly opened his mouth, a gut feeling bubbling inside of him as he stared at Kai.

"...and if I tell the truth?" He whispered carefully.

Kai shifted on his feet and glanced quickly over his shoulder. When he faced Izuku again, Kai gave an unreadable expression.

"If you tell the truth, then maybe I can try my best to understand why you would be doing something like this."

"L-Let's say hypothetically…" Izuku started, looking down at the mess in front of him. "T-That someone I know owes someone _very _lethal a lot of money in a _very _condensed amount of time...and they can't think of any other way to get it besides _this_."

Izuku squeezed his hand around the soldering tool in his hand. Kai's eyes flickered all over his face before softening. The elder man sighed before he leaned forward on the bench top and rested his elbows on the cold surface.

"Then I would say they're flat out _stupid _because bombs can be traced using forensics on the materials left behind," Kai deadpanned. "Police can easily backtrace purchases and start snooping around in places that could've been used to build it."

"Right, of course," Izuku replied, fiddling nervously.

There was something about the air around Kai that spoke to him. The way the mysterious teaching assistant was looking at him wasn't judgmental—it was sympathetic.

Maybe it was the protective aura Kai always gave off that made him do what he did next, or maybe it was the fact Izuku could only see his parents dying in his dreams every day now. Whichever it was, it made Izuku take a leap of faith off the deep end and trust Kai.

"Kai, let's say hypothetically, this person considered the traceability issue and this—" Izuku pulled out the two pieces of paper from underneath his blue notebook. He slowly slid the sketches over to Kai. "T-This is what they would be building exactly."

Surprised—confused—_impressed_. All three emotions flooded across Kai's face.

The longer Kai's eyes absorbed what was in front of him, the more a ghostly look of realization dawned upon him. The raven like man placed his hand over his mouth speechless.

"Then hypothetically…" Kai started, pulling Izuku's attention close to the edge. "Hypothetically, this would give you something that would combust itself to untraceable pieces if done correctly. Not a single shred of evidence left behind."

Izuku looked at him desperately. "Really?"

"Hypothetically of course."

"Right." Izuku nodded, looking away from the intense gaze of Kai.

A long exasperated sigh from the elder man echoed out.

"Izuku, level with me here," Kai whispered before looking towards Izuku with more sympathy than the teen ever knew he was capable of. "Are you in trouble? Does this have something to do with that boyfriend of yours? Why are you building a _bomb _of all things?"

The words spilled over before Izuku could stop himself—the stress coiled too tightly in his body.

"I-I need to get a lot of money to the Shigarakis and there's not much time," his hoarse voice whispered while sadly glancing down at his shaking hands.

Like a switch, the name 'Shigaraki' flipped something in Kai's mind. Gold eyes widened with dread and his shoulders went rigid.

"Shit," Kai cursed.

For some reason, that only made Izuku feel worse.

Kai knew who they were. The pale, terrified look on the usually sharp facial features became bleaker. Gold eyes looked down at the two sketchbook pages on the countertop in a new light.

"Exactly how much time do you have left to give them this money, Izuku?"

"F-Five days."

"If it's the Shigarakis, then you have less time than you think you do," Kai hissed, brow furrowing deeply. "And building this will save everyone how exactly?"

"There's a bank," Izuku whispered, hands shaking. "The new government one. I heard someone talking about it being locked up tight. But I scoped it out yesterday and if I can blow out the back wall—then...then I could get access to the money."

Kai stared at him as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing and Izuku broke down, voice cracking.

"K-Kai, please don't tell the police. _Please— _"

"—I won't," Kai held up his hand, and Izuku grew confused. "I'm not exactly in the best shape with the law myself right now."

The words only confused Izuku more. He looked at the strange expression that sunk into Kai's eyes and saw something heavy there. Right when Izuku was about to question him further, Kai reached over and grabbed a spare mask and began placing it over his mouth.

"Let me help you. I know you're smart so just tell me what you need me to do."

Izuku felt his brain fumble. He was not expecting _this _reaction from Kai. He thought for certain the elder man would take him to the cops or turn a blind eye—_but to help_?

"Wait, Kai—why are you helping me?" Izuku asked baffled, heart pounding.

The freckled teen didn't want anyone else getting involved. This mess was already sticky enough thanks to the Shigarakis. It was a dangerous game of playing with fire—but Kai just looked at him with that deep stare of sympathy again.

"The last thing I want to do is see someone like you burn," Kai said sincerely. "I told you that."

Izuku shook his head, not understanding. "That still doesn't mean you have to help me build this."

"Yes, it does," Kai reaffirmed. "I've seen what greedy, ruthless men like the Shigarakis can do to someone like you. They're drawn to tainting innocence. They're sick beings who get enjoyment out of turning purity into something they can ruin and own."

The elder man's eyes went emotionless as he grabbed the soldering tool from Izuku and began melding a blue wire onto a metallic plate.

"I know this first hand because my mother was a lot like you," Kai continued without looking at him. "She was smart and kind. Blessed with beauty. All good traits, but a magnet for people who want to possess someone like that for themselves."

Izuku felt a sudden sadness radiate from Kai. He studied the elder man beside him, completely paused as Kai continued on. His golden eyes were dulled over, focused on the task at hand.

A question teetered on Izuku's tongue.

"What happened to her?" He asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Kai paused his movements. His hand tightened around the tool and his lips pressed into a thin line.

"My father bashed her skull in when I was sixteen," Kai said, void of emotions that should've been there. Then his eyebrow creased in distaste. "During one of his _outbursts_."

Izuku's eyes widened when everything clicked together.

"Kai, I'm so sorry—"

"—Don't worry about my problems," Kai sighed, putting a halt to the stream of words prepared to come out. "I can handle myself. I've been slowly working on my own plan to disassemble my father. But let's focus on this first."

Only then did Kai shift his eyes to look at Izuku. Sitting inside of them was pity and understanding.

The emotions in Izuku's chest twisted in confusion. He got a glimmer of why Kai was doing this—but it still gave him pause.

However, that sliver of hesitation was overshadowed by the single thread of hope that was keeping him from coming undone.

Izuku shook his head and tried his best to focus on what was in front of him like Kai said.

He took a deep gulp of air in and let out a shaky breath.

"R-Right...Okay."

. . .

The wind was ruthless as he walked back home, carrying a box as heavy as the four lives it was worth.

Izuku said nothing as he entered back into the dark apartment with a sleeping Touya, who seemed to have tired himself out from thinking of a way out of their mess.

Over the last few days Izuku watched Touya slowly become undone. The redhead paced around considering all types of things—including murdering the Shigarakis.

But they both knew that was off the table.

Then Touya proposed running away, just the two of them. But Izuku couldn't leave his parents in the dark and left behind to be butchered. Then there was the idea of all four of them skipping town, explaining the situation to Izuku's parents—but Izuku's father being in Yaizu's law enforcement complicated things.

Izuku still wanted to tell his father, but Touya refused to trust police officers. Even if they were the love of his life's father. He wouldn't budge on it.

Which is why when Izuku tiredly put down the heavy metal device he constructed, he felt as if he was doing something wrongfully right. Like an animal that had been backed into a corner, he felt his final option was to show his fangs.

"Izuku?" Touya's groggy voice called from the bedroom, confused.

The tall man entered the living room as Izuku turned on his desk lamp, staining the room in a yellowish hue. Green eyes stayed glued to the device on his desk wordlessly until Touya came up behind him, gentle hand resting on his shoulder.

"What is that?" The redhead questioned, squinting at the item in the dimly lit room.

Izuku swallowed thickly, clenching his hands in an attempt to stop the shaking.

"A way to save everyone," he answered quietly.

Touya's eyes widened as Izuku told him his plan.

. . .

Izuku felt his eyes glazed over as he stared at the grey concrete floor in the AFO warehouse. He tried his best to focus on anything else besides the youngest Shigaraki who was in front of him.

He focused on the sound of Touya's steady breathing. He focused on the sound of shuffling people coming in and out. And then finally, he focused on the leaking pipe above their heads that rained down slow droplets of water like a metronome.

"So you're saying this will get you through the wall with no issue?" Shigaraki questioned in an all too amused tone, lifting up the heavy yet compact metallic device. "Remember, this either ensures your death or your survival."

"Yes, I'm positive of it," Izuku whispered, not daring to look up at the wolfish smirk he knew was plastered there. "I calculated that a low power blast will allow us to enter into the bank and ensured this device will eradicate any evidence left behind."

Izuku shifted on his feet, his body high strung with the tightness of anxiety as he stood in the middle of a ring of gang members. They all gathered around curiously, whispering and pointing at him—saying things about what he had made.

"Who would've thought goody-two-shoes would actually pull through on something like this?"

"I thought for sure that we were going to witness another Shigaraki massacre."

"Don't speak so soon—we still might if this shit doesn't work. It looks way too small to blast through the back of a wall."

Green eyes stayed focused on Touya's black leather boots that were standing directly next to him, trying to ignore the movement of Shigaraki's _too _clean white sneakers coming closer to him.

"Outstanding job, little flower," Shigaraki said in a satisfied tone. "If this actually works, then I don't have to kill you."

The white sneakers moved closer to Izuku's figure and immediately he stiffened at the overly friendly touch patting him on the shoulder.

His stomach churned unhappily.

The cold touch of Shigaraki left him, taking the very last piece of peace from his mind. A numbness settled into his bones as everything became all too real.

_This is for my parents. This is for my parents. This is for my parents— _

His thoughts kept repeating, cycling over and over as he thought about the laughter of his mother and father, one of the only things able to keep him anchored anymore.

But it didn't stop Izuku's vision from becoming warped with tears. The images of his parents' faces blurring together with the dull colors of the warehouse.

Izuku choked back a small sob as he tried his best to drown out the sound of the chatter of the members of All For One as they all murmured about his invention: the bomb with no name that can be controlled in blast intensity while still leaving behind not a single trace of the source.

"When are you two planning on using this?" Shigaraki asked them.

"Tonight," Touya said in a solid tone.

"Perfect." A snake like grin slithered across the silver haired man's face. "I can't wait to see you two in action. This should be _quite _a show."

Bloodshot green eyes lifted to gaze up at the redhead beside him, hoping to find a look of reassurance in this quickly sinking boat—but Touya was distracted.

Izuku furrowed his brows at how intensely Touya was looking at the bomb in Shigaraki's hands.

. . .

The night bled into the day and soon Izuku found himself dressed in all black and covering his hair entirely with a dark beanie with a bandana around his mouth. He watched carefully as Touya did the same, but with a lot less hesitation.

There was an emotion he'd never witnessed emitting from those blue eyes he'd fell so deeply in love with.

Izuku remembered how an unusual spark ignited in Touya's face when he told the elder about his plan. A strange sense of fixation grew and grew in Touya as time ticked by.

His eyes spent more time studying the bomb outside of everything after that night. He would try his best to give Izuku some reassurance, a kind smile that offered some peace that this would all be over soon—but Izuku could tell Touya was distracted.

But he let it go because he figured they both were.

The dark circles heavy underneath Izuku's eyes were a reminder of all the baggage of anxiety, stress and sadness he's been carrying around ever since the first day Touya struck him.

Things just haven't been right since that night.

But he hoped that after this—if they could just get out of this situation—maybe things would return back to normal and the vision of happiness he always had so vividly in his mind would return.

Which brings him to the unwanted situation he was in currently: trying to calm himself down in the passenger seat of a large van, fingers clutching several empty duffle bags.

_Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe—just breathe— _

"—Izuku. We're here."

Darkened emerald eyes blinked open into focus as the large van came to a hard stop. His body swayed with the motion and his gloved fingers tightened on the cotton fabric of the bags with purpose.

Izuku turned to look at his lover next to him and found swirling blue eyes shining back at him, looking as equally determined.

"Okay. Let's get this over with," Touya said, stealing the last of Izuku's nerves. The youngest nodded in agreement and soon the couple was working as a duo in the dead of the night.

Neither said a word to each other as they parked the van discreetly around the corner and Izuku ignored the sound of glass breaking when Touya directly shot out the security cameras with his handgun. The expertise aim of the ex-gang member was still something Izuku tried his best not to think too much about since it hinted heavily at the redhead's unsavory past.

To distract from this, Izuku put himself in autopilot. Like a robot going through pre-programmed motions, Izuku worked with minimal hesitation, trying to push back his racing thoughts.

The thoughts screamed at him that _this was wrong _as he picked up the bags. They kept telling him to _turn around _and got louder as he felt the weight of the explosive inside one of the bags. Then finally, he pushed through the storm inside of his head as he strapped the device to the dusty brick wall with nervous hands.

His brows creased in intense concentration as he punched in sixty seconds and dialed down the blast ratio.

A small beep coupled by a blinking red light signaled all the adrenaline in his blood to rush through.

The countdown started and immediately Izuku and Touya rushed across the barren empty street underneath the flickering street lights. They crouched low behind the adjacent brick building, watching incredulously as the device beeped rhythmically, counting down to an anticipated explosion.

The light switched from red to green and immediately Izuku's body jerked fully behind the brick building for protection. He flung his gloved hands up to cover his ears and squeezed his eyes shut tight enough to give him a second migraine on top of the one he already had.

Exactly on cue, a loud, terrifying explosion went off with a devastating blast. It's vibrations crawled through the ground stronger than either he or Touya anticipated, making both their bodies jerk. Izuku gripped his head tighter, trying his best not to be frightened by what he had done—but it was too late. The dread had settled into his bones.

When it was done, the aftershock of the explosion filled white noise in both men's heads until their ears were ringing and their worlds were spinning. Both Touya and Izuku looked at each other, something different in their eyes when the gravity of reality settled in.

That deafening explosion changed something inside both lovers that night—neither leaving the same ever again.

The muffled sounds of car alarms and the blaring bank alarm rang into the night air. While Izuku's ears were still ringing, he could faintly hear the in and out call of Touya's deep voice dragging him back.

"Alright, let's get this done before the cops get here," Touya said sternly, blue eyes as cold as ice. "Remember, ten minutes max, fill the bags and get in the van."

Izuku nodded as he followed Touya out of their kneeling position and around the corner—but they both froze at what they saw. Green and blue eyes went wide with revelation.

Rubble from the reddish and grey brick was scattered and a small concave in the ground from the site of the explosion could be seen, darkened with soot from the intensity of the blast. Izuku studied the fragmented pieces of building that were fostering small bright, flickering flames on the ground.

He refocused his eyes to the view inside of the volt. Sitting there was more than enough money than they needed—and it was just resting on the other side of the small line of fire and destruction they had caused.

For some reason, Izuku felt sick and the voices in his head screaming to turn around got louder as the flames danced around.

Too focused on the damage something he created made, Izuku didn't notice how Touya frowned at his frozen position. He missed the agitated look that enveloped the redhead's face as Touya moved first, ignoring how stunned Izuku seemed to be.

"Don't let your weak heart get in the way now, Izuku," he called out.

The word 'weak' stood out to Izuku but Touya reached out to forcefully grab his wrist. He let himself be dragged across the line of fire that neither would be able to cross over again from.

The green eyed teen snapped out of his haze as he was led over to the giant gaping hole in the building. He momentarily studied the excessive damage. Guilt and horror from what he created simmered beneath his skin.

But he pushed it down.

Like Touya said, this wasn't the time and he had to focus. They both worked quickly, filling and dumping all the yen that could fit into the several duffle bags they brought.

Touya worked one side of the volt, while Izuku focused on the other. As Izuku bent down to grab a wad of green yen on the ground he froze in his position as he got close to the ground.

_Beep. Beep. Beep. _

"Wait, Touya," Izuku whispered, eyebrows furrowing. "Do you hear that? What's that noise?"

"I don't hear anything," Touya replied, only half paying attention. He was too focused on collecting all the needed yen.

Izuku's eyes searched frantically around, trying to zero in on the beeping source. He leaned in closer to the ground, following the all too familiar sound that shouldn't be happening.

_Beep. Beep. Beep. _

Izuku quickly crouched down all the way, dropping the bags full of yen. His hands sifted through the pile of rubble, trying to follow the sound as his heartbeat sped up. When the eerie noise got louder, Izuku used all his strength to move a chunk of heavy burnt cement to the side.

But his heart sank at what was underneath.

_No, no, no, no— _

Sitting there was the half destructed bomb, burnt black at the edges. It was leaking chemical fluids and sulfur, giving off an acidic smell. Izuku's mind started reeling as he inspected the half destructed device that had clearly malfunctioned. He picked up the chunk of metal, ignoring how hot it was against his skin.

He immediately noticed how only _one _of the two fuses he installed went off.

But what gave him more pause was how the blast that occurred was only _half _the force.

He looked around worried, realizing that a full blast would've—or should've—done _twice _this damage.

This time Touya noticed his long pause.

"Look, I know you have issues with committing crimes, but we need to stay on task. The cops will be here any second n...now? Wait—" When the redhead looked over, his sentence ran dry at the sight of the half intact bomb still blinking red. His face went ghostly white.

"Izuku...thought you said that thing would combust on itself to hide the evidence," he harshly whispered. "Did it not work?"

"No, it worked," Izuku corrected. "It's just...something's not right. It shouldn't even still be intact. The plate was supposed to shatter fully with two fuses but only one went off. But I don't understand why? They were both on a timer—"

The beeping suddenly grew quicker in pace and the burning acidic smell got stronger, reaching both of their noses. Izuku immediately dropped the device out of his hand when it spiked in temperature.

In that moment, he realized where he went wrong.

"—T-Touya, we need to take the money and go now," Izuku rushed out, grabbing the duffle bags on the ground.

"Wait, what's wrong—"

"—_Now_!" Izuku hissed, running over to grab the last bag of money. "I miscalculated the shattering timing for two fuses—it's going to go off a second time to shatter the other half! There's a lag!"

Touya cursed harshly under his breath, grabbing one last stack of yen before they both ran out of the demolished wall in the building. Police sirens began blazing in the incoming distance and closing in as the pair rushed to the hidden van in the alley.

They quickly threw the bags of stolen yen in the back seat and jumped into the driver and passenger seats. Izuku felt his body jerk backwards violently as Touya floored the van without giving him time to adjust himself.

Then the second explosion went off—bigger than the last.

Izuku yelped at the loud destructive sound and the force of the blast pushed the van slightly out of Touya's control. Izuku gripped his head, palms pressed into his ears, trying to ignore the sound of the crumbling bank.

When he dared to open his eyes again, Izuku looked in the rear view mirror only to see the bank consumed completely by flames.

Izuku's heart toppled out of his chest as he watched the night be illuminated by bright orange flames. The colors clashed against the deep navy blue sky as red and blue lights from police sirens trickled in.

"T-That second blast wasn't supposed to happen," Izuku's shaky voice whispered. His eyes stayed glued on the ever growing chaos behind them. "I-I didn't mean to burn down the building. I didn't know it would be that _strong—_"

"—Izuku, it's fine," Touya cut him off. "No one was inside and we got the money. It's all okay now. This went better than I hoped for."

Despite the strange tone used by Touya, Izuku couldn't peel his eyes away from the scene in the rear view mirror. The mixture of all the swirling colors reminded Izuku of his once all too vivid dreams—but this time it felt like a living nightmare.

Too consumed into watching the flames grow behind them, Izuku didn't notice the way Touya's own eyes studied the fire he created.

The meticulous gears inside of the ex-gang member's head turned and turned until a revelation clicked into place.

His calculating blue eyes shifted to look at Izuku in a new light.

. . .

**NHK Japan: Yaizu, Shizuoka**

**Breaking News: Arson of Government bank on K** **ō** **kai Street**

Police are reporting a large scale arson attack on the new Government bank. No one knows what provoked or inspired this attack, as all evidence was destroyed in the fire. Reports show that the bank alarms went off at exactly 3:45 am which suggests forced entry. Backup footage on the Cloud from security cameras shows the cameras were shot out by what seemed to be two possible males. One around 6'4'' with an athletic build and another around 5'4'' slender build, both cladded in all black clothing.

Forensics can find no evidence of where the source of the arson started which is unusual for a large scale attack like this…

…**Read More **

A sharp laugh echoed out in the grey warehouse as the youngest Shigaraki clicked his phone close. The gang leader stood tall next to his father who was seated silently, eyes trained on both Touya and Izuku curiously.

"When I said put on a show, this isn't exactly what I had in mind—but this is _glorious_," the youngest Shigaraki chuckled, clapping his hands.

Izuku hung his head low, and Touya scoffed at the sarcastic remark.

"Here's your money," Touya quipped, throwing all the duffle bags at the Shigarakis' feet in front of them. "I hope this is the last we have to deal with you."

"Ah, part of me hopes not. I have to say Touya, your boyfriend has been such good entertainment." The silver haired young adult's smirk grew wider as he tilted his head to the side, trying to get a better look at the crestfallen Izuku.

The greenette turned his head away at the remark. Izuku prayed Touya was right and he hoped they would let them go now. However, the imagery of the bank going up in smoke crept into his brain over and over again. He kept seeing the flames and grey smog fill the air and a sense of doom surrounded him.

"_Tomura_," the deep voice of the eldest Shigaraki cut in. "Stop antagonizing them."

All nearby members stopped what they were doing, curious because the elder rarely spoke—and when he did, he was never wasteful with his words.

Izuku peered from beneath his bangs to see the demeanor of the silver haired Shigaraki change completely. He stood up, back straight as an arrow and no hint of amusement on his face as he bowed away from the elder man.

"Sorry, father," the usually antagonizing voice spoke unnaturally softly.

Izuku grew curious, trying to gauge the dynamics of their relationship when the elder Shigaraki let out a heavy sigh. Green eyes peered to study the newly revealed named _'Tomura' _Shigaraki who was hanging his head.

"Now, I have to admit, I wasn't anticipating you two to commit arson to get us the money," the eldest Shigaraki spoke carefully, pitch black eyes looking into Izuku's soul. "I thought you said it would be a low powered blast."

"I-It was," Izuku answered nervously. "...relatively." He didn't know what was going to happen next, he just wanted to leave—he was tired and the vision of flames was burned into his skull.

"And what does that mean?"

Izuku wringed his wrists nervously, looking at Touya for help. The redhead just gave him a nod of reassurance and placed a warm hand on his shoulder to steady him. Izuku nodded back and turned his attention back to the elder man.

"W-When I m-made the device I knew in order to control the blast intensity that I had to make separate power settings that would still allow the full shattering but keep damage to a minimum," Izuku tried to explain.

The elder Shigaraki just blankly stared at him and it made him continue, unsure what the satisfactory answer was.

"The one I used was the lowest calculation possible. I just—m-miscalculated how large the blast radius would be. T-There wasn't supposed to be a second blast and it wasn't supposed to catch fire that intensely. But I suppose that makes sense considering the combination of the type of material that was needed to make it..."

Izuku's mutters trailed off when he saw a sly smirk slowly start to grow on the gang leader's face.

"Interesting," the elder Shigaraki spoke with a hint of amusement. He leaned all the way back in his chair and smiled fondly at Izuku. "I didn't understand a word you just said, but good job. You proved yourself worthy of keeping alive tonight."

The tension in both Touya and Izuku's shoulders released and solace flooded into Izuku's body. The green haired teen nodded frantically, tears of relief swelling in his eyes. It was over—it was finally _over_.

"Thank you," Touya spoke respectfully as he turned around to Izuku who couldn't stop the silent tears from streaming down his face. The redhead gently held Izuku's shaking shoulders and caressed them carefully with a soft voice. "Let's go home, angel, it's okay now."

Izuku nodded, stealing a quick glance at the two Shigarakis before following the motion of Touya leading him to the exit of the room by taking his hand.

However, when they got to the door guarded by four threatening large men, none of them moved to let them leave. Both Izuku and Touya stared at them confused, but all four men just stared back blankly.

"What are you doing?" Touya hissed, turning around to glare at the two gang leaders. "Let us go. We gave you way more than enough fucking money—"

"—I'm aware," the elder Shigaraki said while raising his hand. "But before you leave I would like to make a trade. I want to purchase the blueprints of that device off of you. I foresee it being much more valuable than yen to us."

"_What_?" Izuku whirled around, shocked by the request. "I'm not giving you plans for an explosive like that."

"You misunderstand me, Izuku. I wasn't asking." The elder Shigaraki's obsidian stare was void of any empathy as he gestured towards the black bags of yen on the ground. "I will give you back all the money you stole for us in exchange for the blueprints for that bomb. I am a man of fairness and I believe in compensating you for your ultimate work of art. I think forty million yen in exchange for something like that is a good price."

Izuku shook his head furiously and gripped Touya's hand tighter, backing away from the menacing men surrounding them.

"I don't want the money—"

The elder Shigaraki snapped his fingers.

"Himiko. Persuade him."

Before Izuku could blink Touya cursed and tried his best to grab him before anyone else did. But he was outnumbered.

Izuku's world was spun around by the rough hands of others grabbing him and green eyes widened when one of the guards standing at the door came up behind him to snatch his wrist and yank him out of Touya's hold.

" —_No_! Don't you fucking touch him!" Touya's voice yelled as another large man put Izuku in a choke hold and their interlaced fingers were forced apart.

Touya screamed out his name as he began struggling against the two strong bodies holding him back by his arms. Izuku tried to reach out for Touya but found it fruitless when the man gagging him switched to restrained his arms behind his back in a painful twist.

Fear overwhelmed him as he was manhandled into staying still and another gang member came over and ripped open his shirt. The sound of tearing fabric made Izuku struggle more, the cold air against his bare chest making him feel sickly vulnerable.

"T-Touya? _Touya!_ W-What are they doing—" His green eyes darted around frantic and unsure of what was happening until the blurry vision of a blonde haired woman stepped into view.

Her smile was malicious and hungry.

"I always wondered what you would sound like when crying," she giggled. Izuku yelled out for Touya again when a sharp blade came into his view and he struggled harder against the man twisting his arms.

Quicker than anything he's seen, she handled the knife with expertise. A blood curdling scream was ripped from Izuku's throat as the burning feeling of sharp steel cut through his skin, gashing him deeply directly across his chest. Izuku pleaded and struggled as he started to feel blood rush down his abdomen and tears pour from his eyes.

_This can't be happening—this can't be happening— _

His thoughts dived straight down into a terrified spiral and he felt another excruciating slash dig into his chest directly above his heart. He screamed out again, muttering hoarse apologizes as the blade felt like it was searing his flesh.

"_I'm sorry_! I'm s-sorry—I'm sorry—_please, s-stop_!"

"You see how she's getting higher?" The elder Shigaraki said in a bored tone while he crossed his legs. "Next cut will be your _throat_, Izuku."

It was a promise, not a threat.

Izuku whimpered in pain as the man forcing him still tightened his bruising hold and Himiko pressed her silver knife against his adam's apple. Excited golden eyes were filled with glee as she leaned in and whispered in his ear.

"You're so cute when you scream, 'Zuzu," Himiko giggled, her hot breath tickled his neck and made him cower away. "I see why Touya likes hurting you now. So soft and _weak_."

Izuku furrowed his brows together at that word again.

_Weak_.

A sob wrecked through his body from the intense pain radiating from his chest. The sharp edge of the blade pressed into his pale skin more, drawing a hint of red liquid to run down his freckled throat.

"Now, I don't like repeating myself and I don't want to kill you—but I will," the elder Shigaraki said, this time with all the promise of hurt in the world. "Where are the blueprints? You're making me reconsider the mercy I was going to have on your family."

The seconds crawled by slowly as Izuku weighed the odds in his mind. He didn't even want to fathom what a gang like All For One would do with blueprints for an explosive—but at the mention of his family Izuku felt himself unwillingly give.

The sound of his parents' laughter and the sight of their smiles filled his head.

"I-It's in m-my b-backpack," Izuku whispered weakly, shame slamming down on his body. He squeezed his eye shut, wanting nothing more than to disappear. "The two white pieces of paper...they have everything you need listed and detailed drawings of the architecture of the device."

The large man behind him let go of Izuku's twisted arms and Izuku's knees immediately gave out. The crying teen fell forward at Himiko's feet with a loud sob, forehead resting against the dirty floor of the small warehouse room. His shaky hands immediately cradled his bleeding chest when he could feel blood quickly leaving him.

Izuku cried harder when he felt Himiko step around and kneel down to unzip his backpack and pull out the two torn out sketchbook pages. He felt the rushed footing of Touya running over to his abused body to cradle him.

Touya's voice sounded like a broken record on repeat as the redhead yelled at the Shigarakis for harming him, but Izuku couldn't process what was being said.

In the safety of Touya's warm arms, his own psyche was overcome by unpalatable shame and guilt. The two emotions swarmed inside of his chest like a hive of wasps, stinging his heart painfully. Conflicting feelings of if he should've just let Himiko slit his throat rushed into his mind—but he didn't know what else to do.

He had to keep his parents safe. He just wanted _everyone _safe.

Heavy footsteps followed shuffling of duffle bags as the money was dropped in front of his and Touya's kneeling bodies.

"Here you go. Your debt is repaid," the voice of Tomura said flatly. "You both will keep quiet about this. Needless to say what will happen if you don't. Understood?"

"_Yes_," Touya hissed from his gritted teeth. "We understand you _very _clearly."

"Good. You can resume playing house with your angel, Touya. We're officially done here."

Izuku lifted his head up and pulled his shaking hands away from his chest to see his palms covered in his own blood. Shame filled every ounce of his being as he looked up into the deep crimson eyes of the silver haired young man.

White noise clouded Izuku's mind as he repeated the words spoken to him: _Your debt is repaid. _

His body felt lifeless as he allowed Touya to pick him up and comfort him. His wobbly knees were too weak to stand and he leaned heavily against the taller man that was quickly taking off his leather jacket to wrap around his shaking shoulders.

Izuku buried his head into Touya's shoulder as the elder man wrapped his strong arms around his waist to keep him upright.

"It's over," Touya shushed him, trying to calm him down.

His boyfriend led him over to the door again and this time the bodyguards stepped aside. The couple walked through the doors, both leaving as different people than the beginning of this ordeal.

But only one was still unsure about the future.

The green eyed teen looked over his shoulder to stare at the bomb plans being handed over to the silver haired man, who was staring directly back at him with an ominous smirk.

"It's over, Izuku," Touya repeated, running a shaky hand through his hair. "We're okay. Everyone is going to be okay. Alright? Let's go home."

Izuku nodded, wishing he could believe Touya.

However, the last look that Tomura Shigaraki gave him told him that things were far from over.

. . .

That should've been the last of it—or at least that's what Izuku told himself.

Izuku no longer was searching.

He no longer was egged on to figure a way out of a life or death situation—but he still didn't feel the same nor did he feel completely at peace.

It felt as if burning that building had tied an invisible rope around his ankles, tethering him to his anxiety and the imagery of flames refused to allow him to feel relaxed. No matter what he did after that day, despite no one getting harmed, he couldn't shake the gravity of him starting such an intense fire—then handing over the ability to do the same directly to All For One.

The blue and red flames danced around each other in his head and their illumination was impossible to drown out, blinding him inside his own mind.

Touya had tried to comfort him the entire ride home that night. When they arrived back at their dark apartment, his boyfriend sat him down on the edge of their bed and began carefully bandaging him up like he was some precious doll that had gotten scratched.

The white bandages around his chest bled every time he moved and it was hard to keep himself from wincing—but not one of his classmates really batted an eye at it.

No one seemed to care except Kai.

When news of the arson attack spread around campus, Izuku kept silent. Without saying a word, his silence told the loudest story to the brunette haired man.

That first lecture back after the robbery, Kai made him stay behind, but the shame Izuku felt was too great to allow him to meet those worried golden eyes.

"Is everything settled with the Shigarakis?" Was all Kai asked, his voice quiet and careful. Izuku nodded emptily.

"Yes, it's all settled," he replied back in a whisper. "They told us the debt is repaid and we can go back to our lives." He omitted the real exchange that happened, the threat to stay quiet about everything hanging dangerously over his head.

"Alright, that's good."

_...Good_?

Izuku didn't know if that was the right word for it.

Three all too peaceful months passed, ending Izuku's sophomore year. The seasons blended together in a colorless blur to him, and the gashes in his chest scabbed over slowly.

One healed while the other one didn't. It stayed imprinted on his skin, raised up and keloided but Izuku welcomed it as a tally mark type of punishment. Some nights he would run his calloused finger over it in the mirror, tracing the damage AFO had left over his heart both literally and figuratively.

He felt like he deserved it.

When everything settled down within these three months, Izuku felt Touya shift back to his usual self.

He dealt with All For One like a small hiccup in his life and the college student didn't understand how he was barely affected.

The redhead would apologize profusely for getting Izuku entangled in his mess. Izuku could tell he was sincere, so the freckled teen took Tomura Shigaraki's advice: he tried his best to move on.

However, he found it hard when the visual of his future never returned.

For an entire three months his dreams remained static like white noise. He was still drowning in the sea of black thorns and still couldn't see anything. He still couldn't envision his future and those rose colored glasses on life never repaired themselves.

They remained shattered and cracked just like Izuku.

Touya told him that he would take care of the forty million yen when Izuku suggested they should donate it slowly, and return it through big purchases to the establishments they robbed it from. Touya just smiled and agreed, being extremely sweet. It eased Izuku's worries and made him feel like they could really move past this incident when Touya began being the nicest he could be.

The redhead treated him with the utmost care to the point it surprised Izuku.

But as the winter shifted to the summer, Izuku felt a change in Touya happen just like the seasons. There was something about him that led Izuku to believe that he was withholding something.

But whenever he asked, Touya would tell him he was overthinking.

"Are you sure? You can tell me if something is wrong," Izuku would press and Touya in return just shook his head and gave a charming smile.

"Of course. Nothing is wrong, angel," Touya reassured. He'd always comb his fingers through his dark curls and lightly touch his gold hoop earring. "Don't worry about it. Just focus on school, alright? You deserve to relax."

So Izuku did. He pushed down all the self hating thoughts and did his best to resume his life.

But that didn't stop him from noticing small things: like how Touya's clothing style got nicer, and how his attitude became more confident.

They went out to nicer restaurants because Touya told him he was 'promoted' again at the coffee shop. Touya began showering him in small gifts, expensive things Izuku didn't need like sparkling jewelry and fashionable new clothes.

Izuku figured it was just Touya's way of being apologetic about the AFO mess and would tell him it wasn't needed. However, Touya pushed and insisted.

And Izuku resigned, too afraid of provoking another 'incident' out of him after all the All For One stress.

Which brings him to now, a hot summer day two weeks after his 20th birthday.

He had just come back from visiting his parents in his beloved childhood home for the weekend and he was starting to feel something close to his old self again.

The newly aged young adult took three days out to spend time with his parents and enjoyed the bubble of security they always gave him at home.

He told Touya about needing this, just wanting a bit of space from the sudden lavish, over apologetic treatment. The redhead seemingly understood and told Izuku he was going to pick up extra shifts at the coffee shop while he was away.

Izuku smiled, liking the idea of Touya working hard and finally everything going back to normal.

When he got home, Izuku asked his father to take some time off and just sit at home with him and his mother. While confused, Hisashi just smiled and took it as Izuku needed decompression time after a stressful semester.

If only he knew the irony behind that statement.

Coming back to his apartment early that Monday, the green eyed young adult walked towards the small coffee Touya worked at with a smile. He was holding a pink bento box full of the redhead's favorite rice dish. The wind blew against his skin on his exposed arms in his yellow tank top and the sky was a clear, crystal blue. When he pushed open the wooden door, the melodic sound of the silver bell attached to the top rang out.

The sweet brown eyes of the shop owner standing behind the counter glanced briefly at him. He smiled at the friendly man, who returned the kind gesture, but his attention was drawn back to the large TV hanging from the wall.

Izuku looked around curiously for Touya only to not see him or Shindo Yo. Instead, he noticed everyone's eyes glued on the widescreen television.

Slowly, Izuku traced their line of vision up to the bright screen to see a young, brunette news anchor woman standing in front of a building that was consumed with bright flames.

Izuku's heart sank into his stomach and he clutched the bento box in his hand until his knuckles turned white.

"We're reporting to you live from the second bank struck this morning in downtown Yaizu," the voice from the TV echoed. "This is now the sixth robbery in a string of back to back crimes this weekend. All buildings in result were burned shortly after they were hit. A common pattern of two separate explosions seems to be happening. First, a low powered one that allows the thieves to enter and then a larger one that causes intense fire to cover all evidence."

Fear settled into Izuku's bones and his gut twisted in shame. He knew. He knew _exactly _what caused those fires.

"Many are concerned by the quickness of the flames and the expertise of the gang that seems to be committing this duo act of arson and theft. Several officers have been wounded and many wonder if this will cause a cancellation in the police parade hosting beloved hometown hero, Yagi Toshinori, that is supposed to happen this upcoming Saturday."

Izuku watched at the camera cut to his family friend, who he completely forgot was in town. Toshinori stood tall, a kind look on his face, but Izuku could tell he was stressed. There was a slight crease in his brow that hinted that the sudden rise of crime wasn't what he was expecting.

"Are you thinking of calling off the police parade this year, Captain Yagi?" The news anchor asked, holding the microphone to him.

"I discussed this fear with the Chief of Police of Yaizu, but we both concluded that the criminals are mainly targeting banks and jewelry stores, indicating they have a monetary motive," Toshinori explained. "The parade this year will have extra security and all available officers in Yaizu will be working it to ensure the safety of the public!"

"Wonderful," the woman replied with a smile. "So nice to hear reassuring words from Yaizu's and Shizuoka City's shared symbol of peace. We'll be back in ten for more live updates on the fires."

The TV cut to commercial and muttering picked up in the coffee shop. Izuku could hear the customers talking about the horrendous bomb and the robberies and it made Izuku feel guilt stronger than gravity itself.

He looked around shaky, paranoid, and slowly walked over to the dark haired shop owner, trying to focus on where Touya could possibly be. All For One had promised to leave them alone and it had officially been three _months_—but Izuku's gut feeling kept saying something was wrong—he just couldn't figure out _what_.

"Morning, Mr. Tanaka. Is Touya here?" He asked in a soft spoken voice. The shop owner turned around towards him with a sympathetic look and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Izuku, I haven't seen him for the past three days," Mr. Tanaka replied. Izuku frowned deeply, knowing Touya on the phone last night told him he had just gotten off working overtime.

"But he told me he was working the morning shift this weekend," Izuku muttered, trying to piece together what was happening.

"He was supposed to, but he called and said he got held up by a family emergency."

_Family emergency? _Izuku frowned.

Touya didn't have a family—well, no family that he talked to.

Izuku shifted his eyes away, unsure what to do with the information he was just given. He had just spoken to Touya on the phone last night and the redhead said he just finished working. Touya had lied to him...but for what? Why would he lie about working?

"When you see him, Izuku, can you tell him to call me A.S.A.P? I'm really short staffed. Shindo is out this week at his second job."

"Okay, I'll be sure to do that," Izuku replied and put on a taut smile, trying to mask his racing thoughts. He bowed politely at the waist and fiddled with the plate of onigiri in his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Tanaka. I hope you have a good rest of your day!"

"You too, Izuku."

The fuming young adult turned on his heel, heat simmering under his skin. He gnawed into his bottom lip, trying to keep himself from muttering too loudly as his thoughts worked overtime.

Touya had _lied_.

Where was he? His heart twisted with diverse emotions of anger, betrayal, and confusion. But above all, Izuku felt _hurt_. After everything they've been through, Touya lied to him without an inkling of hesitation.

"Oh, Izuku! One more thing," Mr. Tanaka called out in a concerned tone. Izuku turned around and looked over his shoulder at the cue of his name. "Please be safe out there! This weekend seems like it's going to be really hectic in Yaizu with the parade and these fires." The kind eyes of the large man were looking at him in a way that reminded the young adult of his own father.

"Ah, no worries, Mr. Tanaka," he replied with a reassuring smile. "I'm going to Makinohara for an art show this Sunday. My mother is the featured artist so I won't even be around."

"That's good to hear! Maybe just stay there. I swear, it seems like these thugs are trying to burn Yaizu down to the ground."

Izuku nodded in agreement, glancing at the television one more time. He studied the immense amount of firetrucks being shown live trying to douse the fire, but it just grew and grew. His gut twisted unpleasantly before he said goodbye a final time, leaving out the door quickly.

The bell rang on his way out and Izuku kept his head down as he walked around the corner. Saddened green eyes stared at the light pink bento box in his hands in deep thought, a vision of Touya's smiling face appearing in his head.

_Should I be worried? Maybe something really did come up with his family or maybe he reached out to them without telling me... _

Mind clouded with distracting thoughts about Touya, Izuku reached his hand down into his khaki shorts to pull out his green phone. He worried as he scrolled through to see no new texts or calls from his boyfriend, only messages from his mother and father showing him pictures of their outfits for the art show.

He proceeded to call Touya thrice, only to be sent to voicemail all three times. Izuku furrowed his brows confused as he pulled back the phone and began texting the missing redhead.

Suddenly, Izuku gasped loudly when he collided with a strong body and he clumsily lost his grip on the cellphone, which went toppling to the ground. Green eyes glanced up to see an all too familiar nightmarish figure dressed in a red trench coat with silver hair and red eyes. The tall figure blocked out the sun and cast a long black shadow over Izuku's pale face.

Izuku's heart stopped beating and the bento box hit the sidewalk with a loud clatter.

"Hey there," Tomura greeted coyly, his lips chapped and smile sinister.

_No, no, please, no— _

Izuku frantically spun around to run only to see Jin and Himiko standing behind him pointing steel handguns and hungry grins. The feeling of ice sunk into his feet when he saw a van pull into view behind them with more gang members.

"Don't worry cutie, we don't want to hurt you," Himiko giggled, trying to reassure Izuku with a false sense of security. "You're way too valuable to us for that now."

Terror settled into the frightened young adult's gut as Tomura came up behind him and laid both of his large hands on his shoulders. His grip was strong, powerful, and deeply menacing just like the hold he seemed to have on Izuku's life.

The freckled young adult winced in pain as Tomura's fingernails dug into his exposed freckled shoulders, imprinting crest shaped marks. Izuku trembled and squeezed his eyes shut when the hair on his neck stood up from Tomura's warm breath against his skin.

"You're coming with us for a little while, angel."

. . .

_Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. _

Izuku tried to steady his breath at a reliable pace as he was led blindfolded and bound to only Kami knows where. The ropes around his wrists threatened to give him rope burn as he experimentally tried to wiggle his hands into a more comfortable position in front of him_—_but it was useless.

He was trapped_ again _by Tomura Shigaraki.

The blind fold covering his eyes was pulled tautly to ensure he saw nothing from wherever they were going, and the cold gun pressed against his temple reminded him of the grave repercussions of saying 'no' to All For One.

Izuku bit his lip to hold back tears when all he could wonder was where Touya was and prayed he was safe.

"We're here, boss," the voice of Himiko called out with happiness. Izuku felt fear sucker punch him when Tomura's hands grabbed his upper arm and yanked him upwards.

"Perfect. I'll lead our lovely angel here to the engineering room," Tomura answered while not so gently pulling him out the back of the van.

All the noises surrounding Izuku confused him as he was blindly led into what he figured was an abandoned building. He briefly heard the sound of running water, suggesting they were near a river before the creaking of a metal door swung open.

Immediately he heard chatter and voices and a leaky pipe and the air inside of the building was dry. The smell of rust, alcohol and sulfur filled his nose, making Izuku scrunch his face when he could smell toxic gasoline, heavy and potent.

Tomura dragged him to the corner of the large room where the smells were the strongest.

There was a sudden snap in the tension of the ropes burning his wrists as he felt Tomura use a knife to set his hands free. He immediately moved to nurse his sore skin and he could feel his heart pump loudly in his ears when the blindfold was ripped off him.

The first thing Izuku saw were the wires.

Blue, green, red and yellow wires were systematically laid all around next to tools, soldering machines and what seemed to be a three person assembly line of people trying to recreate what he had made the first time.

The second thing Izuku saw was the room.

It was a large, strange backwater building that was filled with brown crates. In the dim light, Izuku could vaguely see a handful of people lined up getting distributed bags of white powders, pills and more drugs he couldn't identify.

The final thing Izuku noticed was Shindo Yo, standing there in the flesh.

Izuku's face twisted in confusion when he made eye contact with that all too familiar face, that seemed just as equally baffled to see him there.

Shindo Yo frowned as he was handed a bag full of white powder and another of pink pills. The raven haired student stared at Izuku's face in a new light, distracted and thrown off guard just like the green eyed student. They held eye contact until the gang member distributing the shipments told Shindo to move and start collecting his money.

"One of our many drug dealers," Tomura explained when the two stared at each other too long. "Do you know him?"

Izuku paused, eyes still glued on Shindo as the brunette got out of line and turned to leave. The brown eyes of his classmate looked at him once more before leaving and Izuku wearily turned back to Tomura.

"No," he lied, eyes glanced down to the grey ground. "I don't. He just seemed familiar."

Tomura assessed him carefully as if trying to see if the freckled male was trying to deceive him, but the silver haired man let it go and redirected Izuku's attention to the mess of metal and wires in front of him.

"So, as you can see, we're having some technical difficulties," Tomura explained, like it was something casual. "Our in-house engineers are having a rough time producing what you made in a single night in the time frame of a month. They also don't know how to properly calculate the highest detonation possible with these materials. Seems like the plans you gave us were just for the low blast."

"Why am I here?" Izuku mumbled, fist clutching to ease himself. He looked shamefully upon what he had designed with bitter taste. "You said you would leave us alone."

"And we will," Tomura explained. "But first we need you to fix this for us. Make it more powerful. My father has something in mind and it requires a very intense blast."

"M-More powerful?" Izuku parroted, baffled. He looked up at Tomura in disbelief and shook his head furiously. "_No_. It's already powerful enough! You've been burning down buildings all weekend to cover your tracks—"

"—Don't raise your voice at me," Tomura hissed, red eyes flashing with malicious intent and shutting Izuku up quickly. He gripped Izuku's arm painfully tight, and pulled him in close. "I'm not as kind as Touya. Now, you're going to fix this for us and we'll send you on your way. Got it, _angel_?"

Izuku's face hardened with anger. His fear grew equally, confused as to what he should do, but above all he was frustrated. There was _no_ _way_ he was going to keep participating in this.

Right as he hardened his nerves to refuse Tomura, the doors of the building creaked open. Both Tomura and Izuku turned around to see who came in—and this time Izuku's world got flipped upside down.

Touya walked in with his head down, dressed in an all black hoodie, sneakers and black banana. His hands were gloved with bloody brass knuckles and he was fully distracted by counting the colorful yen in his hand carefully.

"I finished what you asked me to do," Touya called out to the room without looking up, there was an underlying hint of agitation in his tone. "Now if you could give me another load of coke to sell I'll be...on...my way..._I-Izuku_?"

Blue eyes widened in shock to see Izuku standing there, green eyes blown to saucers.

Izuku took in Touya's appearance all the way. He saw the hand full of money, the slightly scuffed up face and the blood caked up on his brass knuckles. Izuku prayed his eyes and ears were playing tricks on him when he saw an empty bag of drugs in Touya's other hand.

"What is he doing here?" Touya hissed, turning his furious gaze to Tomura. "I thought I fucking told you to stay away from him—"

"—We need him to fix a few things for us," Tomura answered easily, letting go of Izuku. "Once he fixes what we asked of him, we'll send you both on your way. You'll get your drugs to sell and Izuku can go back to...whatever it is he does. My father has a big plan coming up this weekend so 'no' isn't an option."

At the mention of a 'big plan' used in the same context of the explosive, Izuku forcefully tore his eyes away from Touya and turned to Tomura.

"I said I'm not doing it," he said firmly, hands shaking with confusion and fear. "I-I can't be a part of whatever it is you're doing. I can't do it."

Izuku shook his head again and took several steps back, trying to get a breath of fresh air when the room started feeling all too small. Everyone's eyes were crawling all over him, and his chest started to squeeze. The chemical scent of gasoline in the air was too much—

Touya's angry blue eyes melted into concern when he saw Izuku start to slowly break down into a panic attack.

The redhead wearily looked at Tomura and his unamused, stale expression before walking over to Izuku and trying to calm him down, but it wasn't working.

"Izuku," Touya whispered, gripping Izuku's shoulders, trying to shake him back into a calm mind. "Just do what he says so we can leave. You know he's not going to take no for an answer."

Watery green eyes looked up to see a blurred vision of Touya, distorted by the tears in his eyes. The freckled young adult snapped himself out of Touya's grip angrily, still trying to process what his boyfriend was even doing here.

"_No_," Izuku yelled again, more base in his tone. "He wants me to make t-that—that _thing _deadlier, and I'm not doing it!" Izuku's voice cracked as he gestured wildly to the mess of mechanics behind him.

Touya's eyes flickered over to the three engineers who stopped what they were doing, taken aback by the rebellious tone of voice Izuku was taking.

This time Tomura's face grew darker and it settled something close to fear in Touya.

"Izuku, keep your voice down," he whispered harshly and reached out to grab the younger male's wrist in a tight hold. Izuku whimpered at the grip and tried his best to shake Touya off. He just wanted to go _home_. This was all supposed to be over. This wasn't supposed to be happening—

"Sorry, he gets like this sometimes," Touya apologized to Tomura and for some reason it just irritated Izuku more.

"Let me go!" Izuku hissed, his struggling getting stronger. He tried to jerk himself out of the bruising hold only to be overpowered and dragged closer to the ever growing pissed off redhead.

"Stop making a fucking scene and just do what's asked of you—"

"_No_! I said no!"

"C'mon, Izuku, just do what he says—"

"—I said I won't do it! You're supposed to be on my side—"

"—I fucking am! I'm on the side of trying to keep you _alive_!" Touya screamed back, shaking Izuku harshly. "Just fucking suck it up and stop acting so goddamn weak minded—"

"T-Touya, _please_!" Izuku's voice cracked and he fought harshly against the larger body holding him. Tears spilled over as he started sobbing, pleading to his boyfriend as he struggled to get out of the other's hold. "Touya, d-don't make me do this—"

"—Control him, Touya. Or I will," Tomura's voice cut in. There was a heavy threat inside of it and it made the redhead's feet run cold.

In the blur of the moment, Izuku heard Touya curse and the next thing that followed was a blistering, familiar hit across his face.

The harsh slap echoed in the abandoned building and Izuku felt his head violently turned from the sheer force Touya used to hit him across the face.

Everyone in the vicinity dropped to an uncomfortable silence.

Izuku's heart squeezed until he felt like he couldn't breathe when he realized what had just happened. He wanted to blink and wake up from what _had _to be a nightmare—but when the blood began to slowly trickle from his nose and his lip began to burn, he knew it wasn't a dream.

It was real.

"Why the hell did you make me do that in front of people, Izuku? Just fucking _listen _to me next time." Touya harshly whispered, shame deep in his voice as he hung his head.

Izuku fully frowned at the blame placed on him but the grip Touya had on his arm just grew tighter, not allowing him space to think.

"Now, go fix whatever they're asking of you so we can _leave_." The redhead pushed him towards the mess of metal and wires impatiently, and Izuku felt his knees unwillingly buckle.

He fell down to his shins to the ground, catching himself with his wobbly arms. His mind tried to search for an answer as to why was this all happening? It should be over—but that wasn't the case.

Touya was here with All For One and Tomura somehow still had his leash on both of them.

Izuku choked back a sob as he leaned back on his hunches, attempting to avoid the stares from everyone that were burning into his exposed skin. He looked over his shoulder, trying to ignore the hot tears streaming uncontrollably down his face.

There he saw a regrettably angry Touya curling his fist while looking away from him and a smug Tomura assessing them both as if he just witnessed the best thing he's ever seen.

Izuku took in his dimly lit surroundings and all the gang members that were looking down at him like a hungry pack of wolves, ready to devour him alive.

Anger, hurt, betrayal and fear swirled around like dancing flames inside of his head. They flared and sparked but the longer he stared at the shadows flickering inside of Tomura's crimson red irises, Izuku felt himself resign.

Numbing out his thoughts, Izuku put himself in autopilot while he cried without a sound.

With shaky hands and a heavy heart, Izuku did what was asked of him.

The taste of iron dripped into his mouth from the blood trickling from his mouth and nose. At some point during his ministrations, he heard Touya and Tomura exchange choice words before the redhead lit a cigarette and went across the room to wait.

Tomura then came to crouch down next to him as he was soldering a wire in a copper plate.

"What do you see in Touya? I'm extremely curious how you two fell in love," the usually menacing Shigaraki asked as if they were friends. Izuku felt himself bristle at the casual question.

"It's none of your concern," Izuku answered back in a short tone, refusing to look up. He heard an amused hum from the silver haired man before Tomura leaned into his space, uncomfortably close.

"Well, here. I'll tell you what _I _see in Touya," his voice whispered, dripping in mischievousness. "You know how there's that saying about everyone having two wolves inside of them? A dark one and a good one? And the one that gets bigger is the one that you feed?"

Izuku stayed silent, trying to focus but the ominous tone of voice used gripped his attention.

"Well, I'll tell you a secret I discovered a long time ago," Tomura whispered softly only for Izuku to hear. "Touya only has one wolf: _a power hungry one_. That wolf ate his good one a long, _long _time ago when there was nothing left to feed on and that power hungry wolf is starved right now, Izuku."

Without warning, Izuku's mind painted the haunting imagery of a large blood hungry wolf.

It's obsidian black fur was caked in dried crimson liquid and its fangs were stained with a dark shade of red. Its icy blue eyes were filled with murderlust and it was prowling around, scratching and growling begging to be let out from its cage.

Tomura smirked when he saw his words had finally gotten into the freckled male's head. He leaned in closer, wrapping his arm around Izuku's frozen shoulders to deliver the final blow.

"Touya will _always _come crawling back to us because we have exactly what he needs to keep that wolf fed and you _don't_."

Izuku's face twisted around in pain, trying to push the manipulative words out of his headspace. He didn't want to believe what the gang leader was saying—but a voice deep inside of his mind told him that Tomura wasn't wrong.

Green eyes looked over at Touya across the room smoking a cigarette and wearily eyed the dried blood on his brass knuckles.

. . .

Izuku finished the last of the wiring with the bitter taste of acid and iron against the back of his tongue.

He ignored the 'good job' he received from Tomura and all astonished looks from the in-house engineers. They muttered amongst themselves, amazed by his ability to create and design something that lethal under immense pressure.

The tormented young adult kept his head down and marched over to the exit to where Touya was waiting for him. When Izuku passed by without a word or spare glance, the redhead followed him into the warm summer dusk setting silently. The deep red colors from the sky tinted all the trees and ground in a dusted rose color that Izuku found himself hating.

"Did you fix it?" He asked, looking at the tense shoulders of Izuku, studying the nail marks and bruises beginning to show.

"Yes," Izuku quipped with his head down.

He couldn't bring himself to look up at his boyfriend, too angry and hurt. His thoughts kept swarming in sync with the pain that throbbed from his nose. He felt used. He felt humiliated—and for _what_? He was concerned about Touya for nothing.

Izuku sighed, and turned around, finally facing the aggravating looking redhead.

"Touya...I had been worried about you," the freckled man started in a soft voice. "I thought something happened to you but instead you're here, getting _drugs _from them?"

This only seemed to irritate Touya, making him roll his eyes and cross his arms.

"I'm rinsing the money they gave us," he mumbled and in return Izuku made a confused face. Touya sighed again and ran his hand through his red spikes. "Of course you don't even know what that means—it means I can't just go fuckin' donate the cash we got from them with the serial numbers that were stolen from the bank, Izuku—"

"—Then don't use the money," Izuku cut him off, fed up and hurt. All the emotions he kept bottled up inside ran over unfiltered. "Go secretly drop it back off at the bank or at a police station! It's not that important enough for you to be back selling drugs with them!"

"Kami, Izuku. You don't get it, you never fucking get it—"

"—What don't I get?" Izuku questioned, stepping forward. He had done everything he could to understand Touya but this—this he didn't understand. "I get that you sold drugs for them in the past when you needed help to survive. But you were homeless back then—you're not homeless anymore!"

Touya worked his jaw and shifted his gaze away from the hurt green eyes.

Izuku sighed again, putting his hands on his hips and pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to keep the pounding headache at bay. He could tell he wasn't going to reach Touya like this and he was tired.

"_Please_," Izuku tried again, stepping forward. Touya looked at him again and Izuku carefully reached out to hold his love's hand tenderly. "_Please,_ don't go down this road with them. They just want to use you and exploit you. But you have me now, and I love you so much."

His eyes pleaded a thousand different emotions to Touya—he just wanted to save the redhead.

At that moment, Izuku realized that's what it's always been: him trying to save Touya.

He just wanted to make sure Touya was safe. From the homeless shelter, to the alley, to sharing an apartment—to building that bomb to get the money.

He just wanted everyone he loved safe.

"I love you too, Izuku," Touya spoke back just as gently. He lifted his gloved hand up to lovingly push a disheveled curl out of Izuku's freckled face and carefully touched the gold hoop in his ear. "One day you'll understand I'm doing this _because _I love you. I have a plan and if it works, together we can have everything we ever wanted and _more_."

Izuku shook his head when he felt the brief tender moment slip away.

"And this plan involves siding with people who hurt us?" He questioned, staring up at Touya utterly confused. "I have a scar on my body from where they cut me and _forced _me to give them blueprints for a _bomb_. You just forgave them that easily?"

"No," Touya answered. His eyes and expression hardened like stone and deep hatred flashed quickly as lightning. "I'll _never _forgive them for that and you know that. But if everything goes right, I'll make sure they pay heavily for ever hurting you and threatening your family—but you need to think long term, Izuku."

"Long term for _what_?" Izuku exasperated. He stepped back from Touya again to look at him as if he didn't know who the man in front of him was. "You keep saying everything _we _ever wanted but you won't even let me major in what I want to do! It's always just what _you _want. I always end up just going along with what you say."

"And that's a bad thing?"

There was a blankness in turquoise eyes that gave Izuku an uneasy pause.

"Yes...it's a bad thing," he explained slowly, looking at Touya sideways. "I-I don't even have friends, Touya. You never let me hang out with people alone unless you're there or go places alone—"

"—Because you don't need to," Touya cut him off, nostrils flaring in aggravation. Izuku startled at the loud voice that echoed into the night and how quickly Touya's demeanor shifted. "Why are you bringing up pointless shit now?"

"_Pointless shit_?" Izuku hissed, tears falling down his face at the dismissal. "I'm pointing out how controlling you can be! You just fucking _hit_ _me_ in front of all those gang members in there and you didn't even say sorry—"

"—Because you fucking deserved it this time!"

The words left Touya's mouth, and materialized into a rigid dagger to stab Izuku directly in the chest.

Izuku opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

He was at a loss for words, caught off guard by the furious look in the blazing blue eyes.

Izuku felt his chest heave while trying to process the explanation. _Deserved it_? Right when Izuku tried to process how the Touya could say something like that, the redhead told him exactly why.

Blue eyes were dark, filled with anger and dark shadows that weren't there before.

He stepped forward towering over Izuku and his face twisted in anger. "You're always so high on your goddamn moral horse that you couldn't even do a simple fucking thing asked of you," Touya hissed. His eyes were full of irritation, and it made an unknown fear creeped in under Izuku's skin unwillingly. "Did you _want _Himiko to slit your throat?"

Izuku shifted his eyes to the side when there was another pause. "N-No, of course not. But that's not that point—"

"—Then shut the _fuck _up," Touya harshly growled and it made Izuku fall quiet. Threatening ice colored eyes stared down emptily at him and it made a chill grip Izuku's spine as Touya continued to speak. "This is why I tell you to just keep quiet and listen to me, Izuku—for situations like this. You're so goddamn _weak _that I have to take charge because you can't do it for yourself."

_Weak_.

Izuku furrowed his brows at the usage of that word again.

He stayed silent, his throat feeling like it was being choked by a hand made of flames that was searing his vocal cords shut. He didn't dare say anything more as those eyes bored into him.

Touya turned away from him, walking towards his motorcycle as if that was it. Several more tears streamed down Izuku's face, as he looked around at the saddened dusk blood orange colored sky. He watched the way the red sun lowered itself beneath the blue horizon and he felt his voice strengthen.

"...I'm not weak," Izuku muttered.

"What was that?" Touya turned around, ice cold eyes daring him to say it again.

But for some reason he couldn't.

"Nothing," Izuku whispered, losing his voice. He glanced down to the ground, Touya's gaze too intense for him to hold the eye contact.

"That's what I thought," the redhead sneered. "Now let's go home. This discussion is over and I don't want you asking me anymore about tonight. If they ever contact you again, you come to me directly from now on before going with them."

Izuku bit his lip, heart pounding all too loudly in his ear. He looked up to see Touya walking away from him.

It was the first time Touya ever turned his back on him.

. . .

Izuku felt himself searching again.

This time he was searching for the Touya he knew in the rubble left behind from the avalanche of the newly revealed Touya he saw that night. Touya was selling drugs and hanging out with shady people, despite it pissing the youngest off.

Izuku started to grow distant from his boyfriend, but still was kept on a close, tight leash if Touya could help it. He could sense Touya growing antsy about his sudden quietness, and Izuku contemplated telling Touya that he needed a break.

It was becoming too much.

However, looking back on that last week, Izuku could count the number of mistakes that happened—mistakes both of them made.

These were the mistakes that cost Izuku the lives of the three people closest to him that very same week.

The first mistake was Touya lying to him and saying that he was sorry about hitting him when he wasn't. The second was Izuku pretending to believe him. The third mistake was them going back to their routine as if everything was okay, and the fourth mistake was Touya lying to him again about the drugs.

"I decided to stop selling," Touya had said that Wednesday before the weekend police parade. Two days had passed since the Shigaraki incident and the new busted lip Izuku sported was healing slowly.

"Why?" He whispered, unsure if he should believe Touya. The voice of Tomura still echoed clearly in his head. All he could envision was a blood hungry wolf with eyes as blue as Touya's.

"Because you're right. It's not that important," Touya sighed. "I can feel you pulling away from me. So, if it means losing you, the person who is most important to me, then...it's done. It's over."

"And how can I believe you? You lied to me before."

"Turn on the news."

So Izuku did, and what he saw confused him. At first he didn't understand what he was seeing but when the headline of _'20 million stolen yen from government bank returned to police station' _his heart flew out of his chest.

"_Touya—_"

"—I know it's not all of it. I have admittedly spent a good portion of it...but...you were right. It's not worth losing you." Touya paused to hold his hand and looked down at him, sincerity written across his handsome features. "It's not worth losing _us_. We're better together. I promise that I'll try my best to get better...it's just...hard for me."

Izuku gave a fragile smile and squeezed Touya's hand back, wishing to believe him.

However that was one of the many mistakes.

Despite Touya declaring he was no longer selling drugs, Izuku noted his behavior didn't change much. Shady individuals still came in and out of the coffee shop, and they talked to _both _him and Shindo Yo.

Shindo wasn't shy about his involvement as a drug dealer. In fact, he seemed almost proud of it.

He was open and honest about it—unlike Touya.

Izuku found this out one day when Touya made another mistake and lied to him again about working that Thursday. Izuku had been at their apartment all evening, waiting for Touya to come back, loneliness stronger than usual.

He went to the coffee shop worried, expecting to see his loving boyfriend standing there in his blue apron. Instead he just saw Shindo, making some after hour trades with a gruff man who looked as if he wasn't just ordering a Chai Tea Latte.

Anger stewed inside of Izuku again when he realized he had possibly been lied to again.

"Where's Touya?" Izuku hissed the question to Shindo, leaning over the counter completely fed up.

"He's outback on break. But I wouldn't go back there," Shindo casually answered. "He's dealing with some special clients today and they wanted to check if the coke was properly fresh. So he's entertaining them."

Izuku reeled back. "He's doing _what_?"

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Shindo looked at him baffled and crossed his arms. "I thought you would be cool about it."

"Why would I be cool about my boyfriend selling drugs?" Izuku's frown deepened.

"Considering you two were the ones who robbed those stores last semester, I just figured drugs were a part of your routine or some shit."

The freckled male paused, face going pale at the statement. He looked around, panicked that someone might've overheard and leaned across the counter.

"H-How did you know that was us?"

"People in AFO gossip," Shindo shrugged, looking at him as if it wasn't a big deal. "Look, I'm not one to judge. If that's your M.O then, cool. I'm no angel either as you can see."

Izuku's heart pounded in his chest realizing that AFO was everywhere. They were stained all his life and it was beginning to overwhelm him.

The freckled male cursed under his breath and marched outside, making his second to final mistake.

Looking back on it, Izuku wouldn't be sure if he could call it a mistake. If he hadn't cracked open the back door and heard what he heard, then he wouldn't be sure what would've happened—but he was sure his parents would still be alive.

He pushed open the back door slightly but paused when the first thing he heard made his blood run cold.

"I can't wait to see what the Shigaraki are going to do with the improvements on that bomb," a deep voice laughed and he could hear Touya's laughter join in.

"You didn't hear?" Another voice chimed in. "They're going to use it on the police parade this weekend. Finally make a statement and turn everything upside down in Yaizu. Hopefully they'll kill that bastard Yagi Toshinori and have the police scrambling."

"Ah, that's a lot more drastic that I was anticipating," the first voice muttered. "Leave it up to the Shigarakis to make a blood bath out of a family event."

"They're just cops," Touya's voice muttered annoyed. "If the Shigarakis want to kill off a bunch of useless police officers, then that's what they're going to do. Who cares what happens to them?"

"Truer words have never been spoken," the first voice laughed and Touya chuckled deeply with them. "Well, we have to head out, Touya. We'll see you next week. Thanks for the stash, you're great. Tell those bastard Shigarakis I said hello."

"Will do," Touya's charming voice replied.

Izuku felt his heart freeze.

The Shigarakis were going to bomb the police parade.

Bomb it and kill hundreds of innocent people using the weapon _he _made.

Izuku felt sick. He had to _something— _

But his body froze when he heard Touya's tired footsteps headed towards the backdoor. Immediately Izuku's reflexes forced him to back away in fear thinking about what Touya said.

"_They're just cops." _

"_Who cares what happens to them." _

He hurried out of sight down the hall when the redhead walked back into the store. Izuku held his breath when Touya passed him, completely ignorant to his concealed figure.

Green eyes full of tears fearfully watched Touya put back on his blue apron and a friendly smile as he took his place back behind the counter as if nothing happened.

In that moment Izuku faced an ugly reality about his boyfriend. He had been trying to ignore it for nearly a year now because it was a dark truth he never wanted to face. But he had heard it—he heard it clear as day.

Touya didn't feel empathy for police officers.

The imagery of the wolf's blood stained fangs returned.

. . .

Izuku lifted a shaky hand as he knocked on his father's office door at the police station.

The sounds of computer keyboards and the smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the air as the friendly policemen chattered amongst themselves. Several of them gave him a pat on the back and asked him how he was doing, and explained they were excited to work the upcoming parade.

Izuku gave them weak smiles and then the door clicked open.

"Izuku?" Hisashi questioned. He tilted his head to the side, confused as to what he was seeing. "What are you doing here? Is everything okay?"

"I-I need to tell you something," Izuku whispered, hands clutched tightly by his sides. He looked around wearily at all the different officers talking and felt a prickle of paranoia. "C-Can we talk in your office? _Alone_?"

"Of course," Hisashi reassured. He gently swung his arm around his son's shoulders and brought him into his office. "You can tell me anything."

When the door clicked shut, Izuku made his final mistake.

. . .

That Friday was tense.

Izuku tried his best to keep a stoic face and not hint to Touya what he had done. He told his father in complete anonymity about overhearing the name 'Shigaraki' and plans to bomb the police parade. His father's face hardened with duty and they both left out of his office and immediately went to the captain of his precinct.

Izuku's heart churned with turmoil when Touya gave him a kiss that Friday night and they fell asleep beside each other one last time.

If Izuku knew that would be the last sweet kiss he'd ever receive from Touya, he would have spoken up sooner.

The anxious young adult wanted to wait until the bombing had been debunked to confront Touya, to try to pull him back. If what Touya had said was true—if he loved him as much as he said—then Izuku felt like he could get through to him. He could rip AFO's hooks out of Touya for good and finally get the vision of his future back.

However, when Saturday morning arrived, it all came crashing down on him in flames.

"We're here reporting to you live from the site of the police parade where several members from the elusive gang All For One have been apprehended by police officers led by sergeant Midoriya Hisashi and captain Yagi Toshinori," the lead news anchor called out from the TV in his living room.

Izuku sat alone in the apartment. He sighed nervously on the beige couch, twiddling the black remote in his hands. His knees were pulled up closely to his chest in one of Touya's red oversized sweaters as his eyes stayed glued to the television.

"More than twenty gang members were arrested in the foil of an attempted bombing. The deadly explosive that was planned to be used was also confiscated on site—"

The door slammed open with a loud thud.

"Izuku, are you fucking _stupid_!?" Touya's voice boomed as he entered the apartment like a firestorm.

Izuku turned his head at the abrupt sound but he wasn't given much time to think when a fist collided directly in his face.

A sickening crack echoed out as Izuku grunted in pain. His entire body was knocked off the couch by the full force of Touya's strength and he landed against the cold wood floor with a snap that hurt his neck. Izuku screwed his eyes shut as skull splitting pain immediately pulsed in his head.

But the pissed off redhead didn't give him time to recover.

Touya immediately crouched down on top of him, straddling him with his full weight. He forcefully turned Izuku over and gripped the hem of the red sweater with fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.

When Izuku opened his eyes back up, he didn't see the Touya he knew.

He didn't see the beautiful boy with rose colored hair and eyes as deep as the ocean. Instead, he saw a furious man whose eyes were over clouded with rage.

"Why the _fuck _would you tip off the police about the parade, _hah_!?" Izuku screamed in pain as Touya shook him violently, slamming his head repeatedly against the wooden floor over and over. "Why would you do that!? The Shigarakis know it was you! They fucking _know_!" Touya's voice cracked and his hands began to shake.

Izuku sobbed when he began to feel nauseous. He tried to push the elder man off of him but in return just received a ruthless backhand for resisting.

"I said fucking tell me why you would do that, you goddamn weak minded idiot!"

Izuku sobbed on the ground, screwing his eyes shut. "I couldn't let them kill all those people, Touya, _please_. My tip, i-it was supposed to be anonymous—"

"—Nothing is _ever _fucking anonymous with them, Izuku!" Touya hissed, pulling him up by the collar of his shirt. "I told you I had a plan for the long term but you went and fucked it up! Why couldn't you just keep your goddamn mouth shut!? Why do you give so much of a shit about the police?!"

Izuku's vision swirled in and out of focus from pain and colorful dots entered his sight. Fear began to settle in his rib cage full blown and rattled loudly.

"T-Touya," he rasped out, weakly trying to get the other off of him. He felt his stomach turn upside down like he was going to puke. "Touya, get off—you're h-hurting me."

A tear slipped out of his eye and mixed with the blood already forming in his mouth when Touya's face grew dark. It was eclipsed by a dark shadow and something Izuku never saw reared its ugly head. The man he loved leaned down close to his face and sneered.

"Good," Touya whispered all too calm. "Maybe it needs to hurt for you to finally fucking listen me."

Izuku's eyes widened and he began to struggle.

But he didn't get a chance to scream when Touya's hand wrapped around his throat and squeezed until it burned like flames in his lungs.

. . .

Izuku focused on the ticking of the clock. It stretched by in a slow metronome, forcing him to count the passing of the seconds. Time felt like it grew each longer and longer as he endured Touya's rage unchained.

He stayed still on the floor, voice lost and heart broken in two.

The redhead picked himself up and peered down at the silently curled up freckled man. He heartlessly stepped his black boots over the puddle of blood that had gathered around Izuku's small frame.

The frightened young adult squeezed his eyes shut and flinched when Touya ran his fingers through his curls.

"I'm going to go try to fix this mess," Touya said tiredly. "I'm sorry for hurting you like this, you know I hate it...but hopefully you get the point now. Just do as I say."

Izuku didn't reply.

"Stay here until I get back and don't open the door for anyone."

Izuku didn't reply.

Touya stared worried at the silently crying bruised man on the floor. Regret briefly flashed in his eyes before he shook his head and pushed it down.

"I'll be back. Lock the door and don't go anywhere."

Izuku didn't reply.

The door locked shut and Izuku finally felt himself give in to his emotions.

He let out a dry sob when the room felt too small, choking him just like Touya had done. Using what little energy he had left, he turned over. He tried to get away from where all the thick crimson liquid coming out of his nose and mouth leaked and leaked on to the wooden floorboards.

Time stretched on painfully as he laid there alone holding his heaving chest. He squeezed his eyes shut trying to wake up from what he felt like was a nightmare—but it wasn't.

Touya had hurt him.

Touya had hurt him on _purpose_.

Izuku curled into his being on the cold ground, feeling truly alone for the first time in his life. He reached up to hold his face as the blood dripped out of his nose. His eye throbbed from where Touya had punched him and his throat burned from squeezing out dry screams from where Touya had choked him.

Izuku didn't know what hurt more—his body or the splintering feeling of his heart breaking in half.

Bruises on his skin were already beginning to show from the struggle. He could feel all his muscles ache from being held down, punched, shook, choked, and hit over and over again. His heart cracked in half at the realization that Touya had beat him, ignoring all his pleas with spiteful eyes burning with flames of rage.

The vision of the blue eyed wolf came back and Izuku choked back another sob.

Izuku shook his head, but he couldn't ignore the real fear he felt anymore.

Touya had beat him—and Touya wasn't actually sorry.

His wrath was getting worse, picking up speed like an unforgiving hurricane. Izuku fearfully stared at the white ceiling when he realized that he was terrified.

He was scared of Touya and what he would do when he came back. He had no idea how this would end and that thought alone made him petrified.

Suddenly he heard Kai's voice, fresh in his head.

"_It ends with him killing you, Izuku. That's how these narratives always end." _

Green eyes glanced at the red duffle bag across the room.

. . .

"_Mom_!" Izuku's voice cracked as he banged loudly on his parents door. "Mom, please open up!" His voice was weak and hoarse trying to fight against the strain he felt. His body teetered on the edge of a breakdown as he clutched the small duffle bag full of select belongings.

"I'm coming!" He heard the sweet voice of his mother come rushing to the front porch. She swung open the wooden door holding a pan full of fresh taiyaki and wearing an apron covered in flour. "Izuku, why are you h-here—oh my goodness!"

The plate went crashing to the floor and broke into tiny pieces.

"Izuku...oh no, my baby," she gasped, taking in her son's beaten appearance. "What happened to you? W-Who did this?" She stepped forward, eyes flickering all over as she looked him up and down.

Izuku opened his mouth to explain—to explain everything—but instead he broke down, body shaking with fear. He dropped his duffle bag down to the ground and embraced her dearly.

"I-I'm so sorry," he whispered, clutching onto her desperately. "M-Mom, I made a mistake—I made a really big mistake—"

She shushed him and slowly moved him inside, dragging his bag along too. "It's okay, sweetie, it's okay—"

"—It's not," his voice cracked and he clutched onto her more. "I-I need to tell you something."

And he told her everything.

The words poured out of his mouth unfiltered like an overflowing sink that was left running. Everything from letting Touya stay with him to the involvement with the gang, to the robberies and even the bomb slipped out of Izuku's mouth before he could stop it.

He cried into his mother's stunned figure on their couch as she silently took everything in. Her bright green eyes were wide and stunned from the story she just heard, but above all, she saw her only child on the edge of falling off his mental well being—and it hurt to see him in so much pain.

She hugged him tighter.

"I should've came to you sooner, I'm so sorry," Izuku rasped out.

"Sweetie, it's okay, you're here now," Inko comforted in a whisper. "We're going to tell your father and Toshinori as soon as possible. We'll have this all straightened out and make sure you're safe. You're going to stay with us from now on, okay? Whoever this _Touya _is isn't going to hurt you anymore."

Izuku sobbed uncontrollably into his mother's shoulder, squeezing her tightly.

The warmth of her embrace made him feel safe—an emotion he hadn't felt in nearly a full year. She pulled him back to stare sadly at the fresh bruises on his face, and carefully touched the purple black eye that was already swollen shut.

"Here, let's go cheer you up first," Inko suggested with a kind smile. She wiped her own tears from her face and put on a brave expression. "The art show is tomorrow and your father called earlier to say he went straight to Makinohara to help set up after the parade bust. How about we go help him and the other artists out? Does that sound good?"

Izuku nodded, unable to form anymore words due to his bruised throat. His cell phone rang in his pocket and when he pulled it out he saw Touya's name flash across the screen.

Visions of the redhead's face twisted in rage flashed before him and the pain that enveloped his body made him flinch at the sight of Touya's name.

He declined the call and the next four that came in.

. . .

Izuku felt oddly at peace as he looked at all the different artists setting up for the show.

Their art was so vibrant and full of life as they chatted idly about their various inspirations. He could feel several of the people stare at his bruises and the fresh black eye. But they were all too polite to say anything.

The green eyed college student peered over his shoulder to his parents talking discreetly in the corner. There was a serious expression across his mother's usually carefree face, and his father's arms were crossed trying to control what Izuku presumed to be anger.

Izuku carefully watched his father's expression flow through surprise and pain as his mother whispered to him. He could see them both glance over to him periodically but whenever they caught eye contact, both of them would just smile. Like always.

"Izuku," Inko called out across the room. "Why don't you go help Mr. Yamamoto upstairs? I'm sure he needs a helping hand to hang his installation."

Izuku nodded and gave a weak nod, welcoming the distraction. "Sure thing," he responded through his bruised throat.

"Love you sweetie!" Inko called out and soon Hisashi called out the same. Izuku smiled and returned the 'I love you' to his parents before shifting on his heel.

He walked upstairs, hands shoved in his pockets. He pulled out his phone to see the blank, black screen. Part of him wanted to turn back on his phone, but his fear wouldn't let him. Touya had kept calling, over and over and it spiked anxiety in him each time.

Izuku found Mr. Yamamoto and kindly offered to lend a helping hand with his art. The elder artist smiled and asked him how he was, and Izuku was thankful that Mr. Yamamoto was ignoring his injuries. He could tell the grey haired man was being sure not to stare at the bluish bruise in the shape of a hand around his throat.

An hour passed by with Izuku busing himself and all the different artists were moving around laughing and cheering about the show.

When they finished setting up, Izuku took a step back and admired all the paintings on the wall. Out of everything, one caught his attention the most. There was an oil painting of a lonely boy with blue eyes in the rain by himself and a visual of Touya appeared in his head.

His mind flashed back to that first day of Touya in line for food at the homeless shelter and he felt his heart clench. He could still clearly see the sadness and vulnerability in Touya's eyes that fateful morning as if it were yesterday.

Izuku put on a taut smile and dismissed himself before he could cry. He walked up the stairs to the roof of the building for fresh air, passing by a happy couple on the way up. When he got to the top, he could see the clear navy blue sky littered with stars and sighed.

The wind caressed his skin in the cool summer breeze and he breathed in deep, closing his eyes. There was a calmness in the air that blanketed him for the first time in a long time.

He was able to recenter himself long enough to build up the courage to pull out his phone. With shaky hands, Izuku hesitated before finally turning on the device.

But his heart sank when he saw more than eighty missed calls from Touya and several dozen text messages.

Suddenly a strong hand gripped his shoulder and forcefully turned him around. Izuku's heart startled to see Touya standing there, ghost white with a haunted look on his face.

"Izuku, I've been trying to reach you—"

But the beaten young adult didn't give him a chance to explain before violently flinching away from him.

"Don't touch me!" Izuku screamed, dropping his phone. A pained look flashed across Touya's face at the frightened look the younger male was giving him. "H-How did you know I was here—"

"—Please, Izuku. I-I'm so sorry and I'll explain later but we need to leave right _now_," Touya rushed out, blue eyes flickering with an emotion Izuku had never seen Touya express. "Please, you need to come with me."

Izuku shook his head and took several steps back away from the elder man. "N-No," Izuku hissed, trying to bottle in tears that were threatening to fall. His tear ducts stung from crying too much and his left eye was throbbing, swollen shut. "Look at me, Touya, I-I can't keep doing this with you. Look at my face! _My_ _neck_! I'm not coming with you—"

"—Izuku, this is serious," Touya pushed. He clutched one hand above his heart and reached out his other hand. "_Please _, I'm so sorry for hitting you. I shouldn't have done that and I'll never fucking do it again after today. I was wrong, I was so fucking wrong and I just—I-I just lost my temper again. I promise I'll never do it again—but they're on their way right _now_!"

An ominous chill climbed into Izuku's spine. He didn't want to think it was who he thought—he thought he was safe, miles away from Yaizu.

"A-All For One?" He rasped wanting it not to be true but Touya made a pained face and nodded.

Acid reached the back of Izuku's throat and his body began to shake.

"That's why I've been trying to call you," Touya softly explained, looking even more desperate as the seconds passed. "I-I went to try to calm them down but they were too pissed off. I-I couldn't do anything. They know about your mother's art show from the papers—t-they're on their way here now, because they heard your father came here after the bust."

Touya's eyes flickered around and looked over his shoulder and Izuku saw something he's never seen in Touya before: he saw real fear.

"I tried to beat them here and I think I did—but we need to leave _now _before they come," Touya whispered, blue eyes turned to him full of tears.

In that moment Izuku felt conflicted.

The aches all over his body told him not to go, but the genuine expression of terror in Touya's eyes pushed him to take a chance—one more chance.

"Please, Izuku," Touya's voice cracked, and he reached his hand out again. "Trust me. P-Please come with me before it's too late."

Izuku took Touya's hand for the last time that night and clutched it tightly.

"O-Okay."

The elder man let out a shaky breath of relief as he held on dearly to the smaller hand within his and turned around. He led Izuku from off the roof, opening the old rusted black door. They worked quickly, heart rate elevated trying to push against the AFO clock that was ticking down to an unknown time.

"Are your parents in the building right now?" Touya asked as they entered onto the highest floor of the building. He looked around frankly for the stairs in all the wooden architecture, passing by the abstract pieces of art with Izuku's hand tightly in his.

"They're downstairs, I think," Izuku wearily answered, feet working quickly as they went down the stairs.

"Alright, let's go get them."

"Touya, w-where are we going to go?"

"I got it covered," Touya said quickly, looking over his shoulder to give a small unsure smile in hopes of calming the youngest. Izuku felt his chest tighten when he could see how much Touya cared about him painted so plainly across his handsome features. "I called my brother who's a cop and he said we could stay with him in Shizuoka City for a while—"

Deafening gunshots and screams cut Touya's sentence short as they halted on the staircase.

Izuku felt his heart plummet to the darkest depths of himself at the cries and screams of the people in the lower levels when more shots and screams echoed out.

"T-Touya, my parents—" Izuku started but the redhead quickly spun around and covered Izuku's mouth with his hand.

The elder man cursed under his breath at the sound of approaching footsteps as he looked around quickly for an exit. His eyes were wild until he saw a door in the staircase for the second floor and quickly backed into it, dragging a muffled Izuku along with him.

The lovers quickly hid around a dark corner and crouched low when two bodies unknowingly passed them. Izuku's breathing rapidly picked up when he could hear two familiar All For One members pass by them with loaded guns. He gripped onto Touya tighter.

"Where is that brat? Someone said he was here." Jin called out, glaring all around. "I don't see him anywhere."

Izuku recognized a woman named Magne groan as she spoke up next. "Do we really have to do this? I hate having to kill a bunch of people like this—"

"—Yes, we do! Shigaraki senior said to make sure no one in this building leaves alive. No exceptions unless he says so after." Jin commanded out angrily. "Well, don't just stand there. Search the entire floor!"

The two gang members picked up footing and ran off to check all the different rooms. Izuku choked into Touya's hand that was keeping him silent when more gunshots and screams could be heard.

Hot tears escaped from Izuku's eyes as he squeezed them shut trying to snap himself awake from this living nightmare. He could hear a woman begging and pleading and then another gunshot. Silence followed.

His breathing picked up and his body trembled when it settled in that this actually happening and he feared deeply for his parents.

Touya carefully peered around the corner and when he saw a clear shot for the staircase again he pulled Izuku up. "This way, Izuku," he whispered and gripped the other's hand desperately.

Izuku allowed himself to be led by Touya's hand as they worked frantically to try to escape. They checked every door only to hear rattle after rattle and large silver chains tightly wrapped around the handles. They tried all the windows they could reach only to see locks forcing them closed. Touya kicked and punched, trying to break the glass but found it to be made of unbreakable security glass.

With each chained exit Izuku felt himself stuck in a nightmarish maze that they couldn't escape.

He unwillingly envisioned a smirking Tomura staring down at his misery when Touya checked the last door and punched it, finally accepting they were trapped in the Shigarakis' clutches.

"They're all chained," Touya hissed, coming undone slowly. "Fuck—they chained us _inside_." He reached his free hand up to grip his hair tightly and tears escaped from his eyes.

Izuku's mind flooded with horrible thoughts when he realized they weren't getting out. His breathing turned rapid trying to look for an exit that wasn't there while Touya's brain rattled for a solution.

"I heard someone downstairs—this way!" Jin's voice called out, startling both Izuku and Touya. They turned towards the fast approaching footsteps coming their way that felt like the grim reaper coming closer and closer.

Touya looked around and saw no more exits but then he saw a small closet and looked down at Izuku with a heavy heart.

"Izuku, get in that closet," Touya harshly whispered and began pushing him as the footsteps grew closer.

Jade eyes widened and Izuku shook his head when Touya let go of his hand. Fear struck him quicker than lightning at the cold feeling of that settled into his palm. He reached back out for Touya's hand—he couldn't leave Touya—

"N-No, what about you—"

"—Don't worry about me," Touya rushed out. The footsteps grew closer and the redhead cursed under his breath. He looked down to the floor and Izuku could see something in Touya resign to their fate. Blue eyes looked back up to him full of care. "I-I...I need to make sure you're safe. Just stay low and stay quiet, okay?"

Izuku shook his head in objection but without warning, Touya opened the closet door and forcibly pushed him inside.

Izuku stumbled back, hitting the back of his head on the wall in the small space and immediately lunged forward to grab for his boyfriend's shirt, trying to drag him inside with him.

"Touya, _no_!" Izuku cried out.

The redhead pried Izuku's hands off him and the feeling of losing Touya for good haunted Izuku's being. He could feel everyone slipping through his fingers like sand in an hourglass when more gunshots rang out and he was terrified deeply for his parents that were somewhere in the building.

Tears rained down uncontrollably from his face when he heard Jin and Magne's footsteps get nearer. He gripped Touya harder, trying to save the last person he could with the remaining strength he had.

"D-Don't leave me, Touya—"

"—I love you."

Izuku cried harder when he could feel the heavy meaning behind Touya's words. A gentle hand lifted to card through his hair and ran a thumb over the small gold hoop earring.

Ocean blue eyes gazed sadly onto his freckled face and studied it as if it was the last time before giving a saddened smile. "I'll be right back—it's okay. I promise I'll deal with them and then I'll come back for you. Just stay quiet."

Then with one final push, Touya shoved Izuku inside the closet with all his strength. He safely closed the door before Izuku could protest, locking it from the outside.

"N-No—don't leave—" Izuku's voice cracked and he rattled the doorknob trying to escape, but it didn't budge. His eyes went wide, full of tears when he could hear the footsteps finally approach the door and Jin and Magne's voices echoed out.

"Where is he, Touya?" Jin hissed. "Don't make us do this."

"He's not here," Touya sneered in a stern voice. "You're going to kill a building full of people for nothing."

Izuku covered his mouth to prevent himself from screaming out as he sunk to his knees. He couldn't hold his body up from the heavy mistakes and fear that weighed down on him. Touya was protecting him—

"If that's true then why are you here?"

"I'm here helping his parents set up—_fuck_!"

A close range gunshot rang out and the sound of Touya's scream pierced through Izuku's ears.

"We're so fucking _sick _of your goddamn lying, Touya!"

Izuku gripped his mouth tighter when a whimper almost escaped as he froze with dread. He cried harder as he curled in harder onto the ground trying to wake himself up—_this couldn't be real. It couldn't be_—

There was a sudden quickened pace of footsteps and both Jin and Magne called out Touya's name when more gunshots rang out.

"Fuck, he's running!" Magne called out.

Their voices faded out into the distance away from the closet door as Touya led them away. Izuku curled onto the ground praying that Touya was right this time. He prayed that someone would come back from for but his wish didn't come true.

Izuku couldn't tell how much time passed, but however long it was, it was too long.

Silence crawled into his ears and it felt all too calm. He hiccuped and choked back uncontrollable sobs when he realized the gravity of his mistakes. The screams and gunshots replayed over and over in his mind as he reached up and realized he was still trapped in this all too small room.

Then the first explosion went off.

The floorboard beneath him rattled and shook as the building quaked. Izuku's heart stopped beating and he forgot how to breathe when he realized exactly what that was.

He rattled the door knob more, growing more and more desperate as the unmistakable scent of gasoline and smoke filled the air, burning his nostrils. A thick grey cloud seeped under the crack of the door and Izuku began to scream out for his parents and Touya helplessly.

He banged on the door and called out their names over and over again until panic swelled in his blood. The smog got thicker, making the edges of his vision hazy. The small closet walls felt like they were closing in on him until he reached down and ripped off a piece of his shirt to hold over his mouth.

Izuku furrowed his brow as he stood up on wobbly legs. He mustered up the last of his courage to search for his parents and Touya to try to get out.

He lifted his leg to kick the door, shaking it fiercely. He wearily eyed how quickly the small closet was filling with black smoke and then the second explosion went off—more powerful than anything he ever felt.

Izuku screamed as he was thrown back to the ground by the powerful blast and he heard crumbling all around him. He could feel a tilt in the balance of the building and the smell of smoke grew dangerously strong. His body skyrocketed into overdrive as he stood back up to kick the door over and over again until it finally gave under his weight and he fell into the open space.

But Izuku wasn't expecting the hell he was faced with.

Heat immediately scratched at his face as bright flames grew all around him like he had been transported into a circle of hell of his own creation.

His deepest fears became a reality when he frantically stood up to see all the wooden walls of the building were completely engulfed in an overpowering fire. It clawed and clipped away at all the art on the walls and the screams and rattles of people still alive could be heard all over in the inferno.

Izuku frankly called out for his parents and Touya as he maneuvered through all the burning areas of fire that nicked and burned him along the way, causing him to scream out but he didn't stop—he couldn't stop until he found everyone.

And when he did find someone—his heart shattered.

Izuku turned to the corner and froze when he saw Touya laying across the room in a pool of his own blood, unconscious. A wall of fire separated them and he screamed out the elder man's name as he tried to run towards the dying figure.

But he was stopped when a large snap and crack echoed above him.

Izuku looked up too late when a burning beam fell down between him and Touya. The fire hit his skin and seared into his flesh causing him to cry out when his left arm was pinned underneath the heavy weight. His heels dug into the floor trying to pull himself away but he couldn't.

His body overheated and the smog filled his lungs as he cried out for Touya who was lost to the hungry flames.

Izuku screamed until he lost his voice. He cried his eyes out trying to get away from the fire eating away at his body until he lost all consciousness.

. . .

When Izuku opened his eyes again, he was being rushed onto a stretcher.

He weakly glanced up to the smoke filled sky and he could see the bloodlust flames reaching towards the stars and consuming the entire building.

His eyes frantically searched around.

He searched for his parents. He searched for Touya.

But found nothing but flames.

He weakly called out their names and the memory of the fire engulfing Touya slammed back into his brain.

He looked around and saw chaos. Countless firemen, policemen and pedestrians were gathered around, staring on in horror at the crumbling building.

The paramedics rushed towards him and everything quickly blurred together.

Darkness gripped his consciousness, dragging him deeper and deeper and Izuku struggled to stay afloat. Every time he blinked, a vision of his parents smiling at him entered his head and he weakly reached out towards the burning building calling for them over and over.

He floated in and out of consciousness, body burnt and in pain as his left side hurt more than anything he'd ever felt. He could faintly hear the panic in everyone's voice when he closed his eyes again and they tried desperately to keep him awake but his mind was too focused on where his parents were—where Touya was.

"We got a survivor! He's awake! Quickly, get him to a hospital!"

"Hurry! He's losing consciousness!"

He closed his eyes again and when he opened them again, he was in the back of an ambulance being fed oxygen. Paramedics dressed in all white rushed to treat his burns and Izuku realized he couldn't feel anything on his left side any more.

"I think he's got nerve damage—we need to get him to the emergency room as soon as possible!" He heard a worried woman say but his mind kept flashing images of his parents and the screams of the people inside the burning building.

"What happened?" Another male paramedic asked, working to wrap him up.

"_A massacre_. I over heard the police talking. They think it was connected with those fires that were started by All For One because of the type of explosions."

"Shit," The male paramedic cursed, and Izuku could feel the fear in his voice but he couldn't focus.

Where were his parents? Tearful green eyes searched around for someone he knew but he was alone.

He lifted his head weakly and got a full visual of the grotesque, reddened and burned flesh on his left arm. It looked as if his skin had been boiled alive with blisters and blood all over.

The sight made Izuku faint. His head dropped back down and he closed his eyes for a final time, but this time he wouldn't wake up for a week.

But before resigning himself to the darkness that was beckoning to him, he heard the last thing the paramedics said. Deep down, he wished he never heard it because it haunted him in his dreams for the next seven days.

"Was it _that _explosive? The one they found this morning in the parade bust?"

"Yeah, the local authorities finally have a name for it."

"What are they calling it?"

"The incinerator."

* * *

I hope I didn't make anyone too sad! Thanks so much for reading! Please leave a comment below, I would love to know what everyone is thinking and how you guys feel about the reveal of Izuku's past with Touya fully. Next chapter is how Izuku dealt with the loss and recapping from his POV up to present so you can fully see his side of things :)

Thanks so much again!

**Preview for next chapter:**

Izuku stared blankly at the empty house and the roses that were wilting. He knew they needed water to grow and get stronger, but he couldn't bring himself to find the strength water them himself.

So instead he let them wilt, just like himself.

When the time came, he stared sadly at them as the different movers came in and took all his childhood memories and resisted shouting out for them stop. He watched as they shifted through what felt like ashes of his once happy life, asking him if different things were okay to take away.

All Izuku could do was nod. He couldn't afford to keep it all.

He held his mother's sketchbooks and father's police notebooks closer to him.


	19. Ashes

Hello all! Welcome back to the the second half of Izuku's past! I'm going to drop another double update! Before we get started, big thank you to nmatthews on AO3 for betaing this chonky chapter! She's great and amazing~ I love her ^^

Alrighty! Let's get started!

**Warnings: Attempt of sexual assault, arson, Izuku's grief, Survivor's guilt complex, coping mechanisms with said grief, Deku-bowling**

* * *

**Chapter 19 - ****Ashes**

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"Police are still searching for the individuals responsible for the Makinohara tragedy. However, after a full week of investigations, no leads have been found. This only leads police further to believe that it was orchestrated by the elusive drug gang, All For One, who is known for not leaving behind any evidence in their name…"

The soft voice of the news anchor was the first thing Izuku heard when he awoke.

Green eyes blinked opened, confused. He squinted in the all too bright white room as he felt the weight of an indistinct figure sitting on the edge of his bed.

All the haziness clouded his mind as Izuku tried his best to gain his bearings but when he tried to move his left hand, it snapped back to the railing of the hospital bed.

Izuku whipped his head around only to see himself shackled to the bed frame by silver handcuffs.

The figure sitting on the bed looked over their shoulder and that's when Izuku noticed Tomura, sitting there in the flesh.

He instantly panicked, letting out a hoarse, weak yell.

"Ah, you're finally awake. That took you awhile." Tomura smirked. Izuku's blood filled with terror as his weak voice tried to call out for help to the two officers stationed by his hospital door, but they just coldly ignored him.

"No point in asking them for help. They're with me," Tomura casually informed, looking down at his nails.

Izuku stared at the duo of policemen perplexed but Tomura leaned into his space, smirk drawing him back. Green eyes fearfully and unwillingly met Tomura's blood colored ones.

Instantly the memories of the building rushed into Izuku's mind, jamming in all terribly painful at once.

The gunshots. The screams. The explosions. His parents. The flames—_Touya_. Touya's unconscious body covered in his own blood and being swallowed by flames.

"Where are they?" Izuku rasped out with what strength he had. He tried to move his arm again, but the rattling of handcuffs reminded him he was chained. His panic spiked. "W-Where are my parents? Where's _Touya—_"

"You have to promise secrecy first before I can tell you," Tomura said slyly, an elusive smize resting on his lips as if he knew something Izuku didn't. "It's very important that you do this."

"Fuck you." Izuku's face sneered at the playful nature. He was so goddamn _sick_ of the Shigarakis and their games.

"C'mon, angel," Tomura shushed him. "I understand you're upset and disorientated from being under for seven days but think straight for a moment."

_Seven days…_?

Izuku paused, not realizing he had been unconscious that long. His eyes trialed back to the news on the television and saw the date plain as day. It was a whole week after he had scheduled his mother's art show. He gritted his teeth and weakly clenched his fists.

"Fine," Izuku hissed, hanging his head away. "I won't say anything to anyone. Now, j-just tell me where they are. _Please_. I _need_ to know they're okay."

"They're in the morgue, Izuku," Tomura answered coldly. "All three of them. Burned alive by your greatest piece of art."

A feeling as cold as ice sunk all the way down into Izuku's core.

_That can't be true—_

His mind viciously rejected the concept. He heard his parents "I love yous" and laughter in his ear mix with Touya's last "I love you." The injured young adult whirled around to face Tomura's emotionless expression.

"You _bastard_, you're lying!" He screamed, body slowly beginning to shake. "You're _lying_! T-They can't be dead—"

"I'm afraid so. You were the only survivor in that building—which by the way, is miraculous. You're such a lucky man."

The memory of the fire eating away at his flesh flashed into his head and he heard the gunshots and screams all over again. He pictured his parents and Touya smiling. Then he saw the ugly vision of Touya covered in blood again.

"N-No...no, that can't be true," Izuku whispered. Slowly his throat felt like it was choking on ashes and his voice cracked. "T-They can't be—"

"If you don't believe me, you can see for yourself on any news articles," Tomura suggested, pushing his phone into Izuku's face.

Green eyes assessed the article titled 'Tragedy in Makinohara' in big bold letters. His denial kicked in harder as he read through the sans serif print that detailed the horrific incident with two unmistakable photos: one of the building in flames and the other of his own battered face.

Izuku choked back a sob and Tomura smiled to himself.

"I'd say don't blame yourself for this horrible tragedy, but really who else is there to blame for all of this? You tipped off your father and got _several_ of my men arrested—and for _what_?"

Izuku closed his eyes when the screams, flames, and sounds of gunshots wouldn't leave his mind. He shook his head in false hopes that the memories would fall out of his skull and leave him alone. His brain tried to wrap around the ugly reality that thirty-four people were dead.

Thirty-four were dead because of _him—_

He felt his mother's and father's warm embraces against his skin and cried harder.

"You traded in saving hundreds of lives for the three you love most," Tomura taunted, leaning inwards to rub salt in the wound. "I hope it hurts as much as I think it does."

Izuku gritted his teeth and clenched his fist as Tomura continued to talk.

"My father and I were both _mildly_ pleased to hear you survived the fire. He decided not to kill you. He still thinks you're better use to us alive than dead."

"I'm not helping you," Izuku sneered, hateful green eyes full of tears looked up at the silver haired man that Izuku deemed to be more of a demon now. "I have no absolutely reason to help you if what you say is true. You can slit my throat now, you bastard."

A sharp bark of menacing laughter cut through the chilled hospital air.

"I had a feeling you would say that. Which is exactly why we're _not_ going to give you that easy out," Tomura chuckled, standing up off the bed. "If you want death that badly, you'll have to give it to yourself. I personally would rather watch you suffer for crossing us."

Izuku could only hear the crackling of fire eating away at wood in his ears and the loud threatening boom of gunshots and screams.

He turned his face away to ignore Tomura when the king pin's phone rang. Izuku felt himself turn sick when Tomura took his phone call like Izuku wasn't even in the room. The phone clicked with an exhausted sigh as Tomura looked down at the weeping Izuku handcuffed to the hospital bed.

"I have to go attend to issues you and your father have caused for me and my family," Tomura hissed, narrowing his eyes at Izuku. "But before I go, I was told to tell you what the conditions are for keeping you breathing, so listen carefully to me, _angel_."

Izuku squeezed his eyes shut at the now tainted nickname when he saw Touya's smiling face in his head.

"You're going to continue on living your pathetic, meaningless life and you're going to keep your mouth _shut_," Tomura hissed directly in his ear only for him to hear. "If we request your expertise on the bomb mechanics in the future, you come _running _to us like the goddamn dog on a leash you are to us now. Then you go back living your boring life. Do anything to disrupt this, and we'll make sure you're disposed of quietly—to avoid any alarm that the sole survivor of the Makinohara incident was also burned alive."

Izuku stared blankly at the clock on the wall watching the ticking seconds. He didn't say a word of agreement but heard the degrading terms of his life loud and clear.

Tomura grunted at his lack of response but seemed satisfied with the tears uncontrollably streaming from Izuku's eyes. The kingpin walked over to the door, whispered something to the crooked cops at the door and they both left with Tomura.

Then Izuku was left alone—fully alone with his memories of flames, blood and death.

His guilt enveloped his soul in a suffocating grip as he thought back on how all of the people who cared for him the most all said soft, and passionate "I love you"s before they were lost to the unforgiving flames—by a creation _he_ made.

Izuku broke down.

. . .

By the time Toshinori came and got him from the hospital Izuku's voice was gone.

His left side both stung and felt numb in an obscure mixture of hot and cold. He nodded, fully distracted, as the doctor told him all about the various types of burns and injuries he suffered from.

"You most likely won't be able to feel sensation on your left arm again," the black haired doctor whispered glumly. "Some places might be hot spots for sensation because they are more first degree than third degree burns, but overall...you won't be able to feel anything with your left arm or hand."

The look Toshinori gave him was of deep sadness when he didn't reply. The non-crooked police came in for questioning and Izuku felt like his voice had been lost to the labyrinth of the Shigarakis as he choked up and could barely get a word out.

Every time he tried to speak he just saw the same broken reel of memories in his head: _gunshots, screams, flames, blood. _

The police chalked it up to him knowing nothing and suffering from PTSD.

When he was officially discharged, the caring family friend came and collected him with a heavy heart. Izuku would never forget the deep shade of grey the sky was that day and how hard the rain droplets pelted against his skin. He walked out of the hospital with his left arm in a sling and a heart broken in three pieces.

Izuku remembered how he got into the car with all the broken pieces he had left silently and Toshinori didn't say a word.

"Their bodies?" was all Izuku could manage into the silent car.

"I...I Identified them for you last week," Toshinori whispered with a heavy heart, his sullen blue eyes gazed down regretfully at the steering wheel.

"D-Do I need to go identify them as well since I'm family—"

"—No," Toshinori quickly cut off, shaking his head. His grip tightened on the steering wheel. "You don't need to see that, Izuku. That's the very _last_ thing you need to see right now."

But despite Toshinori doing everything to protect him, it didn't stop the imagery his brain supplied of his parents' bodies burnt alive. The memories of gunshots, screams, flames and blood appeared in his head again.

"Let's get you home," Toshinori whispered grief-stricken and turned on the engine of the car.

Green eyes watched the rain pouring down on the window with a chest full of guilt and the shattered pieces of his heart as he was driven away from the hospital.

. . .

Within the next week, Toshinori and Mirio both stayed with him to help him collect the remains of what was left of his life. They tried their best to ease the burden off his shoulders by planning the funeral and took care of all the small details up until the day of the wake.

Izuku picked the prettiest flowers from the fresh, red roses in the backyard. Two full bouquets for his parents.

When the funeral came, he saw them both sitting inside their respective black caskets. Everyone placed a different flower inside as they came up and said their final goodbyes. By the time the funeral ended, it looked as if his parents were sleeping in a bed of sweet-smelling flowers.

Green eyes soaked in the undeniable truth sprawled out in front of him as he looked at the all the white, blue, yellow and red flowers. His parents were dead. Their skin was tinted grey like ash, and they were fixed up to the best ability by the mortician. Burn marks were caked over with concealer as if it could hide what had happened.

But Izuku couldn't help but think how peacefully their eyes looked closed surrounded by all the people they loved most. However, he was still struggling to accept their fate.

He cried silently as all the kind policemen who worked with his father and all the loving customers from his mother's business hugged him and gave him their warm condolences. He could feel everyone's concern about him grow as he stayed unnaturally quiet by Mirio's side the entire time, clutching the childhood friend's hand.

That night when Izuku went back to his empty childhood home with Toshinori and Mirio, he privately locked himself in his room. Neither Yagi said anything as they sat downstairs on the couch, whispering about what a shame the whole ordeal was.

Izuku rested his back against his room's wooden door as he googled Touya's name on his new phone. His heart sank at the single article he found: 'Estranged son of the Shizuoka City Police Chief passed away in fire.'

He scrolled through the tiny, forgettable article trying to control all the emotions ready to bust out of his chest until he saw a time and date for a funeral. It was listed in a small font at the very bottom of the article.

. . .

He left quietly before sunrise to a city he'd never been to, only to find Touya's funeral was empty.

It was empty enough that it still felt like a dream—Izuku didn't want it to be real.

He wanted to still believe that this was a cruel joke played on him by the Shigarakis. He wanted to believe that all three of his loved ones were being held against their will somewhere because that meant there was still a chance of getting them back.

However, when he arrived in the grey town of Shizuoka City, he found himself trapped in an inevitable nightmare holding onto a bundle of red roses outside a large gravesite.

No matter how hard Izuku wished, this was very much real. And in that moment while looking at all the barrenness that reflected Touya's life, Izuku let himself grieve fully.

He broke down privately by himself, choking back sobs for the person he tried so hard to save—_but couldn't_. After _everything_.

He doubled over on the small wooden bench outside the gravesite, still too terrified to see that name engraved in stone because it would hammer the final nail in his heart. He ignored how his salty tears fell down onto the roses in his hand, clumping up as droplets that reflected the dawn colored sky. Izuku only briefly registered the small family of three leaving out from the gravesite he assumed must've been there for someone else.

But when Izuku finally worked up his last bit of strength to make his way down to Touya's grave, he saw a small bundle of white roses sitting there. They were neatly tied together with a blue ribbon.

He kneeled down to look at the flowers closely and the name 'Todoroki Touya' that was etched into the gray stone. Izuku lifted his left hand to trace the lettering slowly with his bandaged fingertips. Despite not feeling any sensation, Izuku swore he could feel it all. He almost wished he could have met the person who left the flowers. But told himself he didn't deserve to.

"I'm sorry," Izuku weakly whispered slowly to Touya's engraved name. "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you in the end." Green eyes closed and bowed his head to the soil respectfully.

Memories of the boy with rose colored hair appeared in his mind and like a painful movie, the story of Touya played out in his mind. From their first kiss to the last I love you, he saw it all gracefully dance out in his mind like a tragic ballad.

And when he lifted his head to open his eyes, he was kneeling at the bitter end.

He shakily placed the red roses on the grave and picked himself back up, turning to head out before he made Toshinori and Mirio worried.

Too busy looking down, Izuku collided directly into someone forcefully.

"Sorry," he automatically apologized in a hoarse voice. He quickly glanced up at who it could be, wondering if they were the person to leave the white roses, but the gloomy sky casted shadows over their faces.

Something inside Izuku realized he wasn't ready to interact with the outside world just yet, especially if it was someone who left Touya roses. How would he explain he was the reason Touya was dead? How would he explain Touya died protecting him?

Izuku quickly shuffled out of the gravesite, being painfully pulled by the heart string he had attached to where the ashes of Touya were buried.

. . .

The next two weeks came and it turned out Izuku's father was in far more debt than he ever led anyone on to believe.

By the time the next payment on the house was due, Izuku couldn't afford it.

Nor could he afford the apartment anymore.

He found his mother's flower shop and art gallery business quickly sunk without her paintings and he had to shut it down. The sympathy of strangers ran dry like a small river in a barren desert and soon Izuku felt alone—too alone.

The now orphan made a giant sale to clean out all the inventory to help keep himself afloat a little longer. Izuku bit his cheek bitterly as he watched his mother's paintings be sold off to people one by one along with all the roses in the store until it was completely empty.

Mirio and Toshinori stayed with him the entire time with the elder Yagi advising Izuku softly on what he should do to get himself out of the sticky financial jam. Izuku was more than thankful for both of them, and he knew deep down Toshinori was hurting with the loss of his best friends. Despite this, he knew eventually the time would come when Toshinori would have to go back to Shizuoka City and Mirio had just recently been accepted to law school.

He knew they could only pause their lives for so long.

Then when Izuku felt the warm summer start to fade into a cool fall, signaling the changing of seasons, that's when it all started to peak. The landlord informed him if he couldn't make the next payment on the house, he would have to put it up for sale and find new buyers who could pay the mortgage.

Izuku calculated it all out that night, and when he realized he couldn't afford to pay off his childhood home, he resigned it back to the landlord.

The saddened freckled man would never forget how bitter tasting it was to see the blue 'For Sale' sign in his front yard.

"You can stay with me, Izuku," Mirio offered tenderly. "I start up law school next week and the new place I got is big enough for two. I won't charge you rent until you graduate." He placed his gentle hand on Izuku's shoulder affectionately and the crying young adult felt himself wallow deeper into a dark part of his mind.

"Thank you, Mirio." He smiled sorrowfully at his friend and held his hand again.

Izuku stared blankly at the empty house and the roses that were wilting. He knew they needed water to grow and get stronger, but he couldn't bring himself to water them.

So instead he let them wilt, just like himself.

When the time came, he stared heartbroken at them as the different movers came in and took all his childhood memories and resisted shouting out for them to stop. He watched as they shifted through what felt like ashes of his once happy life, asking him what was okay to take away to charity.

All Izuku could do was nod. He let them take it all, save three boxes full of photographs, notebooks, and sketchbooks. These were the things his parents held to be the dearest and Izuku decided that the rest could go. It was too painful.

He clutched his mother's sketchbooks and father's police notebooks closer to him as Mirio hugged his shoulders that night.

. . .

An official month passed with no sound from All For One. Izuku had become crazed with checking articles and looking over his shoulder for thirty days until he realized Tomura might actually be serious this time.

They left him alone.

The summer officially shied away and curled into fall, blessing Yaizu with the rich colors of autumn. Orange, yellow, and sparse green sprinkled throughout the city with drifting leaves falling like snowflakes as all the citizens wrapped their colorful scarves around their neck.

Izuku began his junior year on schedule despite Mirio telling him to take a gap semester to recover. The freckled student knew the suggestion came from a kind, reasonable place but Izuku needed school. He needed the structure and he needed a distraction.

Because everytime he was alone too long with just his thoughts, his mind played that terrible reel of memories inside of his head like a horror film.

Gunshots. Screams. Blood. Flames. His parent's smiling faces and their last 'I love you's.

It was too much for him to bear and every time he tried to think about moving forward, envisioning a normal future, he just saw ashes of what his life once was. Izuku felt like he was wading somewhere in-between grief and regret, and nothing could undo the shackles bruising his wrists.

Izuku no longer wanted to think.

Which is why when he showed up on the first day of classes to Kai's junior level chemistry class, he ignored all the prying eyes of the students. They all seemed shocked he was there and pointed to his left side that was still heavily bandaged with small blood stains leaking through from his wounds reopening periodically.

Even Kai looked surprised to see him take a seat.

But Izuku didn't care. He took out his pencil and paper diligently like a robot, not thinking about his emotions. He just needed something to silence the sound of gunshots and screams echoing over and over in his head.

. . .

"Izuku," Kai called out to him, making him stop in his tracks. The greenette turned around, eyes locking with worried golden ones. "How are you doing?"

Izuku shifted on his feet when the sound of gunshots echoed out in his head and he could feel the phantom touch of Touya's hand over his mouth, keeping him quiet from screaming.

"I'm fine," he said through a rehearsed smile. However, Kai didn't seem convinced. Izuku sighed, the man had a sixth sense. He waited until all the other students left and there was a click of a door to give his honest answer. "I'm fine as I can be, Kai. I'm just going through the motions."

That seemed to satisfy the teaching assistant. The young brunette tilted his head as he looked at Izuku with an understanding emotion.

"I heard about what happened in Makinohara…I'm really sorry for your loss. If you need any extensions on anything, please let me know."

"I'll be okay, I like school," Izuku nodded quietly, trying to hold back the sudden rawness he felt in his throat. His mind wouldn't shut off as he kept thinking about which screams were his parents and the visual of Touya covered in blood appeared again. "I-I need something to keep my mind busy."

"Well, okay," Kai said in the softest tone. "If you need any extra help after classes to help you keep up to pace let me know. Or if you need some time extension on an exam, I won't mark you for it."

Izuku felt himself genuinely smile at the extended branch of kindness. He looked at the deep, unique shade of gold eyes and felt himself relax a bit.

"Thanks, Kai."

. . .

Another colorful autumn month went by and Izuku hated to admit it, but both Kai and Mirio were right.

He hadn't slept correctly since Makinohara. Visions of flames and blood plagued his dreams every time he closed his eyes and he felt so damn _lost_ trying to go about his life when the three people who were his world were _gone_. Izuku's world had shattered and he was only left with the nightmares of Makinohara while the Shigarakis were just running free.

He hated it. He hated it _so_ much. He felt so powerless and aimless.

Mirio was the perfect roommate. However, the apartment he had originally leased was far from Yaizu University and closer to where he was attending classes for law school. Izuku's insomnia progressively only got worse as he had to wake up at the crack of dawn every day to take the bus across the city.

After a while, Izuku ended up caving and told Kai he needed extra tutoring to keep up.

However, even then during the month of going to Kai's place after classes, Izuku still saw the same memories every time he was left alone with just his thoughts. They wouldn't leave him alone. Blood, flames and the crawling feeling of fire against his skin. His parent's voices. Touya's voice.

"_I'll be right back—it's okay. I promise I'll deal with them and then I'll come back for you. Just stay quiet."_

"_N-No—don't leave—"_

"—Izuku." Kai's fingers snapped in his face, quickly breaking him out of the dazed state he was in.

Green eyes rapidly blinked when he realized his mind went off track again. Kai huffed and ran his heavily ring decorated hand through his reddish brown hair.

Izuku's eyes strangely followed the motion.

"You're distracted," Kai's deep voice said. Izuku looked down guilty at the glass table in Kai's apartment they were sitting at. Sprawled out were all the assignments Izuku was behind in and all the things his brain just refused to absorb.

More visions of blood, gunshots and flames flashed in his head. Izuku grimaced.

"Not distracted enough," he mumbled underneath his breath. Kai raised a delicately arched eyebrow at the strange remark. The tired green haired student groaned as he threw down his mechanical pencil on the table.

He pressed his face forward into his palms, defeated. This was a mistake—Mirio was right. He should've just taken the semester off. There was a creak in the silence of the two of them sitting at the table alone and Izuku let his vulnerability leak through his mask.

"I-I think, maybe, I shouldn't have enrolled this semester," he confessed softly into his hands without looking at Kai. "I thought being in school and going back to have some structure would help me, but it doesn't. Everytime I close my eyes I see…"

Gunshots. Screams. Blood. Flames.

"...Too much."

"Have you tried doing any self care? Like just trying to indulge in things you like? What have you been doing since Makinohara?" Kai asked, leaning against his forearms across the table.

"I wake up, shower, eat, ride the bus for an hour, go to classes...and sometimes visit my parents' graves," Izuku admitted, finally looking up to Kai. He earned a pained look from those all too caring golden eyes. "Not sometimes, everyday so far. It helps me feel calmer—closer to them almost."

"It sounds like you might be torturing yourself, Izuku."

"I-I'm just not used to being without them," Izuku tried to explain but when he did he just felt all the love his parents have to offer inside of his chest. "They were so kind and I loved being around them all the time."

He missed them all so much.

"I-I don't know what to do—I feel so lost. I lost everyone. I lost them _all _at the same time." His voice cracked thinking about the three suns that used to orbit his life and his heart broke knowing _his_ _home_ was up for sale. "I-It's not fair. It's not fair that they're dead and I'm alive and the Shigarakis are just _walking free_."

He missed his father's cinnamon colored eyes and his playful dimple. He missed watching his parents dance around the house and teaching him cooking tips. He missed riding in the patrol car with his father and painting with his mother—he just wanted his life back.

But he couldn't have it. It didn't matter how much he went through the motions like a ghost mimicking the life he used to live—normality wasn't coming back and neither were the three people he missed to the point it burned.

"Shit, don't cry," Kai rushed out and Izuku hadn't even realized he'd broken down in sobs at the table. He tried to contain it, but he couldn't. He broke out of the mindless motions he was going through and stared down at his left bandaged hand through tears.

He felt Kai quickly get up and shuffle the papers off the table. "Let's put this stuff away, we don't need to keep doing this right now. Come here."

He stiffened when Kai gave him a hug but his vulnerable state made him melt into it. He clutched Kai's warm body closer.

"I'm sorry too you know," Kai whispered while smoothing him. "I wish I could _kill_ those Shigaraki bastards for you. You have no idea of how down right _livid_ it makes me that they did that to you after you gave them everything they asked for."

In that moment Izuku realized Kai was the only person who knew exactly why it hurt so much. His crying got harder.

"You were wrong you know," he rasped out, body shaking. "When you said the narrative ended with me dying...everyone else died instead. I wish there was something I could do—anything to remedy this...but I _can't_."

"I usually don't say this, but..." Izuku felt a caring hand lift to wipe away his tears and he turned his head towards Kai. Sitting there were shining golden eyes full of complex understanding. "Wasn't your major criminology before you switched?"

"Yes?" Izuku looked mildly confused, then it clicked. "Wait, are you suggesting—"

"—I know more powerful men than you have tried to take them down before but you got a leg up this time. You know how they operate and they're going to underestimate you because they think they've broken you," Kai muttered while looking into his eyes. "Find a way to rip down the Shigarakis and serve justice in your own way."

"How can I bring them in without bringing myself in as well," Izuku whispered, his brain trying to figure out a way to untangle himself from the Shigarakis' thick, black web. "It's my fault everyone's dead."

Then Kai spoke the words Izuku didn't know he needed to hear.

"No, it's not your fault, Izuku."

The green haired male made a confused face at the statement, realizing it was the first time someone actually said that to him. Most of everyone just said 'sorry for your loss,' not knowing what he did to try to keep his parents safe—what horrific things he did—and they still died in the end.

But Kai knew.

Izuku doesn't know when his brain stopped reeling the painful memories—but it did.

It stopped the second him and Kai stared at each other too long and when Kai's hand lingered in his hair. There was a strange rise of simmering electricity that was birthed in their nearness. Izuku noticed all the small things about Kai for the first time like how his eyes were several shades of golden sun swirling together.

Looking back on it, Izuku couldn't recall how it progressed. It was blurry and he wonders sometimes if Kai just did it out of pity.

Izuku found out that grief was a strange emotion but it controlled his body in that fateful moment.

It controlled the way he allowed Kai's hands to gently undress him, and it controlled the way he mindlessly stumbled into Kai's bedroom. It controlled his motions when he lifted his hips so desperate to rid himself of the clothes on his body as Kai slowly slid off his pants.

And finally it controlled his hands when Kai pushed inside of him, pulling hard on the brown hair as he arched his back.

He chased after an all too familiar euphoria from the one person who knew the most of his trauma. He closed his eyes, completely ignoring the gentle praises coming out of Kai's mouth, too focused on how his mind and how, for the first time in two months, it was completely rid of the imagery of fire.

. . .

They both laid there in the bed, side by side, stunned for entirely different reasons.

Kai looked at the white ceiling above them trying to wrap his mind around sleeping with one of his students while Izuku nervously fiddled with the hem of Kai's black comforter. Wide emerald eyes stared up at the twirling ceiling fan because Izuku was astonished at how powerful of an orgasm he had.

But Izuku was mostly caught off guard by the fact his brain had actually stopped thinking and how for the first time in a long time, he didn't feel so..._lonely._ The weight of someone so intimately close to him almost felt like how Touya used to sleep in the same bed with him every night for two years.

There was an awkward cough from beside him as Kai turned over to face him.

"I...I didn't plan for that to happen," Kai explained to him with a guilty face. "I didn't invite you over here this last month to try to seduce you. I know you're in a difficult spot right now mentally and that probably made things more confusing."

But it didn't—Izuku's mind was peacefully blank and his body was basking in the coziness of the warmth.

"It's fine," the freckled man said nervously, fiddling his hands. "R-Really, I liked it and I wanted it."

At this, Kai's face seemed to perk up. He awkwardly cleared his throat and Izuku didn't miss the way those sharp eyes darted around studying his freckles this close. "Well, if that's the case, then I'll just put this out there."

Izuku tilted his head in confusion when there was a small pink blush written across Kai's normally stoic features.

"I usually do this in reverse order, but if you wanted to go out to a movie or something, or even dinner, I would love to go with you."

Izuku's mind came to a screeching halt.

"Like a date?" He clarified, confused while knitting his brows together.

"Er, sure." Kai shrugged, lifting a hand to run through Izuku's hair and for some reason the curly haired man didn't like the touch the same way as he did when they were entangled. "I've always admired you, Izuku. I just never planned on _acting_ on my feelings. I thought it would come off as inappropriate given the fact I _do_ teach you even if I am just a teaching aid. But how about it? Want to go on a date?"

Izuku stared at Kai, the concept of a date sinking in his head and gradually the memory of Touya appeared.

"_I love you, Angel. You mean everything to me,_" he heard Touya's deep voice say in his thoughts. He could practically feel the redhead's smirk against his skin and the gentle, loving kisses Touya would sprinkle all over him every morning.

Then slowly the loving image of Touya looking down at him went up in flames to reveal the redhead's face above him, sneering. Teal eyes were full of spite and rage.

"_I said fucking tell me why you would do that, you goddamn weak minded idiot!" _

Izuku's body shot forward quicker than his mind could catch up when he realized he had possibly just made a huge mistake.

His heart rate elevated for reasons he couldn't pinpoint when he thought about Touya shaking him and the feeling of his fist colliding against his face.

"I-I," he started, trying to get out. Kai looked at him wearily and sat forward as well. Izuku felt Kai touch his shoulder but immediately he flinched out of reflex because his mind was trapped in Touya's rage even beyond the grave.

"I don't really think I can—" he fumbled looking at Kai with regret the more his mind wrestled with the two halfs of Touya. "—I can't date. I'm sorry. This was nice, but I don't think I'm ready to—I-I'm not ready to be like that with someone—I-I don't think I can endure—"

Izuku's voice stopped when he realized how his brain finished the sentence.

_I don't think I can endure that pain again._

"It's okay. It's not a big deal," Kai tried to calm him down but Izuku's feet kept telling him to run. "I just thought it would be worth a shot to ask."

"Sorry, I didn't expect this to happen either," Izuku whispered, expression crestfallen. "I didn't really mean for things to turn romantic in any way. I...I can't take being in a relationship."

_I can't take the risk again. _

Green eyes looked down at the sheets and felt like he had somehow betrayed Touya in a strange way. His heart twisted with conflict because it was the first time in such a _long_ time he felt his brain not think about _fire_.

"Don't say sorry to me, trust me, I'll be fine." Kai chuckled beautifully and Izuku suddenly felt out of place. His flight kicked in.

"I-I should get going. This was really nice and I'll see you tomorrow—"

He made a move to rip the covers off himself but a strong hand caught his elbow, pulling him back. Izuku looked at Kai and tried his best not to be distracted by the way the moonlight was illuminating his figure in the dark. Gold eyes seemed to glow in the unlit room, pulling him back in.

"You can stay the night if you want to. It's late and you said you take the bus back to your place, right?" Kai offered and Izuku bit his lip. "I don't mind the company. We all get a little lonely, Izuku. It's not a crime to have casual sex."

Temptation hung in the air like a sweet forbidden fruit that beckoned to Izuku.

He stared at the shirtless Kai and the way the black silk cover fell off his body like liquid when he sat forward. His body begged to be encased within warmth again versus going back to Mirio's and sleeping in an ice cold bed.

An ice cold bed _alone_ with the screams of the people in Makinohara echoing in his mind.

"Okay," Izuku smiled weakly, caving into the weaker side of him that didn't want to think anymore. He turned his back on the visions inside his head, letting them grow and take deeper roots. "I'll stay the night."

Kai smiled and dragged Izuku closer to him. Izuku allowed Kai to pull him under the sheets again, and like a quick fix, Izuku's mind became peacefully desolate of all the troubling thoughts swirling within him.

. . .

Kai transformed into a drug quicker than Izuku thought. Three weeks passed from the first time they slept together and soon the after class tutoring sessions always concluded with Kai making Izuku's scream out in pleasure in the dark.

It was a temporary fix to a prolonged problem when Izuku allowed himself to close his eyes and not think. He only focused on the rapture being orchestrated out of his body by Kai's skilled hands and soon it overshadowed all the painful memories.

He was able to start sleeping correctly when he was beside another body, the warmth was familiar yet strange enough that it didn't trigger him—and that's all Izuku wanted.

He decided to focus his energy towards becoming an officer like Kai suggested—like he had originally planned.

He switched his major back to criminology and began to slowly read his all dad's notebooks and realized his father was actually _really_ close to bringing down AFO. He was just missing small pieces of information like their hierarchy, where they operated, differences between ground alpha and ground betas and if there was either one Shigaraki or two.

All tidbits of information that _Izuku_ knew.

However, there was something off about his father's notes because it seemed like every time he got close, the Shigarakis somehow knew what his next move was. It made Izuku think about the information Touya said about there being cops involved with AFO and the mole that tipped off his anonymous confession.

Studying the neat handwriting of his father gave Izuku a new direction as he realized it was possible for him to work out a plan for getting to them. To strike on the Shigarakis while he was working the force—but it would require both time and concentration.

Izuku knew he had both.

However, when he didn't go over to Kai's a week after the first month and was left alone, the nightmares returned. Izuku squeezed his eyes shut when the feeling of phantom smoke suffocated his lungs.

He woke up in a harsh, cold sweat when he realized his dilemma: how was he supposed to focus on becoming a cop if he couldn't even sleep a _wink_? That day after the nightmare, Izuku asked Kai in an antsy manner if he could _'tutor'_ him more regularly. Kai agreed with a more than eagar smirk.

He didn't miss the surprised look on Shindo Yo's face when he accidentally overheard—but Izuku didn't really care. He just didn't want to think.

The struggling student quickly caught back up in his classes like this. Only downside was how Mirio looked at him strangely for all the late nights and whenever he stayed gone for such long periods of time. The caring, sky colored eyes of his close friend made Izuku feel guilty because he didn't know how to explain to Mirio that he figured out a solution to keeping his mind afloat—it just happened to involve him on his knees for the most part.

So, Izuku settled on a half truth.

He explained he was getting chemistry tutoring and his tutor was kind enough to let him spend the night if it got too late. Mirio half bought this, not pushing the matter.

Then Izuku was caught blindsided by something he didn't think about in hindsight.

Kai completed his PhD.

"You're leaving?" Izuku asked quietly one day while entangled in the other's silk black sheets. "You're not going to stay the year out and walk across the stage?" Kai shrugged as he pulled Izuku in closer.

"You'd be the only reason I would stay here in Yaizu, Izuku," Kai's velvet voice explained sadly. "I have no desire to put on a cap and gown. I finished my thesis and they said they can just mail me my diploma when the time comes. Also, my father needs me back in Tokyo to help out with the family business."

Right. Kai still had a family despite his mother passing.

Izuku offered a reserved smile.

"Okay. You're right. I'll be fine," Izuku whispered as he studied the strange intricate tattoo of a phoenix on Kai's shoulder. The black ink bled all over his flawless ivory skin and Izuku reached out to trace it with his bandaged finger tips. "Thank you so much for everything, Kai. I mean it, thank you. You're a sweet spirit despite acting so aloof all the time."

Kai's deep chuckle filled the bedroom at the comment.

"Coming from the kindest person I ever met, that means a lot. You'll make a great cop one day, Izuku. Make sure to call me on that number if you need anything and don't let yourself get broken down like they want you to."

Slowly, sun colored eyes cut to him and Izuku felt a strange kinship between them.

"I'm glad I got to meet someone like you in my lifetime, despite everything, Izuku."

"Same for you, Kai."

. . .

Kai left within that week, and Izuku felt a piece of himself strangely move away as well.

He didn't want to think about it, but he would miss Kai. Not in the way he missed his parents or Touya, but in a way he'd miss a best friend that moved far away.

Kai had helped him catch up to pace with classes, and distracted his brain long enough that Izuku thought he could manage it now and start to think about his future. The freckled young adult figured maybe the memories of fire would stop, but he was quickly proven wrong when the night terrors returned when he was alone at night.

He laid there tossing and turning and it felt like his nightmares personified just to crawl into bed with him, keeping him company in the worst possible way.

Izuku thought maybe the dark thoughts would go away on their own—but they never did.

Slowly, Izuku found himself right back where he started. Only this time, he knew exactly what he needed to press pause on all the ugly thoughts chipping away at his mental state. He needed them to stop. He couldn't risk getting off track.

However, he didn't anticipate finding a solution two weeks after Kai's departure from Shindo Yo of all people.

In retrospective, if Izuku could change his decisions, he wouldn't have fucked Shindo.

Shindo was a particular breed of narcissistic and just didn't compare to someone like Kai who took care of his partner all the way through. But just in that moment when the handsome brunette approached him, the sounds of gunshots and screams were particularly loud.

"You look like shit," Shindo's voice said from beside him in advanced chemistry before class started.

"Thanks, Shindo," Izuku grumbled as he took out his yellow pencil pouch. "Good morning to you too." The green eyed student resisted the urge to outwardly sigh as Kai's replacement walked into the classroom, beginning to set up for the lab.

"Hey, I didn't mean that in a bad way, just an observation," Shindo shrugged with a small smile. "How have you been holding up since the fire? The bags under your eyes suggest that you haven't gotten a wink of sleep."

"I'm doing the best I can. Just trying to focus on school and my career."

"I heard a lot of victims of traumatic incidents have a tough time sleeping the first couple of months. Sometimes people say that they can still hear and see what happened to them without a trigger," Shindo said with a sympathetic smile while leaning in close to him. "One of those things only time can make go away."

"It goes away with distractions," Izuku said in a clipped tone. Green eyes cut to look at Shindo out the corner of his eye and frowned at the closeness. What was his angle? Why did he suddenly care?

"And I guess dating Chisaki for a month was that distraction?"

The word 'dating' made Izuku grip his pencil harder.

"I wasn't dating Kai," he explained, feeling offended. He looked at Shindo who was giving him a rather unimpressed expression and Izuku suddenly felt guilty. "I wouldn't date that soon after what happened to Touya." _I might not ever date again._

"Ah, I'm not judging you," Shindo shrugged, saying it so nonchalantly. "Dating Kai or fucking him—it's your business. But you did seem almost normal again when you were getting _tutoring_ sessions from him. I figured you and Touya had a complicated thing going on. Especially with the purple and blue love bruises he'd give you all the time."

Izuku nearly 'tch'd' at the use of '_love bruises_.' "Please don't try to act like you understood our relationship."

"Trust me, I didn't," the dark haired student rolled his eyes. "To be honest, with Touya's violence streak, I steered clear of him after he beat the shit out of me for flirting with you."

_Wait—_

Izuku turned to Shindo with surprised eyes, stunned. He didn't know that. Shindo however, looked at Izuku as equally surprised.

"You didn't know?" He asked and Izuku shook his head slowly, almost afraid of the truth. "Freshman year, first semester. The black eye—it was from Touya. I had a bruised rib cage too and a lot of other damn injuries. He hated me for even _looking_ at you after that. I had to awkwardly shuffle around him for the entire two years at the shop because he was so possessive of you. Didn't want anyone tainting his precious _angel_."

"_You shouldn't hang out with people like Shindo alone, Izuku,"_ Touya's distant, cold voice whispered from his memories. _"It's nothing serious, it would just make me feel better."_

Izuku suddenly felt a strange weight on his shoulders when he could see the possessive words for what they were without rose colored glasses.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know he assaulted you because of me," he whispered.

"Eh, it's fine now. It was two years ago," Shindo laughed it off awkwardly but Izuku could sense there was still a tenseness in his shoulders. "It just made me feel kind of bad for you, y'know? Like you seemed so happy the first year of being with him but I could tell things got rocky that second year."

He thought about Touya, and the unwanted vision of him bleeding out appeared in Izuku's mind, making his body feel like an empty shell again.

He looked around at all the students preparing for the lecture when the new chemistry instructor began to write the day's agenda in black marker on the white board. He watched as a group of girls laughed amongst themselves, blushing and giggling and he wondered if he would ever be that carefree again.

"Maybe I'm just destined to have a rocky life," Izuku murmured below a whisper without looking at Shindo.

"But a distraction makes things less rocky, I'm guessing? Specifically the type of distraction Kai was giving you?" Shindo hummed, leaning in closer to the point their shoulders touched. Izuku stiffened at the proximity and when he turned around he saw the warm brown colored eyes of his classmate assessing with fully dilated eyes.

"Y-Yeah, Kai helped a bit," Izuku nervously answered, scooting away from the feather light physical touch. He tried to ignore the clear heat that rose in his face as he cleared his throat and tried to calm his body. "But I'm going to focus on school fully." —_or at least try to. _

"Alright, if you say so." Shindo leaned away from him and Izuku released a bated breath of the relief. He eyed the other dark haired student in a strange way until a sly smirk graced Shindo's face.

"Just as an FYI, my offer still stands from two years ago. In case you need a distraction to help keep those nightmares at bay."

Izuku stared intensely at whiskey colored eyes that stared right back at him.

. . .

There was a tiny voice that screamed at him that it was a mistake when Shindo roughly handled him inside of the small cluttered dorm room. But Izuku didn't care. He had a terrifying nightmare the previous three nights involving his parents and he just wanted it all to stop.

And Shindo was the quickest route to make his mind go blank.

Izuku cursed when they tripped over a small pile of what he hoped to be clean laundry as their lips roughly worked against each other. The other student's hands were everywhere. They were in his hair, under his clothes and they worked as if Shindo had been thinking about this moment for exactly two years.

"Why are you agreeing to this so easily?" Izuku asked in through a heavy pant, breaking their hungry kiss when Shindo pushed him backwards onto the bed. He opened his mouth again to say something but two strong hands caught his sensitive nipples and tweaked them hard. "_F-Fuck_!"

Izuku squeezed his eyes and shuddered through a moan as Shindo's hands so greedily felt him everywhere. Shindo leaned down to bite his neck and Izuku felt a satisfied smirk against his freckled skin.

"What can I say? I like 'em damaged."

Izuku resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the corny response, but he should've heeded the warning in retrospective.

"Forget I asked. J-Just fuck me, Shindo."

"_Gladly_. Call me Yo from now on."

. . .

Yo wasn't like Kai. Izuku couldn't tell if he was worse or better in the end.

Yo was a selfish lover but because of it, he made it easy for Izuku to close his eyes and let himself not even think about where he was. His body was pushed and pulled on by what became rough phantom hands accompanied by Yo's voice whispering all kinds of filthy things in his ear.

But the more his head was filled up with Yo, the less he thought about the things paining him—and Izuku took the saving grace. It was a metronome of empty sex that only benefited them both in different ways but Izuku didn't mind—or at least that's what he told himself.

Yo never let him stay the night like Kai had. He told Izuku doing that put them at risk to develop feelings for each other and made Izuku take the hour-long bus back to his apartment no matter what time of night.

Izuku didn't know why but the contrast between Yo's hot body against his skin and sitting on the cold bus directly after made him feel so—

—used.

But he took what he could because at least his nightmares were on pause.

Then as the months passed, Izuku realized he needed, or, er, _wanted_ more.

Well, not more _from_ Yo per se. He didn't need after sex cuddles or for the other to extend the offer to stay the night—but just more sex. Something had shifted inside of him that itched deeply for that blank slate of mind the closer it got to his first holidays without his parents.

But when he swallowed his pride to ask for sex outside of their usual time, he got a sneer accompanied with the response.

"I don't have all the time in the world to fuck you," Yo whispered agitated while quickly walking to his next class after chemistry. "It's been like two months since we started fucking and I have to go home for the holidays soon to be with _my_family. Also, I have to study for our chemistry test tomorrow so don't come over tonight."

"But you said—"

"—I know, and I'm sorry," Yo sighed and gave him a single glance of sympathy. "Not all of us are photographic memory geniuses like you. Go looking for your fix tonight on a dating app or at a bar like other people do," Yo said quickly without thinking and Izuku stopped cold in the middle of the hallway. He watched as Shindo didn't look back nor did he seem to care what happened to Izuku as he faded away into the crowd.

Izuku stood there alone in the sea of students at Yaizu University and looked downwards at their colorful array of shoes. He could hear students chattering about going home to see their parents and he felt his heart clutch.

He could just go back to the apartment. Izuku pondered the idea because he didn't need sex that much...right? He had just been feeling anxious and sex was something he found helped ease the tension but it was fine—he didn't _need_ Yo.

But that night, Izuku was visited by a dream he wished he could scrub clean from his memory.

The atmosphere was dark and when he looked around, he found himself standing alone on a beach at night. There wasn't a single star in the grey sky and the sound of waves originally calmed him, being the first dream not about fire that he had in awhile.

However when he bent down to grab a conch shell, it changed. He remembered being happy and put it carefully to his ear but he heard the sounds again.

Gunshots. Screams. Touya's voice. The rattling of chains on doors.

He dropped the seashell quickly when it spiked in temperature. He watched in terror as it disintegrated into fearsome flames right in front of him and left behind black soot. The air suddenly felt suffocatingly hot and when he looked over towards the sea, it was made of grey ashes. Voices of the Makinohara victims beckoned him to join them and add his own ashes to the sea of their remains.

Needless to say, Izuku jolted awake with a scream. He pushed his palm to his chest to stop hyperventilating and hated himself.

Jade colored eyes glanced at the clock. He saw the time was nearing midnight and decided to take Yo's advice.

. . .

The first time Izuku went to a bar he felt strange like a fish out of water.

He was clearly the youngest person there on a Thursday night and he had tried his best to dress up. He had taken Touya's gold hoop earring out of his ear feeling weird about it, but he wore the expensive bomber jacket that had 'Fire Rose' written down the left sleeve. He awkwardly sat alone at the bar assessing the sparse crowd while reading at the menu.

_Should I even order?_ He scrunched his face up when he realized he was there to try to pick someone up not get drunk. He didn't even know what half these drinks were. What the hell was a _screwdriver_?

Izuku without a doubt felt silly and started bouncing his leg nervously. He considered just going back to his bed that was crawling with nightmares. He figured he must've been making a hopeless face when the bartender came over and had some level pity on him.

"What's got you worked up?" The tall man asked with a charming grin. "I usually don't see anyone my age here on Thursdays. Much less by themselves."

Izuku peered up from underneath his curly bangs to see pretty long black hair tied into a bun in the back and a sharp, strong jaw.

The stranger's hazel eyes assessed him and Izuku felt like he caught his prey when those same eyes studied his lips a little bit too long.

. . .

Izuku couldn't even remember the bartender's name, and for that he was thankful.

All he knew was that he was one year older, a senior at another university around the area and that he had been caught staring at Izuku's ass several times when the greenette went to go to the bathroom. They held a decent conversation all night as the other young man told him what each drink on the menu was. When the bartender asked Izuku what he was looking for, Izuku replied smoother than he expected with alcohol slicking his reply.

"I think I might be looking for you," Izuku remembered he said with a tipsy chuckle. He swirled the colorful orange drink in his hand and bit his lip. That seemed to do the trick.

The bartender asked him if he could wait around until closing and Izuku was more than willing.

However, when they got to the nearest hotel and began to undress, Izuku wasn't expecting the reaction he got.

"Holy shit, what happened to your body?" The deep voice exclaimed when Izuku took off all his clothes and straddled him. The green eyed young adult was caught off guard because he hadn't considered this was the first person who _didn't know_.

"Oh, it's just scarring. I was in a fire," Izuku explained casually, ignoring the bubbling nervousness. He went back to kissing the man beneath him and stroking the man's length slowly.

The stranger's hands were back on him and Izuku felt his mind begin to slowly slip into that intoxicating blankness.

However, he was abruptly ripped away from it when those rough hands settled on his hips and touched the large piece of raised skin on his left thigh.

He felt the stranger go soft in his hand.

Izuku stopped kissing the man in realization. He pulled back confused, and stared at the stranger's deflated erection. His embarrassment spilled over.

"Shit, give me a moment," the bartender cursed and reached down between their bodies to try to stoke himself back to full hardness. Izuku's face turned bright red as he awkwardly stayed straddled and hazel eyes skirted around looking anywhere but his body.

When it took too long Izuku shifted off to sit on the edge of the small hotel bed in silence. The bartender sighed and put his hands over his face.

"Is it the scars?" Izuku pried, making a pained face as he looked down at his damaged hands.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," the man said honestly and Izuku felt something inside him break. "It's just...there's _so_ much of it and that bandage. I thought it was just your left hand, not your entire arm. It looks like you just got back from fighting some battle and lost."

Izuku didn't reply. He couldn't bring himself to look at his almost-partner in the eye because the man wasn't wrong.

"I'm sorry. I can't do this, I'm so sorry," was all Izuku got as the man with hazel eyes gathered his clothes and left.

Izuku lifted his head to stare in front of him and what he got in return was his bare reflection staring sadly back in the mirror.

It was the first time in nearly four months since the fire that Izuku had truly sat down to look at everything together.

He studied the scar above his heart from Himiko, the dirty blotchy bandages that covered his left arm and all the different burns and cuts littered all over his skin. He saw the tiny scars from Touya's final act of rage blend in with the different nicks climbing up his right forearm from the falling wood in the building. And finally he saw the large chunk of keloided skin stretched over his left hip and thigh from where fire seared into him when he was pinned underneath the burning beam.

Izuku lifted his left hand to numbly touch the gash Himiko left. He wondered if this was why Kai had kept the lights off and if this was the real reason Shindo never let him stay afterwards.

It was the first time Izuku didn't consider himself to be beautiful and it was the first time he realized no one else truly would ever again.

. . .

"Izuku, where were you?!" Mirio hissed when Izuku came into the apartment eerily silent. "It's nearly 4:00am! I thought something happened to you and I've been calling your phone!"

Gunshots. Screams. Blood. Flames.

Izuku lifted his tired eyes to look at Mirio and his worried expression. He tried his best to say something but the sound of screams in his head silenced him and made him wince. Mirio, ignorant to the battlefield in his brain, continued to worry over him.

"You can't keep doing this," Mirio pleaded, blue eyes looking exhausted. "I-I understand you're going through a tough time but it's been four months. You're either never here or you're coming back really late and it makes me worried about you, Izu. You don't even tell me where you go...what's going on with you?"

"I—I tried," Izuku started when he took a deep breath in. "I tried going out because I couldn't sleep, but I didn't think. I'm sorry, Miri. I didn't mean to make you worried." Izuku felt guilty when he looked at the bags underneath his friend's eyes.

"Why were you out, Izuku? Don't you have a test tomorrow?"

"I couldn't sleep," Izuku whispered. He took off his shoes slowly and placed his rose jacket on the hook by the door. "When I'm alone I get night terrors. I needed a good night's sleep to do well on my test but I can't do that in that bed."

He said the honest words, too tired to put up a facade.

"You've been having night terrors?" His friend asked and Izuku just nodded emptily. "Izu...I'm so sorry, I didn't know. But what does that have to do with you going out? How would that have helped you sleep?"

"Sex," Izuku said in a short manner and he heard Mirio choke. He blushed slightly when he could see Mirio's face go into shock and the law student turned bright pink. "When I, um, have sex I feel better for a while that's all. Nothing too deep about it."

Mirio awkwardly cleared his throat and eyed the fresh hickey on Izuku's neck.

"O-Oh—I see. Um, well, did you find a girl to sleep with?"

"Mirio...I'm _gay_." Izuku exasperated and then he got a shocked look from those big blue eyes. "But, no. I didn't find anybody. I got rejected the second he saw my body fully bare."

Mirio assessed him as if that piece of information about his sexuality was groundbreaking but Izuku was too tired to think about it. He cradled his left arm close to him and made his way back to the guest bedroom.

"I'm going to go to bed and just try my best to sleep," Izuku called out without looking behind him. "I'm sorry for worrying you again. I'll try my best to be better about it."

. . .

Izuku laid in bed by himself that night considering everything. He used to believe healing was linear but he found himself to be proven oh so very wrong. If grief could be described as anything, Izuku would say it was an oceanfront that one would wade in.

He felt like he was watching the memories of the ones he loved slowly drift away from him as his grief came and went like a passing tide hitting his feet on the beach. He never knew when it was going to come or if it was going to be a big wave or a small one. Or some days there were no waves at all.

Izuku let out a stream of unfiltered tears when there was a small knock on his door. The wooden door creaked open and there stood Mirio in his white t-shirt and blue boxers looking at him in a sad way.

"You can sleep with me," Mirio said in a whisper that Izuku almost didn't hear.

Izuku originally thought his friend was offering his bed as a remedy for the bad dreams. Almost as if he was a child who needed to go sleep with his parents for shelter from a nightmare. Izuku shook his head and tried to wipe his face clean of the tears that wouldn't stop pouring.

"Thank you for the offer, but your bed isn't big enough for two grown men, Miri."

"No, I mean you can sleep _with_ me," Mirio restated with heavy emphasis on what he actually meant.

Izuku stopped wiping his face and his eyes went wide. Bloodshot green eyes looked at Mirio as if he had grown a third eye but the blond just walked forward and crouched down to Izuku's height in bed. There were countless heavy emotions sitting inside as Mirio began to wipe his freckled cheeks of tears.

"If it'll help you feel better and keeps you from being out so late all the time, then just let me give you what you need. I can be good at it."

That was the beginning of the final step down into a dangerous spiral.

. . .

Two years passed by and Izuku graduated with a degree in criminology and what felt like a new soul.

His heart adapted and molded into a new shape to make room for the hurt he carried and he learned to slowly live with it versus trying to drown it out all the time. He smiled more and made some friends with the people in his criminology classes. He was thankful that AFO never reached out to him again, and he wondered if that was really the end of that saga when no more fires appeared.

He blocked out every Sunday to paint and indulge in art like he used to do with his mother and slowly a new life was birthed from the ashes of his old one.

He picked up interning at his dad's old precinct senior year and everyone there seemed to be overjoyed to have him on board again. Shindo laughed at the prospect of Izuku actually becoming a cop but Izuku trained his green eyes to learn how to mask his sadness as the years passed to keep focused on the task at hand.

And the first check box on his list was figuring out which cop at the precinct was working for AFO—which one blew the whistle and told the Shigaraki about his anonymous tip.

The internship transitioned into a job position when the captain demanded more hands on deck. Izuku was thrilled but it turned out Mirio wasn't happy about it at all.

"Do you really think you can handle it, Izuku?" Mirio had wearily said after Izuku showed him the job offer happily. "I mean, you're still not back to normal and I just don't think the lifestyle of officers is well suited for someone like you."

Izuku remembered how he frowned. He felt back to normal—even if it wasn't the normal Mirio remembered. He was recovering but the blond didn't see it like that.

His childhood friend constantly regarded him as fragile and broken. Not normal. _Damaged_. It struck a bitter chord in the burn victim whenever Mirio would try to control his decisions—much like Touya tried to.

Mirio would hold open every door, break all his chopsticks for him, and constantly insist that Izuku needed someone to take care of him because he was mentally unable to make the best choices for himself. Just like Touya had insisted.

The control Mirio wanted made Izuku clench his jaw in distaste because it reminded him of all the bitter parts of his relationship with the deceased redhead.

The future lawyer confessed to having heavy feelings for Izuku in his senior year in college, and Izuku explained that he couldn't return his affections. Mirio then made it a point to say this is why he didn't think Izuku could handle police work.

But Mirio didn't know the real reason behind his inability to date—especially why he didn't want someone like Mirio who insisted that he shouldn't make his own choices and treated him like he was _weak_.

Even if Mirio wasn't Touya and the situations weren't the same, it still hurt. The memory of the fiery gang member was still too painful for Izuku and it made the concept of falling in love again an impossible feat.

So he ignored it. Izuku felt like he had known enough love and loss to last a lifetime.

Now the only thing the new officer wanted to do was bring in all the people responsible for the Makinohara tragedy. He needed to not just for himself, but for the thirty-four victims whose lives were collateral of his and Touya's mistakes.

His mind was solely focused on the task at hand: slowly unraveling AFO without tripping their alarms. During this, Izuku didn't allow himself to think too much about the small addiction that took root in his life like an overgrown weed.

He grew into his new skin, building out leaner muscle and getting taller, hitting his final growth sprout to even out to 170cm. Some scars faded, but not all. Particularly the deep emotional one. It expanded with Izuku when he turned twenty-one like a dull mark as the greenette slowly became an expert at maneuvering bars, clubs and both Shindo and Mirio to get his fix to help him stay on track.

All of the countless temporary lovers fed his loneliness just enough to dull the ache in his mind, but he kept everyone at arm's reach. His fear of getting hurt again was undoubtedly strong.

Some men rejected him, too focused on his scarring. But Izuku this time knew how to rebound it with either Mirio or Shindo if they were available. If they weren't—he worked off his energy at the gym late at night and refused to sleep.

It's the same reason why, by the time he got his badge the night before his twenty-second birthday, Izuku didn't mind that Mirio wasn't available to help him celebrate.

He was officially accustomed to being lonely, but sometimes, being alone on holidays was a certain level of hard to swallow.

Which brings him to now, the evening of his twenty-second birthday wandering inside of his usual spot for hookups. He wore his rose jacket, gold hoop earring and a red decorative floral shirt that matched his favorite red sneakers.

The club he found comfort in was the most popular spot in Yaizu amongst twenty-somethings. It was decorated in blue and purple neon lights with a sign that read 'Happīdorinku' in bright white lettering. It was pumped full of nightlife adrenaline and happy go lucky people. It had a spacious dance floor and a large, long bar staffed by five bartenders keeping up with the dense crowds.

"Hey, Izuku! Happy Friday!" A particularly familiar voice called out over the loud music when he walked into the club fully. Izuku felt the comfort of body heat of the dense crowd as he zeroed in on his friend's welcoming teal colored eyes. He broke out in a bright smile.

"Happy Friday to you too, Itsuka!" He called out to the bartender.

Izuku walked over, full of joy to lean over the counter to the ginger woman he'd grown close to within the last two years. Kendo Itsuka was two years older than him like Mirio and full of bubbly life. She worked part time as a bartender to help pay her younger sister's way through college, and Izuku couldn't help but feel drawn to her sisterly nature.

"Haven't seen you in a while, what's going on? Looking for some trouble to get into again?"

"Ah, I'm just dropping in," Izuku shrugged and took a seat in the stool in front of her. "It's my birthday and I want to celebrate starting my new job on Monday."

"You got the officer position and it's your birthday?" Itsuka gasped and immediately she started scrambling to pour his favorite drink. "Izuku, that's amazing! I'll give you a drink free on me! Hey everyone!" Her voice suddenly boomed, stealing the attention of club goers nearby and Izuku felt embarrassment heat underneath his collar.

"Listen up, it's this guy's birthday! He's turning twenty two and got his dream job as a police officer!"

Izuku immediately shrunk at the attention, but all the strangers in the vicinity just clapped for him and some even patted him on the back with praises. Izuku gave a sheepish smile in return to all the kind, drunk men and women but slowly as he looked at the people beside him he noticed one man one seat over wasn't clapping.

The newly hired officer tilted his head at the stranger with jet black hair who was wearing a mouth mask dressed in all black. His black turtle raised an odd sensation because it was the middle of July. Why was he wearing so much to cover himself?

Then finally, green eyes squinted at the fingerless biker gloves on the man's hands and black nail polish.

When Izuku focused harder, he realized the poor lighting in the club didn't allow him to see anything past the dark bangs casting a large shadow over the man's hidden face.

"Looking for a new victim tonight, green eyes?" Itsuka whispered with a suggestive tone, wiggling her brows.

Izuku snapped out of his light investigation of the mysterious stranger before turning back to his friend.

"Oh, I dunno," he shrugged, picking up the orange screwdriver drink with a smile. "I just want to have some fun and figure I'd get out of the house versus sitting around. Mirio was pretty pushy that I didn't spend it like my twenty-first, just by myself writing poetry."

"Ugh, that sounds god-awful, Izuku. Your roomie is right. You definitely should be out, whether or not that includes you trying to suck someone's dick like last time you were here."

"Hey! _Language_!" Izuku cut her off quickly, looking embarrassed at the raised eyebrows of strangers around him. He leaned in and harshly whispered to her, "don't let everyone know my business, Itsuka."

"Don't let everyone know your business?" The ginger haired woman huffed as she poured a drink for the brown haired man next to Izuku who was now looking at the greenette in a new light. "Did you forget how we first met? This is gold coming from the guy who I found sloppy drunk on his knees about to blow some rando in this club's _public_ bathroom stall—"

The loud abrupt screeching of a barstool cut her sentence short.

All the eyes in the area turned to see what had happened and Izuku was faced with the back of the black haired stranger's leather jacket. One of his gloved hands strummed the countertop as if he was pensively thinking and the other was curled tightly in a fist.

It was only then did Izuku notice the purple burn showing in the small sliver of space between the man's nape and where the turtle neck ended.

Then without a word, the stranger disappeared into the cloister of bodies into the shadows of the night club.

"Who was that?" Izuku whispered, unable to shake the feeling that something was off about the reaction.

"Oh, some new guy," Itsuka hummed with a shrug. "He's actually been coming here more and more recently. My guess is he saw something or _someone_ he liked. His pretty blue eyes were glued to you when you walked to me just now."

"Do you know anything about him? His get up is kind of strange for the middle of July."

"To be honest, no. I just serve the drinks here and go home. But I did notice that he gets into the V.I.P upstairs rather easily. My boss said something about him having powerful friends? He wouldn't let me know the full details. Said it was above my pay-grade."

Izuku huffed, took a long swing of his drink and rolled his eyes at the term 'powerful friends'.

"That's just code for he's in some gang," Izuku mumbled into his glass. The brief bittersweet memory of Touya came into his mind. "I'll steer far away from that and I suggest you do too. Pretty blue eyes aren't worth getting tangled with gangs."

Itsuka laughed and poured him another celebratory drink and soon the mystery man was a forgotten topic as Izuku became friendly with the man next to him.

But the rest of the night, Izuku couldn't shake the feeling of eyes burning into the back of his skull. But every time he looked over his shoulder, he just saw happy people dancing to the music.

. . .

"Have a fun night you two!" Itsuka called out to him when Izuku was ready to make his leave with the guy that was next to him. They both waved goodbye to her as the man graciously took Izuku's left hand with a suggestive grin.

The stranger was more than kind and chatted Izuku up about his future job and his birthday. He smoothly questioned Izuku on if he had any after dark birthday activities planned. The greenette smiled, a fun thrill of excitement fluttering through him. He informed the man that his roommate was out of town so he could indulge in some fun.

However, on their night walk back to his apartment, Izuku kept looking over his shoulder. The feeling of prying eyes never left and the hairs on his right arm stood up underneath his rose jacket.

Green eyes glanced over his shoulder as he clutched the man's hand in the dark—but he saw no one.

"Is everything okay?" The handsome man asked while Izuku was still looking down the dark, empty street. The freckled man pursed his lips and slowed down walking when he could've sworn he heard footsteps.

But it could be his paranoia.

"Sorry," Izuku whispered and put on his well rehearsed fake smile. "I think I'm just a little naturally spooked when it gets late like this."

"Ah, don't worry, cutie," the strange chuckled, throwing his arm around Izuku's shoulders. "I'll protect you if anything happens and I'll keep you company tonight to scare off any ghosts."

Izuku laughed in harmony with the man but still looked over his shoulder one more time at the sound of strange, invisible footsteps.

. . .

When Izuku woke up, he was alone.

The morning rays poured into his room against the empty spot in his white sheets. Izuku stared at the side of the bed that showed evidence of the once warm body there but it was no surprise that the man had left before Izuku awoke.

The hungover greenette groaned when a pain shot up his spine at the smallest shift. He sat forward on his forearms with a sigh as he glanced around his messy room and spotted an unfamiliar orange sock on the side of his bed.

"Why do they always forget something?" Izuku grumbled as he lazily reached for his blue boxers on the floor.

The groggy freckled man stretched as he glanced at the mess of condoms and lube sprawled out all over. He made a note to clean before Mirio came back as he slowly emerged from the bundle of green covers.

He walked over to check the front door, since most of his one night stands who sneak out always forget some article of clothing, they _always_ forgot to lock the door as well.

Izuku sheepishly reached for the handle but stopped when something caught his attention out the peripheral of his eye. He turned his head slowly to glance at the living room table and walked towards it confused.

Sleep heavy green eyes peered down to the table to see a single red rose sitting alone against the brown wood. He tilted his head in confusion as he reached down to grab it, completely baffled.

He wondered if the stranger from last night left the flower but when he read the note attached on the small brown piece of paper, something didn't quite add up.

_You are the most gorgeous rose that grew from the ashes._

_Happy birthday._

Izuku made a face at the lack of signature. He turned over the note searching it for more, but there was nothing on the other side but blankness.

He looked harder and harder at the rose in his hand that had been carefully trimmed of thorns and felt the hairs on his arm stand up again. He locked the door quickly.

That was just the first rose of countless.

. . .

Six months passed by and with Izuku starting his new position and receiving mysterious roses from a stranger with no name. It first started off as once a week, then there was a dry spell for a month, then it evened out to an unpredictable delivery to Izuku's doorstep.

The first round of roses were bright red and reminded him of his mother's old garden. But as the months shifted to winter, it felt like whoever was sending them was lonely and heartbroken—like him.

Each rose was accompanied by some type of poem that Izuku assumed to be a direct mirror of the stranger's emotions. The color of the rose always mimicked the emotion conveyed in the poem and Izuku admittedly felt strangely close to whoever this was.

Blue roses for sad, sullen poems. Pink for lovesick. Red for passionate poems that sometimes brought a blush to Izuku's face. Orange for friendly tones like holidays and wishing Izuku to have a nice day.

He originally assumed it to be some poor guy he slept with that must've been intensely fixated on him.

Then Mirio found out about the roses one day, coming home earlier than Izuku, and flipped out.

He immediately put Izuku's promiscuity on the table and blamed him for obtaining a stalker for his 'tacky' habit.

"Always so damn reckless," Mirio had hissed, throwing down the pink rose when Izuku caved and told him he was still going out to bars. "This is a warning, Izuku. If you keep throwing your body out there, it's going to come back and bite you. Get a handle on that already. It's not attractive!"

Izuku felt terrible as he watched Mirio's blue eyes flash with a mixture of hurt and disappointment. He knew his friend didn't actually mean the harshness of the statement and that deep down he cared.

But outside of the roses, nothing ever happened. No one came to his door and he received no new followers on social media. Izuku did sometimes feel the feeling of eyes on him when he would go about his daily routine in public, like sitting in a coffee shop and working out at the gym. Or when he would go to bars and the movies alone sometimes.

But six months passed and nothing happened.

So Izuku tried his best to keep up to pace at work and focus on his job, paying the roses little mind.

During this time, he blended in awkwardly with his new squad. All of them knew him as Hiashi's son but there was a strange vibe he got from one sergeant, Asahi Cid.

Sergeant Asahi was his father's old partner and he had a permanent frown on his face. The displeased expression was etched deeply in his forehead lines and he had a notable scar over his right eye that no one ever discussed. His eyes were a deep violet and his hair was the perfect shade of black that matched his gloomy personality.

The seasoned sergeant always hovered over him but never long enough for Izuku to get the impression that he liked him. It almost seemed like he was watching him, waiting for Izuku to slip up.

The greenette figured he was just being carefully studied, everyone in the station knowing of the Makinohara tragedy that took one of their very own. Maybe they just wanted to reassure themselves hiring someone like him wasn't a mistake like Mirio insisted it to be.

As the months passed, Izuku proved himself to be a valued police officer and also found himself still in the unchanged sex cycle without much effort.

He stopped going out to bars like Mirio wanted him to, but it didn't really help much when he ended up in bed with his patrol partner within the first month. Then two more officers the next month, and finally every officer that seemed willing to sleep with him by the sixth month mark.

It was a bit more of a mess than Izuku liked to admit.

Some officers, like his patrol partner, Atomu, wanted double dips and Izuku wasn't one to really pass up on the euphoric feeling he had come to be addicted to deep down.

But the strange looks he got from Sergeant Asahi still provoked something in Izuku's gut. It made him weary as he considered the fact there was still a mole in the station. Which prompted him to go to the station's captain, Nakamura Reo.

"Excuse me, Captain?" Izuku had asked one particular evening after his New Year's parade shift. The captain, Nakamura, peeked around from the mile high paperwork at his desk to look at Izuku.

"Is something the matter, Midoriya?" Nakamura asked with a soft voice. He was always more than welcoming of Izuku and tended to lean a bit on the touchier side with him, which Izuku attributed to his age group.

"I was just wondering, is there a reason why Sergeant Asahi seems to act off around me?" Izuku prompted as he closed the office door for privacy. Nakamura looked baffled by the question and Izuku felt nervous about asking. "It's just, he doesn't seem too fond of me and I'm just wondering if it has something to do with my father. I know they used to be really close partners for over twenty years."

"Maybe he's homophobic," Nakamura said nonchalantly and Izuku's eyebrows shot off his face at the bluntness. "What's with that look? You have to know that everyone here is well aware of the rounds you've made and what kind of _partners_you're particularly interested in."

"Uh, right," Izuku winced, and rubbed his neck in embarrassment. "Sorry, sir."

He had known a lot of the other officers were gossiping about him—especially after the file room scandal with Hiro—but he just didn't think the captain of all people would discuss it with him so casually.

"Nothing to be sorry about, Midoriya," Nakamura gave a hearty laugh. "I used to be a lot like you. Young and carefree like that! I used to explore different men and women all the time when I had the energy. I miss that lifestyle a lot."

Izuku's eyes awkwardly looked off to the side noting the shift in topic.

"You know, I grew up with your mother. We're from the same small country town," Nakamura said suddenly with a look of longing on his face. "She really was beautiful. Inside and out. Your father was such a lucky man."

Izuku's ears perked up as he looked at the captain in front of him, surprised. He didn't miss the subtle jealousy tacked onto the end of the statement regarding his father.

"I wasn't aware of that, sir. I guess we live in a really small world."

"Extremely," Nakamura sighed and leaned back in his chair with a fond smile. Izuku watched as the captain assessed him up and down slowly and Izuku didn't know if he should press again about Sergeant Asahi. "You look a lot like her, y'know. Same doe green eyes, delicate bone structure with soft features, and you even somehow managed to inherit her hips a bit."

Izuku paused at the comment about his hips and stared at his higher up taken back. He watched how the dark eyes of his grey-haired captain traced his outline and immediately it felt like their interaction was off.

"Maybe we can get drinks together some time to discuss your future, Midoriya. I would love to hear about your career path trajectory plans. It would please me a lot to make sure you move up in the ranks and help you achieve your goals."

"I'll be sure to let you know, sir." Izuku gave a plastic smile when the Captain's eyes settled on his mouth too long. He decided to drop the question about Sergeant Asahi and leave.

Izuku regretted looking back that day as he left the office, he caught Nakamura eyeing his backside with a lustful gaze.

. . .

Izuku ignored the creepy feeling from Nakamura and shrugged it off as an elder gentleman who hadn't been laid in a while.

Nakamura was always nice to him, despite the over touching. However, something in Izuku's gut still pushed him to set a boundary with him after the strange commentary about his looks. He had no intentions of going out for a drink with the man after that odd interaction.

Instead, Izuku stayed late every night in the precinct and discreetly watched Sergeant Asahi.

He noticed how he took two separate lunch breaks and how whenever Izuku completed a task, he took diligent notes about it. One day, Izuku found himself loosely following Asahi to where he took his second lunch break and found him going to a strange storage locker.

Then when Asahi came back, he placed something in a secret locked drawer in the large case-files room all the way in the back. Izuku frowned from his hidden crouched position as he watched Asahi cover the cabinet with a black sheet, making it easy to overlook.

It could just be his own well-earned paranoia, but Izuku learned to trust his gut.

And his gut told him to write down the storage unit number and to break into that locked drawer.

Izuku found himself nearly past midnight in the station picking the lock with the technique Touya had shown him so long ago until it sprang open. Sitting inside were piles of hard-drives that Izuku didn't recognize. They were nameless and when he tried to plug them into his laptop, they were encrypted.

Izuku cursed when he realized he didn't know how to unencrypt files. Then a small thought popped in his head as he pulled out his cellphone in the depths of night and pressed the dial button on a specific number.

"Hello?" Kai's groggy voice answered on the third ring. Izuku felt like smiling after not hearing his voice for so long. "Izuku, is everything okay? It's really late."

"I know I'm sorry, but I have a question, Kai. Do you know how to hack into encrypted files?"

"That's like asking you if you can paint," Kai chuckled. "What do you need from me?"

. . .

The next morning Izuku felt himself shake with anger as he carefully placed back everything he found.

He stayed up all night on the phone with Kai going through file after incriminating file on the hard drives and he felt his heart shatter with each one they unlocked.

His father had no idea his partner was crooked—this whole time it was the officer his father trusted the most.

Izuku called Toshinori first thing in the morning, not allowing himself to trust anyone at the station. He told the elder Yagi that it was an emergency and that he found something pertaining to Makinohara.

Toshinori drove to Yaizu immediately but looked at Izuku confused when the silent young officer handed him his green hard-drive.

"What's this, Izuku?" The captain asked, inspecting in curiously. "What does this have to do with Makinohara?"

"These are select files I found in Sergeant Asahi's belongings and the number to a storage unit across town," Izuku said, holding back angry tears. "You're going to want to take a look at this. Please, promise to keep my name out of the investigation going forward."

. . .

"Several dozen police officers in downtown Yaizu precincts have been arrested for being involved in crimes directly linking to several gangs, including All For One," The voice of the evening news woman spoke on the television.

Izuku bounced his leg while biting the inside of his mouth on the black couch. He didn't dare take eyes off the screen, watching everything carefully. Mirio's eyes darted between Izuku and the screen as they showed more than fifty police officers and several gang members arrested.

"All of the officers in question were arrested for leaking sensitive information to these criminal organizations. Many keep disturbingly detailed notes on other officers to report back to gang leaders. One sergeant, Asahi Cid, was found to be the main link between the task force and the elusive criminal gang All For One by a woman named Toga Himiko who was also arrested for being his point of contact."

"Are you okay, Izuku?" Mirio whispered as Izuku's eyes didn't leave the screen. "Some of those are officers from your precinct."

"Yeah, I'm fine." Izuku nodded emptily as he watched the entire police branch of All For One slowly become unraveled.

"The investigation was started when police captain Nakamura Reo was told by Yagi Toshinori that he saw Asahi Cid leave duty to go to a storage unit during an unauthorized lunch break. Yagi was in town visiting his hometown per family when this occurred. Nakamura immediately went to investigate this claim, and when he did, they found missing evidence and case files from over the last two decades."

"This is so screwed up," Mirio murmured, leaning back on the couch. "I can't believe my dad caught this. Who knows how many lives have been messed up because of this guy and the others?"

Izuku downcast his eyes when he pictured his parents and Touya. Then saw that tell-tale reel of memories that only appeared in his mind every so often now. But they were still crystal clear down to the very last detail.

He heard the gunshots and screams and saw Touya's blood mixing with flames.

"Yeah," Izuku whispered softly while looking at his left hand. "Who knows."

Later that night Izuku went out to a random bar and found himself underneath another stranger to prevent himself from reliving his grief.

. . .

The next day when Izuku arrived in the precinct after the bust, Nakamura called him into his office.

Standing there tall and bright like a giant ray of sun rays was Toshinori by his side. Together they informed him that Toshinori had given him a special recommendation that would allow Izuku to take the detective's exam early after demonstrating outstanding performance and diligence to his community.

Izuku felt his heart flutter and when he took the test, he passed with flying colors.

He received his advanced assignments, badge and a new air of self confidence that Izuku forgot he had. He felt something within him soften as he put on his golden badge around his neck by a black string and starred in the mirror that morning before work for his first day as a detective.

He smiled at himself and felt proud that he was still standing after everything.

A small tear slipped out of his eye as he stared at his new badge because he wished his parents could where he was now.

He looked longingly at the photograph of them on his dresser a little longer than usual that morning.

Five more months passed with the changing season melting winter to spring and then finally summer. Izuku had come to know his new life like an artist who had shaped their own being out of clay.

He worked every case with diligence and focused all his energy on living out his dream career and finishing his father's investigation of AFO quietly. He slowly fell into a routine that he didn't mind, in fact he welcomed it.

Izuku went to work every morning and then went out every night with Itsuka to the movies or mall. He grew closer to the ginger bartender as he hung out with her at the bar some nights. He saved his weekends for painting and slowly Izuku began smiling without forcing it.

He felt like a creature who was finally learning how to live again—and he decided on living fully for the three people he wished were still with him. He appreciated all the small things like sunsets, photography and dancing in the rain with Itsuka because he knew first hand life was too fragile to waste it away.

However, the issue of the roses were still at hand.

The beautiful flowers never stopped and Izuku still couldn't shake the feeling of someone watching him despite Asahi being arrested. He began to wonder if this was really some guy he slept with or if it was somehow related to the Shigarakis.

His paranoia told him to give the next rose to Toshinori to run for DNA. However, it came up scott clean—which helped nothing. If it was some random guy he slept with why would they make sure their prints were cleans off the rose?

Izuku couldn't place his finger on what, but something was off.

Then on this particular morning when Izuku woke up, he could feel something wrong in the air. He didn't know it at the time, but this early July morning nearing his twenty third birthday would change the course of everything.

He woke up to another rose sitting prettily on the doorstep of his and Mirio's apartment. The flower was light pink in color and was sprayed with his favorite cologne. The smell relaxed Izuku, but the thought of whoever knowing his favorite cologne made him uneasy.

The newly named detective pushed the thought down and placed the rose in his room in a designated vase he bought for them until he got the next one.

But when Izuku arrived at work, he could sense something was wrong. Everyone was whispering about him and all of his higher ups were avoiding him like the plague. He sat down at his desk confused and eyed the photographs he had of his parents and one of Touya off to the side on his tabletop.

Then a loud slam on his desk jolted him. He looked up to see a ridiculously thick stack of files in front of him and peering from above them, blocking out the ceiling light, was Nakamura.

"Finish filing these by tomorrow, Midoriya," the captain's deep voice commanded. "No excuses. I need this done by 6:00am." Izuku looked at the thick stack of unorganized files with dread.

"I might need more time than tomorrow by 6:00am, captain," Izuku informed politely. "I have patrol with officer Hiro this evening and I have a debriefing for an undercover operative with Atomu—"

"—I said no excuses," Nakamura barked and Izuku shut up quickly. "You'll do your scheduled agenda _and_ this paperwork. Am I understood?"

"Yes, sir. Understood," Izuku muttered with his head down.

He felt the heat of embarrassment against his skin when the whispering around him grew thicker. His captain turned on his heel and shut his office door with a slam. Izuku huffed as he eyed the large stack of paper with a grimace, wondering what he did to step on Nakamura's toes.

The young detective reviewed the last five months in his head silently when it clicked.

_Ah. I haven't gone out for drinks with him but I slept with Atomu again last night._

Izuku sighed and rubbed his temples trying to subdue the impending headache the paperwork was going to give him. He figured it was only a matter of time before Nakamura got agitated about Izuku's deflections of his advancements but he just didn't think it would hit him this hard.

Izuku peered around the precinct curiously. Then his suspicions were confirmed when he saw Atomu himself walking to his desk with an arm full of paperwork as well. He pursed his lips.

He didn't think Captain Nakamura was a spiteful man—but here they were.

The freckled officer gave Atomu a sympathetic smile who just handsomely grinned and shrugged in return. The other detective gave Izuku a reassuring wink before hunkering down at his desk.

Izuku took a quick snapshot of the mountain of colorful papers on his desk and sent it to Itsuka.

**[You]: Guess who gets to stay at work extremely late today #thisguy **

**[Itsuka]: nooo! D: What is that monstrosity!? That's work for at least three people! **

**[You]: It's all old misdemeanor cases that need to be digitized. I think my captain is mad that I haven't slept with him but I went over Atomu's place last night :/**

**[Itsuka]: Ewwwww what the fuck seriously? That's disgusting. Ugh. When you finish there *please* come by the bar and let me treat you. I'm working an extra shift tonight until 3AM.**

**[You]: We'll see...this might take all night :( I don't think I'm going to be leaving the precinct today.**

And he didn't.

The day bled into night and Izuku was informed by Hiro on their shared patrol about what happened. Apparently in the morning, Nakamura overheard Atomu talking about how much of a 'great night' they shared with one of the other detectives. Izuku winced at the thought of Nakamura getting pissy at the information drop.

Everyone eventually went home by the time 11:00pm came around, even Atomu. The honey brown eyed detective declared he wasn't going to be someone's step stool and advised Izuku to do the same. But Izuku stayed, not minding the tireless night. He had finished a good chunk of the filing and figured he'd make it out by 3:00am latest.

Then a call from Mirio came through.

"Izuku, it's late," Mirio said tiredly. "I thought I told you no more late nights out with strangers."

"Don't worry, I'm at the station," Izuku hummed as he looked over a small case file. He held the phone in between his ear and shoulder as he began entering the information into the system mindlessly. "I just got swamped with some paperwork. I'll probably be back really late so don't wait up."

Izuku didn't think of it as a big deal, but the irritated tone from Mirio caught him off guard.

"Really, Izuku? You're going to just lie to me like that?"

"What?" The confused officer questioned, making a baffled expression. "I'm not lying, I'm really at the station—"

"—I know you went out over your coworker's place last night and I know you haven't stopped going out," Mirio exasperated as if he was fed up. "You keep being reckless and it's driving me up the wall. Are you not taking the fact you have a stalker serious? I'm always sitting up waiting for you to come back home because I'm constantly worried some creep got to you!"

"I'm sorry," Izuku whispered and stopped typing. "I-I don't mean to make you worry, Mirio. I'm trying my best to be better about that but really, I'm at the station this time. I can send you a photograph if you don't believe me so you know I'm safe—"

"—Forget it. I don't know why I bother to care anymore. Goodnight, Izuku. Remember to use a condom."

He opened his mouth to retort but the flustered blond hung up on him quicker. The crisp silence was the next thing he heard and Izuku frowned deeply. He pulled the green phone away from his ear and tried to call Mirio back but was just sent to voicemail. _Twice_.

"Is he serious?" Izuku hissed annoyed into the empty station.

He huffed as he shook his head at the rude behavior. He still needed to deal with Mirio one day—but he just didn't know _how_. The blond just didn't respect the fact Izuku couldn't—er—_didn't want to_ date someone.

Izuku was fully zoned out and didn't notice how the door for Nakamura's office opened. Too busy lost in his thoughts, Izuku only registered the silent man leaning against his door way when he lifted his phone again, but this time he jolted from being startled.

Nakamura didn't break his blank expression.

"Oh, s-sir, you're still here," Izuku nervously spoke. The dark colored eyes of Nakamura studied him and Izuku felt a strange stir in the air.

"I needed to stay late to do some work," Nakamura said casually. Izuku watched as he put on a smile as fake as plastic and felt the hairs on his right arm tingle the longer the elder man studied him. "Where's detective Atomu?"

"He went home an hour ago, sir. It's just me."

There was a beat of silence and the captain glanced around the empty office space. His eyes crawled over all the abandoned desks before settling back on Izuku.

"Would you mind coming in here for a second, Midoriya? I have something I need to ask you."

"...You can't ask me out here, captain?"

"No. I need to show you something in my office. Now come here."

Izuku wanted to say no, but he didn't know what to do at that moment. How would it look if he ran out of the precinct and how would he deal with it in the upcoming days? He swallowed thickly and stood up like a lamb going to slaughter. He nervously ran his palms over his blue dress shirt and straightened out his dark blue tie when his throat suddenly felt tight.

He stepped right into the captain's office and his gut sank at the sound of the lock clicking behind him.

"You know, Midoriya, I have to say I'm surprised," Nakamura started, circling around him until he towered over in front of the shorter detective. Izuku kept his eyes focused on the ground, his feet screaming out to run. "I've given you more than enough signals but I can't tell what's going on. Why haven't you gone out for a drink with me yet?"

"I've just been really busy, sir," Izuku deflected, holding his hands behind his back and mentally measuring how long it might take him to break for the door. "I haven't really found the time to go out."

"But you found time to bend over for Atomu last night?" Nakamura accused and Izuku's heart stopped at the animosity dripping off the words. "You know, I could have him, Hiro and the countless others fired for sexual misconduct involving a subordinate. I know for a _fact_ that you slept with them while you were still just a uniformed officer."

Nakamura lifted his hand slowly to caress Izuku's cheek and all the flare guns inside Izuku's mind went off.

"I would think you would show more gratitude towards me after I permitted you to take the detective's examination early. It shouldn't be this hard to get you on your knees for me, _Izuku_."

In a flash of lightning, the younger man made a move to run towards the door but yelled when he was forcefully manhandled backwards by an overpowering strength.

"Let me go!" Izuku shouted while trying to fight against the elder man. He scratched at the unkind hands that threw him onto his back on top of the wooden desk with a hard slam. Izuku's breathing swallowed out in fear when he looked up and saw his superior's angry, controlling gaze all over his body.

"G-Get off of me! I said get off!" Izuku yelled as he thrashed, knocking over all the items on the wooden desk as he struggled against the larger body pushing him up higher until his feet didn't touch the ground. He kicked and tried to pry off the intrusive hands that were touching him everywhere.

"Just fucking sit still," Nakamura growled out in a low voice as he forcefully flipped Izuku over onto his stomach and pinned him against the desk and his hips. "This shouldn't be a big deal for someone like you. It's just another cock fucking your ass—why does it matter whose it is?"

"N-No! I said _no_!" Izuku screamed when he felt a large hand make a move to undo his belt.

Then the sickening crack of bone breaking rang out.

"_Fuck_!"

Izuku squeezed his eyes shut and it took him several seconds to realize he had elbowed Nakamura directly in the face with full strength. Izuku whirled around when the large body pinning him down stumbled backwards. He watched petrified as Nakamura clutched his bleeding nose and fell to the ground.

Green eyes frantically bulged in horror when he looked down at the dark blood that trickled all over his light blue shirt. His breath hitched in fear over the reality of what was happening all too fast.

"You ungrateful little shit," Nakamura hissed in a low voice as he clutched his face in throbbing pain. "You're just like your goddamn mother—fucking shallow. Consider yourself _fired_."

The word 'fired' burned into Izuku's skull and he felt tears start to spill out at the loss of his job. He shook his head desperately and tried to apologize.

"I'm sorry—please, no. You can't do that to me—"

"—Yes, I _can _and I just did," Nakamura glared up at him and Izuku felt himself flinch at the hatred in his eyes. "You just assaulted your captain out of rage for giving you paperwork, detective. I don't know how well that's going to hold up if you go to HR. Especially when I tell them about your little _habit_. It'll be your word against mine."

"That's not fair! Y-You can't just lie like that, I earned this position—"

"—You should've thought about that months ago," the captain spoke coldly, lifting himself off the ground. He pulled his hand back and both him and Izuku winced at the sight of blood pooling in his palm.

Nakamura's dark, spiteful eyes dug into him and Izuku felt himself come undone at the seams.

"Get out of my precinct, you goddamn slut."

. . .

Izuku staggered back to the apartment shaken, eyes bloodshot red. His body was strung tight when a stranger had bumped into him and it caused Izuku to violently flinch away. The man apologized but was taken back by Izuku's disheveled appearance and the specks of dark red blood all over his light blue shirt.

_Safety—I need safety_—

Izuku wanted to rip his skin off his body as he thought about the disgusting warm body that was just pressed on to his. He felt the sting of hot tears in his eyes beckoning to be let out. With a trembling hand, he tore open the apartment door and felt himself start to choke back sobs.

"M-Mirio—" Izuku weakly called out into the dark apartment. He walked over to his friends door and knocked on it. "Mirio, are you awake? I-I need your help, something happened—" he tried to explain but his voice cracked.

He laid his tired head against the door waiting for his friend's comfort. He just wanted to feel safe and he needed to tell someone what happened. The loss of his job weighed down heavy on the freckled man because he knew it was one of the only things holding him together.

"Mirio, please open up," he sobbed. "I'm sorry, _please_."

Izuku heard the shuffling of the bed and the blond's heavy footsteps coming to the door. Izuku let himself softly cry against the white painted wood. He braced himself for the door to open and for Mirio to bring him into a caring embrace.

But he got the locking of a door instead.

Izuku's world stopped at the sound.

He lifted his shaky hand to try to open the bedroom door—but he was shut out. Izuku's crying got harder as he fiddled the silver handle that didn't open up for him. The greenette took two steps back, shocked by the blatant action that screamed 'go away' and he felt confused, lost, and hurt.

But above all, Izuku felt alone.

He looked around in the dark and all he heard was the howling of the harsh summer winds rattling the windows.

Then his phone pinged in his pocket.

**[Itsuka]: Hey bb, are you still working late? You should come take a break with me for an hour! You need a break 3 **

Izuku clutched his phone tightly to his chest before backing away from Mirio's door and heading out into the howling night.

. . .

Izuku walked into the bar, eyes puffy and red and Itsuka nearly dropped the bottle of whiskey she was pouring for a man with black hair at the bar. Izuku didn't pay him any mind, keeping his head down as his vision blurred with tears.

The loud music overwhelmed the recently let go officer but he found a strange comfort of safety in his usual spot as the ginger woman flocked over to him.

"_Izuku_!? Why are you crying!?" Itsuka gasped loudly as she looked at him closely.

She inspected his clothes and eyes went wide at the droplets of blood. Immediately, she rushed him to take a seat one over from the man she was just pouring a drink for. Izuku let the tears come pouring out as he slumped in the bar stool, exhausted.

He tried to open his mouth to explain but got stopped by a sob that came out instead. Without being prompted, Itsuka held his hand and rubbed his back to steady him.

"Just breathe for me, Izuku," she whispered, teal eyes looking at him dearly. "You're safe here, okay? You're safe with me." She hushed and Izuku squeezed her hand tightly. She had come to know Izuku's panic attacks and leaned in fully with the sisterly touch as she hushed him and brought him back down with warm embrace.

Izuku lifted his free hand to weakly hug Itsuka back and slowly his breathing returned to a normal pace as he calmed down.

"Do you want to talk about it? You don't have to if you don't want to," Itsuka asked. She pulled back to look down at Izuku in the barstool and reached over to grab a napkin to wipe the tears from his face. "I can pour you your favorite if you want, no charge."

"I got fired," Izuku whispered as Itsuka cleaned his face. Her hand froze mid-action and her eyes bulged.

"W-What?" She exclaimed, voice inflecting upwards. "Between the time you texted me at 10:30pm and now? You got _fired_? How?!"

"I broke my captain's nose," Izuku mumbled.

His eyes glazed over looking at all the people inside the nightclub dancing and singing along to the loud song. He felt oddly numb as he watched them all dance in their joyous spirit while he wallowed in the fact the only thing keeping him going was just brutally ripped out of his life.

"Izuku...Izuku _what_—there has to be more to that," Itsuka pushed, looking at him concerned. "You wouldn't hurt anyone if there wasn't a good reason behind it."

"I broke his nose after he tried to force himself on me," Izuku explained hollowly, still focusing on the dancing men and women. "He said it would be my word against his, then called me a slut as he fired me."

"Are you shitting me? That sleaze bag of a captain tried to _rape_ you?!"

The sudden sound of a glass shattering caught both of their attention.

Both Izuku and Itsuka whipped their heads towards the alarming noise. There they found the source as the stranger with black hair and biker gloves clutching his bleeding hand with his face turned away from them. Izuku raised his eyebrows in shock when he realized that the man had broken the thick glass in his bare hands from holding it too tightly.

An indescribable chill settled into Izuku's core when he vaguely recognized the back of the man by the sliver of purple burns showing on his neck. It was the same faceless, nameless guy from his twenty second birthday nearly a year ago who had 'powerful friends.'

The stranger hung his head away from Izuku, concealing his face with his dark bangs as he stood up and turned his back fully to Izuku. Izuku silently watched as Itsuka hurried over to the tall, bleeding stranger and quickly ordered her coworker to clean up the spilled alcohol that was mixing in with dark red liquid.

Itsuka walked to the back of the bar for the first aid kit but Izuku found himself curiously studying the burns on the back of the man's ears. Bloodshot emerald eyes assessed the back of the man as he pulled out what Izuku presumed to be a black mouth mask and put it on. The stranger straightened out his ash-grey turtleneck and plain black leather jacket.

The raven-like man kept his head hung low as he walked past Izuku holding his bleeding hand tightly. Then Izuku's world felt like it stopped moving when the stranger paused near him for a second as if he was about to say something.

But nothing happened.

The man released his hands and let the blood flow freely. It dripped down onto the floor drop by drop, splattering onto the floor and it made the dark wood look as if a slaughter had occurred.

Then, without waiting for help, the faceless stranger walked out the door of the dark club as if some divine spirit had suddenly called upon him. The door swung open and the howling wind flooded into the club. The breeze rustled all the papers posted on the wall and Izuku's hair softly swayed along with it.

"Uh, where did he go?" Itsuka huffed when she came back with the red and white first aid kit.

"He just...left?" Izuku whispered confused as he furrowed his brows. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the closed door when he felt a strange feeling bubble up inside of him.

Something about the man felt familiar.

. . .

"Izuku, I'm so sorry," Mirio pleaded the next morning when they finally had a chance to sit down and talk. "I didn't know that's what's happened—that's terrible. I-I just thought it was another one-night stand gone wrong."

The blond had a guilt written expression all over his face when he woke up in the morning to Izuku coming back from the station in plain clothing, badgeless. Mirio had quizzed Izuku on why he was back home so early from the station and Izuku bitterly informed him that he had been been forced to resign for self defense against sexual assault.

"It's fine," Izuku whispered, holding the most recent rose left at the doorstep in his hand. He reread the message on it depressed, not understanding what it meant and too tired to decipher it.

"_I think it's time for me to come back for you."_

There was no signature or beautiful rhythm to it this time. Izuku stared down at the white rose for what it was in that moment: a reflection of his actions and an unhealthy coping mechanism that spiraled out of control.

He sighed and looked at his roommate with crestfallen eyes. "I'm sorry my track record made you believe that was the case and you deserve better than someone who uses you as a crutch. So...I-I think we should stop having sex."

Mirio's blue eyes stretched wide. "W-What? Why?"

"Last night made me realize I wasn't being fair to you. You want a relationship but—" A vision of Touya flashed in Izuku's head and his heart clenched painfully. "—I can't give you that. I-I can't give it to _anyone_. Look at me, Mirio. I'm a _mess_. I don't want to give you false hope that I might be able to give you what you so obviously need one day because I just don't know when I'll be ready to be with someone in that way."

"Izuku, no," Mirio rushed out and sat down next to him on the couch. The nervous blond plucked the pure white rose out of Izuku's hand and placed it gently on the table in front of them. "It's okay. I just was really in my emotions last night and I thought you were lying to me. I'm sorry for what I said and accusing you wrongly like that."

"That's fine and I accept your apology but I'm serious this time, Mirio," Izuku repeated, looking into the saddened eyes of his friend. "I'm going to start seeing a therapist so I think we really should stop—"

Both of them halted their conversation at the abrupt loud sound of police sirens coming from the television. They both turned to the news playing out in front of them and what they saw caused a lump in both of their throats.

"We're coming to you live from a terrifying scene in downtown Yaizu," the anchor woman said with a look of horror on her face.

She stood in front of a devastating scene that neither of them expected to see so early in the morning. Izuku's precinct was up in flames and there were dozens of fire trucks trying to dull the flames. But they burned on and on in the most fearsome fire that either Izuku or Mirio had seen.

"The 7th street precinct was bombed and the flames are catching quicker than anything anyone has witnessed in years. Firemen are scrambling as the Captain, Nakamura Reo, is apparently locked inside his office because of the lock being jammed. People are wondering if this is the return of _The Incinerator_, an arson weapon that terrorized Yaizu nearly three years ago."

Izuku's heart plummeted out of his body when he heard a name from his past haunt him like an undying ghost.

_The Incinerator._

Izuku stared on in horror as the building he was _just_ inside of began to collapse on itself.

Neither roommate said a word as they watched firemen successfully rescue a shaken Nakamura. The elder man's eyes were full of fear and he sustained deep burns all over his body.

Wide green eyes wearily looked down at the purity colored rose on the table in a terrible new light.

"_I think it's time for me to come back for you."_

The air shifted and Izuku felt his skin crawl like ants were creeping up his legs. Without warning, the feeling that there was an underlying foreboding meaning behind the message twisted Izuku's gut in several knots.

He pictured Tomura's sinister smile and jumped to the conclusion that the gang leader somehow found out about Izuku's involvement in clearing Yaizu of dirty cops. His feet iced over in fear at the thought of them going back on their word to keep him alive.

The memories of gunshots, screams, blood and flames returned to him.

Izuku without a doubt knew those raging, spiteful flames were calling out for him.

. . .

The next time Toshinori came to visit him and Mirio, Izuku got him alone and said something that would change both his life and many others.

"Toshinori…I may be in trouble," Izuku had whispered behind closed doors. He held up the white rose with the cryptic message on it for the tall man to see. "I think All For One might be coming for me."

Toshinori's kind blue eyes hardened when Izuku broke and told the truth of his involvement with the deadly gang.

He spilled out the depths of his soul about dating someone involved with them unknowingly and being the one to overhear about the police-bombing threat. He told him how he lost three people he loved in the fire and not just two.

Then he told him about how he was forced to collect money for All For One and that the string of robberies was him and the man he dated his sophomore year in University. Izuku shakily confessed that Makinohara was punishment for his anonymous tip ratting out the bombing and not his father's bust like so many believed.

But right as he was about to confess to building The Incinerator, Toshinori put his hand up and stopped him.

"That's enough Izuku," Toshinori whispered harshly. "The less I know the better."

"But there's something else—"

"I'm serious, Izuku. The less I know the better. I heard all I need to understand you were forced and abused by gang members into committing crimes you wanted absolutely no part in because you were threatened. And on top of that, you saved both me and my son's lives by stopping that bombing."

The noble captain stared determinedly at the rose in Izuku's hands.

"I once promised your parents that I would protect you if anything happened to them," Toshinori whispered, balling his hands into a fist. "I made a vow to serve and protect when I became an officer and right now, Izuku, I am going to protect you. If the Shigarakis want you, they're going to have to go through _me_. I'm sick of them ruining lives left and right like everyone else are insects beneath their feet."

"What should I do?"

"You're coming to Shizuoka City with me and starting over. I'll be damned if they think they can just keep hurting you." Toshinori gave him a very serious expression as he stood up and assessed the white rose closely. "Tell no one about your involvement with them, do you hear me? If we can avoid it, it's best that this stays buried."

Izuku nervously nodded.

"You'll be safer out of their territory and under my watch full time. They don't step foot in Shizuoka City due to it being another drug lord of equal power's so called territory. Plus, I just got an opening for a new detective. It could be a chance for a new beginning."

And that was the end of Izuku's chapter in Yaizu.

He packed up his belongings with full intentions of moving out of All For One's clutches and never looking back—no matter how painful it was.

He told Mirio that Toshinori convinced him to come to Shizuoka City after his 23rd birthday to take the new detective position. Mirio objected and begged Izuku to stay, but the greenette knew in his heart that he couldn't. There were too many ashes in Yaizu and Izuku was putting himself in danger by staying.

Izuku almost relaxed because the potential of a clean slate felt..._good_.

Itsuka had smiled and hugged him. She told him that he needed to visit but Izuku didn't know how to tell her that he probably could never come back to his beloved hometown because of a ruthless drug lord.

Izuku visited his parents' graves one last time, buying them red roses and turned away from their tombstones with a heavy heart.

As he packed up the last of his items in the moving van with Toshinori, the dejected green eyed man couldn't help but ask to make one last stop on his way out.

Toshinori parked the van outside of his childhood home that was overgrown with dark green vines and the same worn down blue 'For Sale' sign that had been sitting in the front yard for three years. He opened the rusted black fence to wander into the backyard and looked woefully at the thick weeds that overtook the once beautiful rose-garden.

He said goodbye to his home one last time.

He saw a vision of his mother calling out for him to come inside and his father sitting, reading in his patio chair all while a younger, unburnt version of himself potted flowers in the backyard.

Then slowly those happy memories turned to ash and faded away in front of him. It was then that Izuku knew it was time to let go. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his rose jacket and ignored the howling wind that blew his hair wistfully in the breeze.

Hanging his head down, the crestfallen man ignored the painful pull in his chest as he walked away from his home for what felt truly like the last time.

"Are you ready? You can take all the time you need." Toshinori reassured him but Izuku shook his head and in return gave a melancholy filled smile.

"It's okay, I said all my goodbyes. I'm ready."

He looked once more at the blue 'For Sale' sign and pried his eyes forward, because that's all that he could do now. Emerald colored eyes looked at the long road ahead of him and studied the beautiful dusk orange sky with a bittersweet appreciation.

"Alright then, let's go to Shizuoka City, Izuku. You're going to love it there." Toshinori grinned and patted him on the shoulder. "I actually think you'll get along really well with the lieutenant of my precinct. He's a lot like you."

"Well, I can't wait to meet him then."

Izuku smiled at the prospect of a new beginning.

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Notes:

I hope you guys enjoyed! Next chapter is Izuku's POV of everything and the big BakuDeku reunion! Please let me know what you think below, this is oddly one of my favorite chapters to have written out of everything. It was nice to finally show Izuku's development and how his past has shaped him :)

Thanks so much for reading!


	20. Embers

Hello! Happy Double update! I bring you the last ultra-beef chapter to catch the POV up to speed (23,900 words, the longest chapter I've ever dropped? Have I lost my mind? Possibly! Thank you quarantine!)

First off, big thank you to nmatthews on AO3 for betaing like always! Check out her stories if you haven't already, she writes beautifully and I love her :)

Alrighty! Here we go! Buckle up!

**Warnings: This is basically a recap of the story from Izuku's POV that goes into present time so not everything is touched on and there are scenes that aren't fully in Katsuki's POV. This is mainly because in my mind I think different things stand out to different people so things that stand out to Izuku are different than the things that stand out to Katsuki :)**

* * *

**Chapter 20 - Embers**

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Izuku was twenty-three when he first encountered the man with ember-like eyes.

Katsuki had turned out to be someone in Izuku's life that he never saw coming. He flooded in like a cool river into Izuku's life and watered his wilting soul in more ways than the rose lover could describe with the words he knew.

If he had to meet Katsuki all over again, Izuku wouldn't change a thing.

Izuku had resigned himself to the idea of never finding love again after Touya, especially when Toshinori moved him into the small apartment on Uchi Street. The tiny living space was half the size of the ones he had shared with Touya and Mirio and did nothing to help the growing pains that blossomed due to being away from his hometown.

He felt undeniably alone in this large, unfamiliar city.

But it was Izuku's new reality, and he had to adjust to it. He appreciated the apartment for its safety. It was in the middle of a very popular living district and between two other police stations. It was also extremely close in proximity to Toshinori.

Izuku admittedly felt secure. It was strangely comforting to know that All For One had an underlying feud with the powerful drug lord of Shizuoka City, Yotsubashi Rikiya.

But it didn't stop his nerves from kicking in that first night he moved in. The summer night's harsh winds blew fiercely against his windows that fateful Friday night. The glass on the windows rattled and the echoing sound of them reminded Izuku he was by himself on a mattress in the unfurnished apartment. The greenette nervously jittered his leg at the feeling, his body shouted for him to go out into the Friday night life to remedy his loneliness with his go-to fix.

But Izuku pushed it down the best he could.

He had decided a clean slate meant _clean_.

No more sleeping with his coworkers and no more using other people as emotional crutches. Nope. He wasn't going to do it anymore. He started his first therapy session next week and Izuku was determined to start facing his problems head on.

The wind blew louder and the greenette groaned into his pillow out of frustration. His body itched for that sweet euphoric release that allowed him to forget and he found himself caving quicker than he expected.

"Just one more time," he whispered to himself as he climbed out of bed, pushing down his shame. "This can be a special occasion. Moving is hard for anyone."

He reinforced himself as he threw on his red sneakers, rose jacket and the tightest pair of black pants he owned that almost always guaranteed him a good lay.

But when he walked into the nearest bar, he wasn't anticipating locking eyes with the most striking, burning irises he'd ever seen.

His heart did a strange flip.

The greenette ignored it, writing it off as conditioned excitement—and he was partially correct. When those same intense red eyes followed his trail across the bar, Izuku was convinced that the handsome blond would be going home with him. Just judging by the lust in his eyes and the way the stranger's muscles bulged in his black t-shirt, Izuku knew that man would fuck him exactly how he craved.

Or—at least that's what he thought would happen.

"Not interested kid, you got the wrong idea," the perfectly raspy voice quipped at him. The blond man turned away from him like he was annoyed and sipped his bloody mary.

Izuku blinked and had to pause for a moment because he never had someone check him out _that_ hard and then just shoo him away. Maybe he was just playing hard to get? Banter could be seen as a form of foreplay and Izuku was always game for foreplay.

But the more Izuku tried his best to flirt, the more the damn man wasn't budging.

The grumpy blond stayed rooted in his stance that he was most definitely _not_ interested in Izuku and it felt like the biggest slap to the face.

Izuku internally groaned and told himself that this was karma for giving into his addiction so easily. He was supposed to be starting over for kami's sake. Yet here he was: embarrassing himself in front of this attractively scowling man, not even his second night in the city.

The orphan felt himself start to resign to a sullener mood at the thought and decided to give up trying to sleep with the blond. He clearly wasn't budging, and this was Izuku's first rejection pre-scar reveal.

Instead, Izuku fed his loneliness by making conversation with the stranger. That's all it came down to he figured: conversation or sex—at least he wasn't alone in that unfamiliar apartment.

Izuku figured he'd never see the man again and it was so obvious the handsome blond was hung up on someone—much like Izuku.

But when he asked, the blond just retorted with something that burned into Izuku's brain.

"Me and her are way in the past but...that's the start of the issue, I guess. My stupid ass broken heart caused a lot of trouble and now I can't reverse the damage it's done."

The words spoke to his core as he thought about the tragedy of his life that led him to this bar in Shizuoka City, of all places. Touya's hometown.

A memory of Touya dancing with him in their bedroom flashed in his head. He softly heard the redhead's voice calling out his name with a smile and laugh. His heart unfairly longed because he knew he'd never be able to hear Touya's voice again.

At the sudden bittersweet memory, Izuku accidentally let his bountiful sadness slip through the seams of his well-constructed emotional mask.

"Hearts are...complicated things. They always make a mess."

Too busy in his mind, Izuku never noticed the subtle soft look the stranger with burning ember eyes gave him.

"Y'know, it always perplexed me: how much love consumes and destroys us before we even recognize what's happening. Then, unfortunately, by the time we do notice...we've already been incinerated down to ashes by the havoc it's caused."

Heavy silence followed and it caused Izuku to panic when he realized he just said what was scratching in his mind loose. The shocked stare from the stranger didn't help and it made Izuku quickly gather himself to rebound far _far_ away from that part of his grief.

The lonely young adult shoved his precious memories back inside the dusty cabinet in the bottom of his heart and safely pinned his plastic smile on his face.

But those intense eyes didn't seem to be phased by the well-rehearsed smile.

Izuku felt his heart tell him this was a mistake when he was rejected one more time.

The flustered green-eyed man took his leave, heading over to another guy who was seemingly interested in his assets. But the entire time the other man talked, Izuku could feel the red-eyed blond staring at him rather hard.

Izuku admittedly felt embarrassed by the judgmental gaze coupled with the fact he let some random guy trigger his memories about Touya.

Izuku tried his best to keep it together and quickly decided he needed space away from the blond. There was an itch in his body that felt ashamed and soon he rushed out with the next sex-partner to be that was smiling too hard at him.

However, when it came time for Izuku to invite the stranger into his new apartment, he couldn't shake the feeling of eyes as bright as embers burning into him. Something had shifted in the air and Izuku had noticed the dull itch in his heart for company subdued and he had no idea why.

Was it the conversation about heartbreak? Or was it the judgmental nature of intensely colored eyes?

Izuku's entire world stopped for a split second when he realized that was the first time that this ever happened to him.

Suddenly, the cloud of lust in his mind cleared as he stared at his wooden door. His hazy mind focused long enough to consider that this wasn't how he wanted to start over. He turned around to the man he had dragged with him and gave a sympathetic smile.

"I'm so sorry," he apologized with a grimace. "This might have been a mistake? I'll pay for your cab ride back."

The stranger was surprised and left with a few choice words—but the greenette found himself unable to care. He couldn't bring himself to bed another stranger like he thought. The shame from the rejection riddled his body along with the thoughts of Touya.

Izuku stared at his new apartment door and decided that he needed to learn how to be alone.

So, he spent the rest of the weekend just like that: forcefully alone.

He went shopping for furniture, food, and clothes to start his new life. The sex addict pushed through his urges despite how painful it was for him. Instead of sleeping with someone, Izuku poured out his soul into a painting of himself that he felt reflected what was inside his mind—the part that he always ignored so diligently.

The artist painted himself glancing down, holding his chest and looking directly at his red bleeding heart that was encompassed by three flames. Each flame represented the loved one he lost to the flames.

His mom. His dad. Touya.

Izuku took several steps back from the wet canvas when he finished. He felt a strange lightness, but also a strange sadness from diving in that deeply into his emotions. Izuku tried his best to consider it a better outlet and decided to open himself up through his art. That weekend he started sketching more things that related to his grief. He wrote poems to purge his mind and he started feeling his thoughts somewhat clearer.

He almost felt like sending the nameless stranger with ember eyes a thank you card for bringing him back down to reality long enough to make the painting.

But it felt like a silly thought because there was no way he'd run into the handsome blond again.

Not in a place as large as Shizuoka City. They probably would never see each other again, which Izuku was thankful for. He could save himself the embarrassment of rejection and having to awkwardly meet the all-too-handsome man who wasn't interested in him again.

Which is why Izuku felt like he _had_ to be cursed when he walked into the Uchimizu Ave precinct for the first time.

Standing right there like a dutiful soldier was the stranger with embers in his eyes.

And on top of that he was his lieutenant.

_Fuck_.

. . .

Bakugou Katsuki.

That was his name and Izuku felt like he could've tossed himself into the pits of fire willingly. Not only was the man his boss but he was his supervisor for training. Yup. Izuku was cursed. Izuku felt doomed and repeatedly damned himself for going out that Friday.

He nearly screwed his higher up and almost set himself up for a repeat of Yaizu.

Izuku didn't want that in the slightest. He wanted a normal life and he wanted to be friends without the benefits with his coworkers. Plus, if Friday had told him anything, it seemed like meaningful conversation helped ease his ailment somewhat. So maybe—just maybe—he could be acquaintances with Bakugou and everyone at U.A.

However, when Izuku laid eyes on the man Bakugou dubbed as 'half and half bastard' he couldn't help himself but to naturally flirt. He was extremely good looking and something about him drew Izuku naturally to him because old habits die hard.

Then Shouto's surname dropped.

_Todoroki_.

All the pieces clicked together in the worst possible way and he quickly felt nauseous.

Touya had a brother in law enforcement that he sometimes talked about—that he mentioned while they were in Makinohara trying to escape the building—where they were _supposed_ to go.

Izuku felt his heart drop to the floor as he studied the profile of Shouto's face that evening. He _did_ look like Touya somewhat.

His mind played out one of the many alternative timelines he used to daydream about: the one where he and Touya somehow ran away together to Shizuoka City. It was a daydream where they stayed with his youngest brother, far away from All For One. The timeline where he imagined Touya's brother would help Touya turn his life around.

A timeline where they were almost happy—one that wasn't true.

Izuku cocooned into his being when he realized he would never be able to escape the past. He had run into another Todoroki and he felt more guilt than ever sitting next to Shouto. He couldn't bring himself to look the sergeant in the eye after it sunk in that he was the reason the man's brother was dead.

Touya died protecting him—and Shouto must've felt that grief as well.

After that evening, despite the welcoming atmosphere, Izuku couldn't bring himself to be around Shouto too much. He asked Bakugou for a ride back to avoid seeing that turquoise colored eye that perfectly matched Touya's.

He clung to the back of his lieutenant's frame on the ride back from dinner that Monday. Being on the back of a motorcycle reminded the greenette of all the times he would ride with his first love.

Izuku felt haunted by the ghost of the fiery redhead. Despite moving cities, all the triggers were still there—and now he had to somehow navigate working with _Todoroki_ _Shouto_.

Then he was reunited with Shindo Yo of all people. The brunette had lost touch with him after graduation, not that Izuku minded. But the young detective didn't expect him to take a turn down the road of being a jewel thief.

Izuku knew he had to be cursed. First Touya's brother, then seeing his least favorite casual sex partner. What more could spill over from Yaizu?

As if an unforgiving deity heard him, the biggest trigger of all dropped on his second day: an arsonist came into town.

The man had asked for Katsuki and it seemed to be a personal vendetta. He demanded the lieutenant to use his brains to figure out what he wanted like a strange game. Izuku remembered standing there with all the U.A officers perplexed when the one thing Izuku feared happened directly in front of him:

The bank went up in flames.

"Get down!" Bakugou yelled and immediately threw himself onto Izuku and used his body to cage in the smaller one for protection.

The four large vibrations transported Izuku back to Makinohara and all the terror came with it. His mind slipped into a horrifying reliving of being trapped inside the inferno when the heat from the flames could be felt against his skin.

He clung onto what he thought was Touya, trying to save him again and begging him not to leave him. But then slowly red hair slowly faded into blond and blue eyes were suddenly the colors of embers as he came to.

When the burn-victim calmed down, Izuku felt embarrassed to the point he couldn't show his face.

"You can stay in here," Toshinori said with a sad hint in his voice. He led Izuku into his office and closed the door with a heavy sigh after they all cleared the scene.

"I didn't know I would react like that," Izuku whispered, too filled with shame to lift his head. "Really, I had no clue my body would shut down..."

Toshinori just patted his shoulder and bowed down to his height. "Recovery from something you went through takes time and no one could've seen that coming. You were caught off guard. Just stay here until you stop shaking while I go handle the rest of the squad."

Izuku nodded slowly, looking down at his trembling hands.

He hadn't known being that close in proximity to flames would trigger his mind to go that far under. Izuku sat alone in Toshinori's office waiting for his body to stop the tremors while everyone was downstairs debriefing about the arson attack. His mind wondered if this was the Shigarakis who decided to come for him—but it didn't make sense.

It wasn't Shigarakis' style to do things in a showboating kind of way nor waste a building full of money.

They operated slyly under the surface and they only killed when they saw fit. They wouldn't come to Shizuoka City just to play mind games with someone as insignificant as Izuku and risk pissing off the other drug lord. Especially after they told him they would dispose of him quietly.

This was the exact opposite.

Plus, the issue at hand of the man asking for Bakugou and not Izuku.

Izuku chalked it up to more bad luck as he carefully watched how Bakugou took the weight of blame on his shoulders. It worried Izuku to watch the serious man grow even more hard on himself as he isolated himself inside of his office and didn't leave for the rest of the day.

The gesture made Izuku worried because it felt too familiar.

. . .

The days passed by as he settled in at the U.A precinct and there was more tension between Katsuki and Izuku than the green-eyed man ever thought there would be.

Namely, it dangerously sparked between them during training for an undercover mission to save one of Shizuoka City's well-known captains.

He had been trying his best, sparring with Mina when Katsuki undermined him and it set Izuku off like dynamite.

"You're going too easy on him and I need to make sure we're not bringing someone along that's _weak_."

Something inside of the young detective snapped like a branch under too much pressure at the words. He heard Himiko, Tomura, and Touya's voices in his head all over again, taunting and putting him down.

Izuku remembered how much he sneered because nothing had been going correctly since he came here and he just wanted a fresh clean slate. He'd be damned if he let himself be set up to be called weak again—not after everything he survived.

Izuku had decided he was strong.

He repeatedly told himself he was because it was one of the few things that kept the greenette going like embers burning after a fire that still survived from nearly being extinguished.

Those red colored eyes looked down on him with judgement again and Izuku bristled when the tension mixed in with an indistinguishable feeling.

But the warmth of Bakugou's larger body tousling with his accidentally brought to life that deep seeded need Izuku had been ignoring for the past week.

He gritted his teeth through the feeling when he could feel himself get unwillingly excited as Bakugou wedged himself between his legs then ground down in an _extremely_ dominant manner. Little flickers of heat twitched all over at the intoxicating sensation of the larger man's pelvis against his. Why? Well, because he could easily feel, er..._Katsuki_ through his pants—and the man wasn't even hard. Which spoke _volumes_.

But Izuku bottled it in and bit his lip to stop his mind from thinking about what Katsuki had going between his legs. He put all his energy in proving himself because he needed to show that he wasn't going to be pushed around—_no_. Not any longer.

And when he finally had the lieutenant pinned, Izuku made it a point to hammer in a fact about him that everyone needed to know:

"I'm not weak," he hissed directly in the blond's face, trapping the elder man's wrist above his head.

Izuku tried his best to ignore the heat simmering under his skin at the feeling of Bakugou's well defined chest flush against his and how their labored breathing matched in pace. Those burning eyes locked onto his and Izuku felt something spark like a thousand flames.

Then the man did something that nearly snapped Izuku's self-control in half.

"Good," Bakugou had rasped out in the lowest voice Izuku ever heard. "_I don't like weak_."

The velvet vocals caressed Izuku's inner need straight awake. He felt himself nearly whine with need as he looked too long at the sharp, alluring features. Izuku had no clue hearing _that_ would be as much of a turn on as it was—but it did things to him he wasn't expecting.

Izuku's breathing quickly became shallow when the imagery of Bakugou using his large, rough hands to flip him over, slowly pull his pants down and—

—_Stop_.

Izuku snatched himself off his superior as if he was on fire when he felt himself grow hard.

_Damnit, Izuku. Off limits. He's off limits. You cannot sleep with your higher ups anymore—_

The greenette quickly reprimanded himself when he could feel his body burn and he got too excited. He cursed himself for his past when he realized this was the longest, he had gone without getting laid in three years—_a week_. Izuku huffed as he pulled on his hair when he felt like he might begin to go crazy.

But that was just the start.

There was something about Bakugou that kept drawing Izuku in. Originally, he thought it was just budding sexual tension. It was dripping off of them with the way he would catch his lieutenant casually staring at him as if trying to piece him together like a puzzle.

However, it was something more.

When they went on the undercover mission together, Izuku kept himself in place and tried not to let himself be distracted by the overt attractiveness of Bakugou. But it was interesting to watch his ash blond hair catch the sunlight and it made his sharp features almost seem soft—a strange comparison to his serious, hard personality.

But it was even more interesting to watch the dutiful man somewhat loosen up in the rain with him.

Izuku danced but he felt something change as he listened to the laughter of his workaholic supervisor for the first time.

And it was beautiful.

It stunned Izuku to hear Katsuki laugh and it reminded him of a sweet, soft lullaby. He stared on in surprise at the blond who was now drenched head to toe in the rain. Izuku found that he couldn't tear his eyes away as he watched the way the water formed around Katsuki's tanned skin and wet his hair to give him a softer look.

Then there were his eyes.

They stared on at him right back and there was a gentleness lying beneath them that Izuku didn't anticipate.

If Izuku could describe it, he would describe it as the tender sensation of cool rain against his skin. And that's exactly what Katsuki turned out to be—as gentle as water. There was no spark of lust as Izuku looked on to Katsuki that day in the rain. Just curiosity.

He observed the blond carefully and was impressed at how he was determined to not only rescue Aizawa but how diligently he was at making sure not to harm others—not even criminals.

Then they kissed in the alley for the sake of the undercover mission and Izuku felt himself wade deeper into Katsuki's ocean.

If there was anything Izuku would describe as feeling Katsuki's lips against his, it would be the refreshing feeling of sweet water after a long drought.

They rescued Aizawa that evening and Izuku found himself unwillingly intrigued by Katsuki in the upcoming week. The blond pushed his limits in training, not going easy on Izuku and it was so refreshing to be treated with higher expectations.

However, as time progressed, Izuku found that Katsuki also held himself up to rigorous, hardcore standards.

It turned out the blond lieutenant was hellbent on working himself to death. There was a similar workaholic air to him that Izuku recognized in himself but unlike Izuku, Bakugou never allowed himself any fun.

Not an ounce.

Izuku asked around about the stickler behavior, because he could sense there was an underlying sadness coupled with it that felt all too familiar. But what he found out broke his heart to hear.

"He was the detective that fumbled the Hero Killer case four years ago," Kirishima whispered with a sad look. "Bakugou beats himself up a lot for it. He blames himself heavily for the ten deaths of the officers and kinda carries it with him."

"But that's not his fault entirely. He didn't make the Hero Killer murder them," Izuku whispered back, looking over his shoulder at Katsuki hunkered down in his office. "He's been this way for _four_ years?"

"Yeah, hasn't eased up a bit," Kirishima mumbled with a sigh. "His girlfriend of four years had broken up with him that night and he was really distracted when he input the coordinates for the next strike. So, he hasn't dated since and hasn't allowed himself much leeway for mistakes—in both aspects of his life. Work or relationships. He's very much a 'get it right the first time or fuck off' type of guy."

Izuku remembered frowning deeply when he heard that. He studied the tension in the lieutenant's shoulders that day and Izuku felt his heart clench for him.

Suddenly everything made sense—a heartbreaking amount of sense.

"_My stupid ass broken heart caused a lot of trouble and now I can't reverse the damage it's done."_

That night after the conversation with Kirishima, Izuku laid in his bed. His head was full of Katsuki and the man's dejected, simmering ember colored eyes.

He noted how they matched his constant glowering and he began to notice that the lieutenant never left the precinct on time—always the last out the door.

The lonely greenette twiddled his thumbs until a thought came to mind. He had wanted to figure out a way to be Bakugou's friend and fill the emptiness of his life with the amazing people at U.A, so maybe—just maybe—he could help Katsuki loosen up a bit? If the stubborn blond would let him.

It would be a shame for him to go on living his life like this when Izuku had learned firsthand to make the most of the moments you have. Right? It couldn't hurt.

Despite what Izuku read to be sexual tension, it seemed like Katsuki truly wasn't interested in him in that way. The man had rejected him—rather harshly too. And based on what Kirishima said, he had no intentions of opening himself up to dating again.

Which made Katsuki a safe option in the love fearing Izuku's eyes. So, he found himself set on the idea.

Which is why he invited the man over his apartment when he got the chance.

He knew he was tipping a very fragile line, but he didn't want to leave the blond to his own devices when Izuku could offer him food, a TV, and desserts. It had been a long time since he cooked for anyone anyways.

The younger detective had a hunch that his higher up didn't really cook. Well, not a hunch. He noticed that the blond rarely packed lunches and the ones he did pack were half put together in a sloppy way.

It made Izuku's inner Midoriya twist with the need to at least offer the man a decent hot meal that was handled with care. His mother would be downright appalled to know someone as hard-working as Katsuki was not eating correctly nor was he even trying to.

Hell, it appalled _him_.

So, he made something he thought the spicy-food-lover would love and Izuku felt full of comfort with someone else in his tiny apartment. He was happy to have the warmth of another body next to him on the couch and he was even happier to have the company in his lonely living space.

The strange security Katsuki radiated lulled Izuku into a quick sleep, the first good rest he had gotten since moving to Shizuoka City.

It wasn't until nearly 3:00am he had been woken up by the feeling of a large body leaned against him. When Izuku blinked open his sleepy eyes, there in his line of vision, slumped against him was a drowsy Katsuki. The man was clutching files in one hand with his red pen in the other and his glasses were lopsided, pushed down on his nose.

Izuku's heart did a flip at the sight. It was kind of..._cute_?

Curious green eyes studied how relaxed Katsuki looked without a scowl on his face and it made Izuku tilt his head to study him close. The lonely detective felt a small smile twitch onto his face as he tucked his superior safely in on his couch.

Izuku didn't have any nightmares that night when he went to bed.

. . .

There was so much about Katsuki that filled his mind after that night and Izuku told himself that it probably was just his habit kicking in. He could feel the simmering tension between him and Katsuki but attributed it to just his haziness for lust because Izuku was a lot of things, but he wasn't _blind_.

Anytime Katsuki walked away, Izuku couldn't help but watch his narrow hips in his dress pants or take note on how well his upper body holster fit him just right. Izuku wondered if the blond knew his shirts fit him that snugly or if he minded the fact that his chest and arm muscles were basically ready to burst through his lieutenant's uniform.

Izuku wanted to groan because it just wasn't fair that he was _exactly_ the height of Katsuki pecs.

Sometimes before sparring Katsuki would stare at him extra hard if he was wearing his stirrup leggings. Red eyes struggled to keep above Izuku's waistline while Izuku was struggling not to blatantly stare at Katsuki's chest while they were talking about cases during coffee breaks.

Which he failed at several times.

"My eyes are up here short stack," his lieutenant had grumbled at him one day, gesturing to his scowling face. Izuku blushed furiously and cleared his throat while mumbling apologies. After that, he chalked it up to strange sexual tension ignited by the sparring match that just never went away.

...A lot of it.

But a stranger thing was how Izuku still felt the sweet water kiss against his lips.

He would sometimes catch himself touching his lips thinking about it but dismissed the feeling. He was just going through a cold turkey phase right now, trying to beat his habit.

Or at least that's what he told his therapist when he explained his coping mechanism to her.

"So you sleep with people to feel less alone and prevent yourself from having nightmares?" She asked with a kind understanding smile on the first session. "Do you talk with your one-night stands in depth or do you try to keep the conversation light?"

"Only sometimes," Izuku informed her with a nervous jittering of his leg. "Most don't really want to get deeper than just being deep inside me."

"Do you think you're just lusting after your higher up right now?" She smiled, no judgement. "What if it's actually a small crush?"

Izuku stopped jittering his leg at the thought. A crush?

"I don't think so." He immediately shook his head because that didn't make sense. Izuku hadn't had a crush on anyone since he was fifteen. "I don't develop crushes on people, especially not after my last significant other passed away in the fire I told you about. I think my brain is just fixated on him because I had originally tried to sleep with him...but he rejected me."

"Well, try being his friend. You're allowed to be friends, correct?" She smiled and took more notes. "No harm can come from a friendship, and from what it sounds like, being around him helps with your nightmares it seems—no sex needed like with the others."

Izuku perked up a bit and nervously played with his hands at the idea. The police picnic was coming up and Izuku saw the window of opportunity so clear.

But then Mirio came to the picnic and snatched it away.

"I got you Izu! Don't worry," Mirio exclaimed when he fell down during touch football.

"I miss you a lot," he whispered when he and Izuku were alone. "You still don't look like you're getting a good amount of sleep. Do you need help?"

"You don't call me as frequently as you said you would," Mirio pushed with a sad look in his eyes that made Izuku feel guilty.

All the painfully obvious advancements made the greenette _cringe_ because his friend still didn't _understand_. He tried to privately explain to him again how he wasn't sleeping correctly because he wasn't sleeping with people, but Mirio squinted his eyes as if he didn't believe him.

Suddenly, just that undermining look from his closest friend made Izuku feel hesitant.

He could get past his coping mechanism, right? Izuku wearily doubted himself for a moment when Mirio told him that he didn't have to lie about still going out to bars like he had done many times before. But no matter how much Izuku tried to say he wasn't and was working on changing, Mirio didn't seem too convinced.

By the time the police picnic ended, Izuku felt sour and dejected.

He hadn't gotten the chance to talk to Katsuki all day and he was beginning to believe maybe he was fooling himself into thinking he could get better and actually make friends in the new city.

Right as he was about to spiral into his dark thoughts, the night perked up with actually getting alone time with Katsuki when the blond offered to drive him to the shoreline. Then it got better even more when he was able to get Katsuki to let loose a little bit and leave the helmets for his bike behind.

Watching Katsuki ride with the wind in his soft blond hair and a smile was a breathtaking visual that Izuku nearly wanted to frame.

The blond agreed to hang out after work and Izuku felt his heart soar even more. His excitement instantly made a long list of possible things for him and Katsuki to do because _finally_—he wouldn't be so alone in this empty feeling city. He felt more than ecstatic at the prospect of having a new friend.

But on the ride back to his apartment, Izuku got a reminder that someone was out to hurt Katsuki—and Izuku put him at risk.

The bullets whizzed past his head trying to land on the blond and Izuku fearfully held on tighter to the lieutenant. He could hear Katsuki curse and he feared that the shadowy rider could complete his goal of lodging a bullet in the blond's skull. Izuku felt his heart stop beating at the thought of watching another person die.

Thrashing pain ignited all over his body as they were launched off Ground Zero, heads hitting the grey cement hard. Izuku panicked when his vision drifted in and out, struggling to focus from the blunt hit to his skull but he had only one thought—

_Where's Katsuki? _

Ignoring the blood trickling down his forehead, the young officer tried to get up to protect the other with the strength he had. However, the dutiful lieutenant pushed him back down to the ground and shielded his body with his own. Izuku felt his blood run cold, looking up at the double vision of Katsuki protecting him and suddenly saw Touya protecting him.

Izuku wanted to yell out 'no' at the sudden thought of losing Katsuki so soon—it frightened him to death more than he imagined.

But then the mystery rider started laughing in that eerie distorted voice and said something rather strange.

"Well, isn't this _sweet_," the static filled voice spat. It came off like he was disgusted at the visual of Katsuki and Izuku together. "Not the turn I expected but not entirely surprised."

The words were bitter, resentful and there was an overlay of envy inside of them as the man pointed his gun. Izuku could sense the arsonist behind the helmet wasn't stable and gave into his emotions of rage unnaturally quickly.

Which made the man lethally dangerous and unpredictable.

Izuku watched as Katsuki's near-murderer got back onto his black bike and sped away with an unnerving amount of speed and skill. Then Katsuki had a full breakdown and it hurt Izuku's heart to see. The greenette tried to calm him down, but his own fear was potent in the air as well.

Without warning, Izuku's mind did what it did best—imagine alternative scenarios where his mistakes didn't nearly cost someone their life.

Izuku winced at the lack of helmets and realized if they had been wearing them, the arsonist wouldn't have been able to identify Katsuki.

And none of this would have happened.

. . .

Izuku steered far away from Katsuki after the near fatal encounter.

News articles slandering Katsuki's perfect 'Symbol of Victory' image were everywhere. Absolutely _everywhere_ and they took deep digs over and over. Izuku felt cursed. He nearly got Katsuki killed when the only thing he was trying to do was be his friend. On top of that terrible fact, he was now responsible for the media painting Katsuki in an irresponsible manner—which he was anything but.

Mirio had picked him up from the hospital and scolded him relentlessly. Izuku didn't say a word as he listened to his friend be concerned about him for very logical reasons. Izuku tried to apologize, but Mirio kept on hammering into his skull how irresponsible Izuku was and that he always left a mess in his reckless wake.

Izuku grew silent because he felt like it was true.

He looked down at his damaged left hand and studied how without the bandages, he could clearly see how ugly and disfigured his skin was. Staring at the scar, Izuku felt little hope for himself to truly get better as Mirio accused him of sleeping with Bakugou or least trying to.

Did he want to sleep with Bakugou? Izuku didn't know—but he couldn't deny there was something between them.

There was a strange pull towards the lieutenant that the greenette thought was just the desire to be friends—but what if it wasn't? Izuku spun around in circles in his head and wound up convinced that maybe he was deluding himself.

Mirio was right—a problem like his didn't just go away easily. He probably didn't even _like_ Bakugou, his body just wanted him to help him forget about his grief that he had yet to face straight on.

Izuku dreamed that night of sitting alone in a circle of fire. But instead of fear, he felt hopeless sadness that the flames didn't just take him as well. He could gaze past the thick wall of flames encasing him and see distant, hazy silhouettes of his parents in the mirage.

They were holding hands, waiting for him on the other side of the fire.

Izuku woke up that night feeling as if there was a weight heavy on his chest holding him down. He thought someone had laid a thousand stones over his heart—but it was just his sorrow suffocating him.

The orphan rolled over in his lonely bed and shed silent tears that night. The dream evoked all too familiar dark thoughts inside of his mind. Which is why when Mirio came to check in on him and they made eye contact—Izuku felt himself buckle into that part of him that hurt too much to think about his pain.

. . .

The next morning when Mirio left, Izuku was dejected as he showered off the leftover shame.

The casual sex partners had gotten into a heated argument in the morning with Izuku telling Mirio that he needed space to recover. The greenette hadn't meant for it to escalate but the more Mirio insisted that Izuku was being selfish, he felt himself snap.

The yelling resulted in Mirio leaving back to Yaizu in bitter spirits and Izuku left alone with the fact that he caved back into the one thing he didn't want to do.

"I think you should distance yourself from him," his therapist said with a tight tone when Izuku explained what happened. "He cares for you, but only to the extent that he wants you to recover in a fashion that still allows him access to you. He's holding out on hopes that you might view him romantically one day and it's beginning to be detrimental to your friendship."

Izuku remembered nodding, not having had seen it that way but she was right. He needed to fully distance himself from Mirio until he got a handle on things better and found himself not giving into sex so easily when he was having an episode.

So Izuku did that.

He limited himself talking to his friend despite the bittersweet feeling. Izuku distanced himself from Katsuki as well, feeling both too guilty and ashamed for an entire two weeks until the lieutenant waltzed straight up to his desk and asked him how he was doing.

Izuku was initially startled, not expecting Katsuki to even spare him a glance after the helmets but there he was—asking him to go out and do something. _Together_.

The lonely greenette wouldn't have guessed that those ember colored eyes would be looking at him in such a caring way, but they were. Then Katsuki asked for his number and Izuku felt himself blush.

It almost felt like Katsuki was asking him out on a date, but he knew better. The man didn't date.

Which meant he actually wanted to be Izuku's friend—and he made the first move to hang out as proper friends.

Izuku felt his smile return for the first time in two weeks.

. . .

Izuku was happier than he had been ever since he moved to Shizuoka City last month. The greenette found with the distance from Mirio he put a limit on his temptations. He stayed busy from going out to bars by filling up with art instead whenever he got that urge, just like the first night when he met Katsuki.

It was a healthier outlet and his therapist was happy to see him channeling it in a better way.

Time passed and Izuku made friends with everyone at U.A easier than he thought. He had been so excited about it and his therapist suggested he celebrate the upswing by throwing a party to finally break in his apartment.

More than eager about the idea, Izuku finished unpacking every last box until it almost felt like a home to him. It was the start of something Izuku felt excited for because after the first rocky month, he finally felt like he was settling in.

Between Ochaco texting him memes, Momo always willing to show him tips and tricks and Kirishima laughing with him over coffee breaks, Izuku came to like and adore all the lively officers at his new precinct.

But out of all of them, he admittedly admired Katsuki the most.

Originally, Izuku had thought of Katsuki to mirror Touya in a way with the harsh language and he even rode a similar motorcycle. The man had an equally foul mouth and simmering temper but the more he got to know the other officer—it was all bark and no bite.

Katsuki had a cocky air to him just like Touya, but he was diligently focused on saving lives and valued them all equally. Unlike Touya who didn't see cop lives to have value. This made a world of a difference to Izuku when he started to get to know Katsuki more, texting him randomly sometimes.

He learned Katsuki always went to bed at 10:00pm on the dot, basically working at the station until the latest he could and it made Izuku's heart churn. This man was going to give himself an aneurysm with how hard he worked and that thought alone nearly gave _Izuku_ an aneurysm.

But when he took Katsuki out painting and saw him glowering with the purple barrette in his hair, Izuku couldn't help but find his lieutenant to be _cute_. Izuku's playful nature twitched at the concept.

Sure, the muscular blond was attractive and had an illegal amount of sex appeal—but seeing that soft side of him, made a nickname slip out of Izuku mouth before he could stop it: _Kacchan_.

The reaction he got was purely gold and only egged the naturally flirtatious greenette on more.

He had been teasing about it, but when he got home after their painting session, Izuku changed Katsuki's name in his phone. Then he received a text that he wasn't expecting.

**[Lieutenant Kacchan]: Did you get home?**

Izuku blinked, not guessing the other would check up on him and rolled over in his empty bed, looking at the green phone in his hand. His heart hammered in his chest lightly.

**[You]: Yeah, I'm inside and in bed! How about yourself? Did you get inside okay?**

**[Lieutenant Kacchan]: I did, I just wanted to make sure you were safely inside. But, goodnight, Izuku. I had a lot of fun today actually; I'm looking forward to your housewarming party and other hangouts.**

**[You]: Thank you for checking and goodnight to you too! Glad you had fun Kacchan :)**

Izuku clicked his phone shut, thinking it was the end of the convo. He couldn't help himself from admiring how thoughtful Katsuki naturally was about people's safety. Then his phone dinged one more time after a couple of minutes and Izuku felt his heart skip a beat when he saw the text.

**[Lieutenant Kacchan]: :) **

Izuku stared at the text and he felt his heart do something he hadn't done in years. _It fluttered_. Over a simple _smiley face_in a text message of all things. Green eyes studied the emoji over and over, until the vibrant image of Katsuki's own smiling face and warm laughter painted inside his imagination.

That night when Izuku fell asleep he didn't feel so alone for the first time in a while thinking about Katsuki.

. . .

Izuku convinced himself he woke up early to make a fresh batch of namagashi for Katsuki out of friendliness.

It was partially true.

When Izuku raised from his slumber that night after painting with Katsuki, he admittedly had a strange dream about the man. It was simple: them sitting on the beach near the waves of the ocean together in close, warm proximity. The steady push and pull of gentle waves filled their conversation as they showed off the silver and gold seashells they had collected from their day together.

It was calm with no shift in atmosphere or dark distortion. Izuku remembers how in the dream he softly smiled at Katsuki's ember colored eyes capturing the setting sun perfectly as the elder man smirked at him.

The peaceful dream almost felt like a real memory when Izuku awoke and it disorientated him.

Bright, fully awake green eyes stared dazed up at the ceiling because at that moment Izuku realized he had forgotten what it was like to dream in something other than nightmares.

So, he made the man a silent 'thank you' batch of namagashi that morning and stacked it as high as he possibly could.

He stuck his tongue out slightly as he carefully wrapped saran wrap around his favorite pink plate to give to his lieutenant. Izuku didn't deny the way his heart fluttered at the thought of witnessing Katsuki accept his heart-filled treat. The way those ember colored eyes sparked with joy when he first tasted Izuku's cooking was so nice and it made his inner Midoriya soar with pride.

Izuku admittedly wanted to see that flicker of joy in Katsuki again.

That morning he arrived at the precinct extra early to beat the lieutenant that usually came in at 9:30am on the dot. But when he got there to open up the doors, a tall graceful blonde-haired woman was standing there tapping her foot in red heels.

Izuku couldn't help but immediately admire her beauty. Her silky ponytail was perfectly combed back and not a hair was out of place. Her eyes were a romantic shade of deep violet red that Izuku had never seen before besides in paint tubes and her smooth long legs were distracting in her short lavender skirt. He eyed the way her arms were both hairless and unblemished in her short sleeve white frilly blouse.

The mystery blonde turned to him with kind eyes and tilted her head in a friendly manner. "Ah, good morning! Would you mind letting me in, please? I need to check up on someone close to me and I want to drop off lunch for them."

"Oh, a U.A officer?" Izuku asked, pulling himself out of studying her impressively smooth skin. He smiled at the beautiful woman who nodded. "That's so sweet of you to come drop off their lunch."

"Ah, yeah. They never eat properly and I always have to remind them." She sweetly smiled at him and it was only then did Izuku notice the pink tote bag she was carrying. He assumed it was full of lunch for one of his colleagues.

Izuku let her inside without much thought and instructed her to sit in the waiting room area. The happily humming greenette walked to the lunch break area and carefully placed his plate for Katsuki in the fridge and began his day full of anticipation and bubbling joy in his chest.

All the other officers flowed in early as usual, and Izuku couldn't help but constantly check the elevator every time it dinged. When the man of the hour finally arrived, Izuku had his headphones in, filing reports for Momo.

His heart did a gigantic, unexpected leap at the sight of Katsuki walking in looking a little _too_ good in his uniform.

Izuku waved happily at him and he received a gentle, almost shy smile back. Immediately, Izuku started bouncing his leg out of nerves—but nerves for what? The greenette felt his heart clench thinking about the time they spent together, and he eyed the fridge in the break room.

The young detective quickly shifted into working fully concentrated so he could get up and give Katsuki the plate of food. He finished everything he needed to do with glee and walked over with his headphones playing a loud song. He fished out his pink plate from the mountain of food inside the communal white fridge with a small smile pressed on his lips.

However, when he approached his lieutenant's office, standing inside yelling at each other were the blonde woman and Katsuki with an extremely pissed off face.

"Excuse me?" Izuku asked confused, looking between the two, and both sets of red eyes turned to him at the intrusion. "Am I interrupting something?"

The young detective shifted on his feet when he felt the room and noted tension—extremely thick unresolved tension.

He suddenly felt like he didn't belong when Katsuki looked at him with shock as if he was caught red handed. The beautiful blonde woman stepped forward to explain herself and that's when she dropped information that made Izuku churn.

"So lovely to meet you, I'm Takeyama Yu," she smiled with her perfectly white teeth and immediately Izuku's brain clicked the pieces together from the night at the bar.

"_What was their name?"_

"_Who?"_

"_The person who broke your heart. Everyone has one." _

"_...Her name was Takeyama." _

He stared at her and slowly he remembered the small tidbit of information Kirishima gave. This was Katsuki's ex-girlfriend of _four_ years standing there in the flesh in his office _checking in_ on him.

Izuku grew stiff when a feeling he'd never felt slowly climbed into his chest.

The emotion was sour, bitter and unfamiliar. It only grew stronger when the graceful blonde continued to speak. She turned to Katsuki with shimmering violet-red eyes full of care and pulled out a plastic container stuffed with the same exact thing that was in Izuku's hand.

"I brought you your favorite because I just know you're not taking care of yourself," she had said in a matter of fact tone. Green eyes watched as she shoved the container into Katsuki's hands, and how the blond man spluttered but didn't reject it.

Izuku took that split second to assess both past lovers side by side.

He noted how well they complimented each other. They looked good together and he couldn't help but realize that this gorgeous, _unscarred_ woman was the person Katsuki had been in love with for _four_ years. Then he decided to never again after their relationship ended.

Izuku glanced down to his bandaged left hand and felt out of place.

Sourness filled his chest and the fuming young detective quickly took his leave, turning out of the small office with a racing mind. He rushed out back to his desk and put the plate down feeling outrageously silly. He couldn't get the image of the ex-lovers out of his head and Izuku began comparing himself to Takeyama for reasons he wasn't sure of.

She was beautiful, tall, and _unblemished_. She was able to wear short sleeves and show off her legs and arms—something Izuku hadn't been able to do without prying eyes whispering about his disfigured skin.

Takeyama was the exact opposite of what Izuku thought himself to be and it stirred an ugly feeling of self-consciousness.

Then he overheard the two agree to go to dinner together and everything in Izuku turned greener than his hair. He stared hard at the forgotten plate of namagashi on his desk, refusing to look at Katsuki for the rest of the day because his heart kept hammering.

The young detective tried to ignore what just happened and didn't bother to analyze why seeing Katsuki with his ex of all people chipped away at his happy mood. He couldn't place his finger on it but he didn't like it.

Not a single damn bit.

. . .

By the time he arrived back at his apartment, Izuku had tried to shake off the sour mood as best as possible but there was a damper in his sunshine. He tried his best to just focus on the housewarming happening in a couple of hours, but then something happened that caused a chill to run up his spine.

He walked up to his door with an arm full of groceries but as he approached the very last thing he ever wanted taunted him.

Sitting in front of his apartment door for the first time in nearly a month and half was a red rose with a silk white ribbon attached to it.

A ghostly expression raptured Izuku's face and he quickly looked over his shoulder out of fear. He gripped the brown paper bags full of food in his hand terrified because this only added to his growing suspicions that the roses were linked with the Shigarakis.

His terror and fear slammed back into him full force as he read the lovesick poem attached to the rose. The romantic font on the note was hauntingly perfect and Izuku quickly rushed inside to lock his door.

He gripped his hair when he realized he had been followed from Yaizu to Shizuoka City by whoever was sending them.

"Shit," Izuku whispered, face twisting in pain as he slumped against his door.

His eyes began to sting the longer he looked at the red rose and he started to softly cry. He was never going to be free of this—and if it was the Shigarakis why today? Why did they decide today to drop off a rose? Izuku immediately considered calling Toshinori but stopped as he looked at the party food in his hand.

All he wanted was a normal life, something he hadn't had in nearly four years.

He collected himself slowly and decided he would inform Toshinori of the rose tomorrow. So, Izuku did just that. He put the food away with trembling hands and tossed the rose onto his green sheets and closed his bedroom door. Izuku decided he was going to have fun tonight around all the different officers and he wasn't going to let a simple rose rob him of happiness.

But Izuku didn't expect himself to have exactly as much fun as he did.

He found himself willingly consuming copious amounts of burning liquor to help him forget about his anxiety and let lose all the way. Laughing with all the other officers and playing board games was the most fun Izuku had in ages—and it seemed like it was the same for Katsuki.

Izuku still couldn't hold in the green feeling he was oozing however when he looked at Katsuki and thought about how he was going to dinner with his long-term ex.

So, he drank more alcohol to ignore the churning inside of him—which turned out to be a mistake.

He found himself grinding against Katsuki in a nightclub and more surprisingly, a drunk Katsuki grinding right back with the thickest hard on Izuku had ever felt against his body.

The greenette remembered groaning at the feeling of the thick shaft rocking forcefully against his backside suggestively and how the lieutenant's large hands caressed his stomach. The calloused fingertip left behind what felt like tiny firecrackers of need. He wanted Katsuki's hands to sink deeper until they breached his hem line and he wanted them to keep going until they were wrapped around his own pulsing erection.

"Would you let me fuck you during sparing, Izuku?" The husky voice whispered, dripping in sin.

Izuku's deep inner need stroked awake again as he nodded hesitantly and got completely swept away with the feeling. Everywhere around him was Katsuki—caressing him—touching him—pressing against him and it felt _so_ good.

"Y-Yeah, I would," he replied, his hazy alcohol-filled mind fed him an image of Katsuki between his legs dominating him fully.

He pushed back desperately against Katsuki's hard-on, loving the tension and feeling of the thick shaft sliding between his clothed cheeks. Wanting more, Izuku slowly rolled his hips until he heard a soft tipsy "_fuck_" escape past Katsuki lips.

Izuku almost screamed out in the middle of the club. Yes—_fuck _was the right idea. He wanted nothing more than the blond to take him in the bathroom—hell, wouldn't be the first time he had sex in a nightclub and right now, he was willing to do anything in order to get a handful of that chiseled chest.

His alcohol clouded mind decided he wanted to Katsuki to fuck him—_no_. He was _going_ to make Katsuki fuck him within a near inch of his life once he got done with him.

He was going to tie that man down and ride his fat cock with everything he had then give him head mind-blowing enough that he'd never even _consider_ going on a damn date with Takeyama again. Izuku knew once Katsuki figured out what his tongue could do there would be no competition.

But when they got back to his apartment, all the lust cleared. Izuku's loneliness was triggered by the melody that reminded him of his mother and his drunk self-hugged Katsuki tighter.

He wanted Katsuki to stay with him. He didn't want the kind blond to leave and he didn't even want to deal with the rose that was sitting in his bedroom. He _especially_ didn't want Katsuki to go out to dinner with his ex because that would mean—

Izuku's drunken thoughts clicked into place and out slipped the very thing he had been denying to his therapist for so long.

"Please stay...I like you a lot, Kacchan." His tipsy hands clutched tightly onto Katsuki's black dress shirt, trying to pull the man into his bed—not even for sex. Just to be. He wanted Katsuki to stay with him and just lay next to his side.

But when he looked longingly into the embers dancing in Katsuki's eyes, they looked saddened by the confession.

"...That's exactly the reason I can't stay."

Izuku's heart hurt hearing those words as Katsuki carefully tucked him into his lonely bed.

. . .

"I-I messed up," he whispered to his therapist on Saturday morning. Izuku hung his head down low with an excruciating hangover, his curly bangs casting a shadow over his face. "I accidentally told him that I liked him when I got drunk and he rejected me again."

"Do you?" She asked with a smile, holding the clipboard. "You said earlier you had felt jealousy when his ex-girlfriend came to town. I don't think you would feel that way unless you liked him to some degree."

Worried green eyes looked down at the plain beige carpet beneath his feet sadly. He didn't say anything, still struggling to accept the fact that he was more than jealous of Takeyama going out with Katsuki for dinner and how he finally after years just admitted out loud to liking someone.

"Izuku, there's nothing wrong with having a harmless crush," she reassured. "It's a good thing. It shows you're moving past the death of your first love, which means you're growing and healing. I think having a crush on Katsuki might be good for you."

But all the terrible memories of the last time he loved someone flooded in and he felt his heart hurt to the point he wanted to cry.

"I'm scared," he whispered, looking down at the white bandages on his hand.

"Of what?" She tilted her head to stare at him with understanding.

"...What if we get close and I lose him too?"

. . .

Izuku accepted his emotions on Katsuki and buried them deep. Katsuki didn't even like him like that—they were just drunk...right? Everyone gets more or less horny when they're drunk and Katsuki was just a man after all.

So Izuku pushed it down and couldn't bring himself to text Katsuki all weekend.

He felt saddened that Katsuki hadn't texted him either, but it was fine. He ignored the disappointed feeling and chalked it up to such: he had a crush on his lieutenant, and he had to ignore it.

Katsuki just wanted to be friends. If he wanted to sleep with Izuku like all the men before him, he had the perfect window of opportunity on Friday, but he didn't take it. Instead he made it clear the reason he couldn't be around Izuku was because he knew of his _crush_.

After his therapy session he informed Toshinori of the roses, and the blond-haired captain was mortified to see the flower in Izuku's hands.

They ran it for DNA and, once again, it came up negative for anything. It was at that moment Izuku fully accepted how potentially obsessed his stalker was.

"This might not be the Shigarakis, Izuku," Toshinori whispered. "This poem. It seems like someone has an unhealthy infatuation with you."

"So they followed me to a new city?" Izuku let out an uneven huff at the thought. "I'm not worth moving to a whole new city for."

"You wouldn't be the first person with an obsessive stalker," Toshinori informed sadly. "I've worked in the force long enough to know some people can get fixated on someone for so long to the point their stalking becomes a hobby."

Izuku sighed as he leaned against the wall and stared sullenly at the rose. Toshinori was right. He was no exception—this happened frequently enough.

"One case I had was a woman whose abusive ex-fiancé followed her around for _years_," Toshinori exasperated. "We regrettably couldn't figure out a way to arrest him quick enough and the man ended up killing her for falling in love with a guy that he hated. His so-called love quickly changed to jealousy and then soured to that old 'if I can't have you then no one can either' ideal."

"Well, most cases of domestic abuse like that always unfortunately end with the victim dying." Izuku paused as he thought about Kai's mother then thought about Touya's hard hits to his face. "But you don't have to worry about any exes trying to hurt me. My only one is dead."

Between accidentally confessing to Katsuki and now the return of the roses, Izuku didn't know if this could _get_ more complicated. He was cursed. Kami was punishing him for building that bomb and giving it to a drug lord.

Izuku felt like he earned every lick of his misery.

But he wasn't anticipating the mention of the very bomb he birthed to stroll right back in his life in relation to the two arson crimes committed so far.

A fireman by the name of Shinsou Hitoshi came to tell them about a very specific bomb that left no trace that had been previously tied back to All For One. He informed them that he worked in vice dealing with the drug lord Yotsubashi and knew of the bomb through his feud with All For One.

Izuku immediately felt sick at the thought. Then he felt even _more_ sick to learn the arsonist was trying to trade _something_in order to get a police officer to burn alive. They all could theorize it was the bomb blueprints.

He sat silently, eyeing Toshinori and wanting to tell him about his creation but he carefully heeded the captain's heavy warning about not wanting to know more info that could incriminate Izuku.

Instead, the young detective sat still. He bit his lip when he came close to vomiting at the thought that All For One possibly distributed his original sketches. Now, this mystery arsonist was using his invention to terrorize Katsuki and Shizuoka City. His mind was cruel and painted the picture of various criminals being given the blueprints and he imagined hell fires all over Japan, wreaking havoc.

The meeting ended and once again, Katsuki's gentle nature shone through as they were leaving out. There was a light pull on his elbow that surprised him but when he turned around, he saw nothing but concern and care.

"Are you okay?" Katsuki asked him and Izuku felt his heart flicker with a strange want—a want he'd only felt with Touya.

It was a want to just _be_ around him. Not sexual or purely lust driven. Sure, sexual want was there, but it flickered low and bright like embers to a left-over fire. However, the larger flame in Izuku's chest just wanted Katsuki around. Just simply, around.

He pushed off the subject about the fires, unable to explain the situation with Toshinori's warning about keeping quiet.

But that didn't stop him from inviting Katsuki out to a museum with him. Izuku wanted a repeat of the painting day together or even the night Katsuki accidentally fell asleep at his house.

"What are you doing Thursday? Are you still up for a day out after work?" Izuku nervously asked, putting his neck out again for what reason? He didn't even know. "There's this museum exhibit opening that I was going to go to. I think you might like it."

"I have plans after work on Thursday," Katsuki said in a hush manner as if he was almost ashamed. Izuku felt a low pang in his heart and took a good guess.

"...Takeyama?"

"Er, yeah." Ruby red eyes skirted off to the side and Izuku put on his fake smile to hide his jealousy.

. . .

The week passed by with Izuku having his itch of an urge come back in full swing. The incinerator was being used by the arsonist, the roses had started up again and on top of that Katsuki was gearing up to get ready to (basically) go on a date with his beautiful, unblemished ex-girlfriend.

Izuku was stressed, lonely, and tired.

On Wednesday he put his flirtatious clothing on, fully ready to give into his addiction because another red rose came to his door. He had another nightmare about thorns wrapping around his neck after seeing it but stopped himself the second he nearly stepped foot in the closest bar.

The greenette assumed he must've looked downright insane as he paced backwards on the sidewalk several times in the dense crowd. He turned on his heel mumbling about how he didn't need sex to feel better. Then he would turn right back around when a tiny voice inside his head that nearly sounded like Mirio counter whispered, '_yes you do, you always do_.'

He was playing extreme mental ping pong with himself and it was going to drive him insane.

The flustered young adult finally put the full stop on himself when he thought about Katsuki. He wasn't sure why, but that seemed to do the trick when he imagined the visual of Katsuki painting with him.

Quickly, before he could change his mind, the artist paced to the nearest art shop instead to put a handle on his brain. He noticed some looks he got from people because he basically was wearing skintight clothing that looked as if it was painted on.

He looked down at his purchase of paint tubes and decided on just painting vigorously until his brain stopped.

. . .

By the time Thursday came, Izuku could tell Katsuki was clearly uneasy. The handsome blond's head was occupied with thoughts of his ex and it made Izuku swirl unhappily. But he pushed it down and went to the museum by himself and sketched for a while before going back home.

The green haired man couldn't help but feel bitter at the thought Katsuki was out with Takeyama, having dinner instead of going to the museum with him.

While inside one of the more romantic exhibits, he felt saddened as he watched a happy couple pass him in the museum holding hands while pointing at the paintings. There was an aura glowing around them that Izuku could particularly see and it was blinding.

Like a vibrant daydream, he pictured himself and Touya holding hands happily but slowly the vision melted into him and Katsuki with his beautiful smile.

It made his heart flip with both momentary confusion and deep want at what the joyful couple had.

Eventually Izuku walked back home alone in the summer night.

He pensively studied all the families and happy people of Shizuoka with longing emerald irises. Izuku couldn't help but feel like an outsider to their large city and missed his beloved Yaizu. His mind wandered like a drifter lost at sea as he began to ponder about Katsuki and slowly wondered if the man was doing alright.

His thoughts then shifted into thinking about if his lieutenant would bring a lunch for tomorrow and figured maybe not. Katsuki barely packed a lunch and knowing him he wasn't going to start now.

When Izuku arrived home, he began cooking with Katsuki clouding his mind and the new fact that he had to adjust to having a budding crush on his commander. The greenette picked out the ingredients he needed to cook tantanmen, which he admittedly had bought more frequently since knowing Katsuki.

The lonely detective quickly took a picture of it and sent it to Katsuki, fully not expecting a response back but the reply was as fast as lightning.

It nearly gave Izuku whiplash but not as much whiplash as Katsuki, in the flesh, showing up on his doorstep forty minutes later.

"Let me in, nerd," the handsome man smirked at him, holding up a plastic bag full of goodies.

Izuku felt his heart beat ten times faster as his stagnant loneliness dissolved steadily with every word Katsuki spoke to him that night. Then finally it was washed clean away when they fell asleep on the couch intertwined. Izuku laid on top of Katsuki's chest with the blond's arms wrapped securely around his waist keeping him snuggly fit.

Izuku didn't say anything and allowed himself to indulge in the comforting contact and noted how Katsuki squeezed him almost lovingly every now and then. Slowly, Izuku counted the hum of Katsuki's beating heart until he fell asleep.

_We fit together well,_ he thought privately before he sank into a peaceful sleep.

. . .

The next dream Izuku had about Katsuki was of them on the beach again. But instead of sitting on the shoreline, Katsuki was beckoning for him to come in the water with a tauntingly beautiful smirk.

"C'mon, Deku," the raspy voice called. "Don't be scared. I won't let you drown."

Izuku stood on the sand looking at Katsuki who was standing knee high in the water with his pants rolled up. The gentle waves were calm as Katsuki held out his hand for him to take. Gradually, Izuku felt his dream self-trust the blond as he walked out into the water with little fear. He took Katsuki's hand in his and felt his heart beat fast when the blond took the other.

Dream Katsuki intertwined their fingers and slowly leaned down to his height with swirling red eyes that drew Izuku in more and more.

"Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Dream Katsuki smirked.

The rest of Izuku's weekend after that dream was as steady as tender waves in the ocean. Everywhere he went after Katsuki's visit reminded him of the blond and soon Izuku fully accepted his crush. He saw a tiny blond dog and pictured Katsuki or saw an ice-cream shop and imagined Katsuki and him going there together.

It made him smile happily as he realized all his dark thoughts were washed away by just thinking of Katsuki. His therapist was right—liking someone was a good thing for him.

Even when Touya's birthday came on Saturday, Izuku bought a cake like usual to celebrate but it didn't feel as sad. He lit the candle and thought of his first love with bitter sweetness that was healing.

But quickly, like most things in his life, it got turned around.

Todoroki Enji came to the precinct to be debriefed that Monday and Izuku felt himself flare with anger looking at the man who abused Touya.

The young detective's temper spiked in hatred as he thought about the past and all the unhappy moments between him and Touya that were rooted inside the redhead because of Enji.

Then it didn't help that he realized Touya was the spitting image of the man.

He was almost surprised Touya never dyed his hair out of spite. The bubbling feeling of rage threatened to almost erupt in Izuku, but he pushed it down for the sake of professionalism.

Then Shouto and Enji got into an argument in front of the entire precinct.

"I don't care about what happened to him," Enji had spat out. "He dug his own grave." The cruel words rattled Izuku's brain and his hands stopped typing when an image of Touya's headstone slammed into his brain.

Izuku cursed mentally at the unwanted visual of the white and red roses sitting peacefully on the lonely grave. He tried to keep typing but the two Todorokis were catching fire quicker than his body could handle.

"You should care. Considering he wouldn't be dead if you hadn't kicked him out," Shouto spat and Izuku pictured Touya pushing him safely in the closet and locking it. "He was on the streets alone and vulnerable because of you."

Izuku flashed back to the homeless shelter and the depressed look in deep blue eyes.

_Stop. Stop it. Stop— _

Izuku squeezed his eyes shut when he felt his heart begin to beat loudly at the memories of Makinohara coming back full force without warning.

He wearily glanced at the raging Enji and saw a raging Touya and felt sick when he felt that unforgiving fist against his face. Then in full contradiction, the phantom lingering of Touya's hand clutching his and the redhead's last 'I love you' clouded his brain.

The conversation only got worse as the Todorokis' family drama spilled all over the entire room. Izuku felt as though he was suddenly motion sick from how quickly the old memories were cramming into his brain at such a fast pace.

Unable to stomach it anymore, Izuku abruptly stood up but he didn't give a single care about the worried eyes following him. Like on an uneasy ship, Izuku's insides twisted as if he was going to vomit at the visual of Touya covered in blood flashing in his head.

He rushed past Katsuki to the bathroom before he spilled his lunch all over the floor.

"...Midoriya?" He heard Katsuki's concerned voice call out for him, but his feet couldn't stop.

He quickly pushed open the door of the bathroom when his throat began constricting and he felt the smog of Makinohara begin to choke him all over again. He rushed to lean against the sink when his knees buckled and felt weak.

_Damnit_, he cursed himself. _My body is shutting down again_—

"Are you okay?" Katsuki's deep voice floated to his ears and Izuku couldn't even recall hearing the elder man chase after him. The greenette took several deep gulps of air to calm himself down.

"Yeah, I'm fine," was the automatic reply with the wave of his hand. But he could feel those fire like eyes on him, not budging.

"You don't have to lie to me, you're clearly not fine," Katsuki said in a sharp tone. "I'm your commanding officer. It's my job to make sure everyone is okay on the squad and can operate effectively. So, I need to know if you're okay so you can do your job or not, Midoriya."

Right. His job.

Izuku sighed and closed his eyes, forcefully pulling himself down from his cloud of anxiety. He recollected his scattered thoughts and did his best to sew himself together as Katsuki asked him about Enji. He politely kept his explanation short, not wanting to explain Touya to the man he just accepted having a crush on.

There was just too much history.

He pictured Touya going into the abandoned house and again when his blue eyes were ignited with brimstone as he struck him. Izuku flickered his eyes downwards. There was no way he could explain all that to Katsuki—explain why he stayed.

"You look like you could use some air. How about we go on patrol for a little while?"

Izuku paused and gazed up towards Katsuki surprised.

"Really?" The blond rarely ever let anyone in the squad stray off the schedule, but the way Katsuki was looking at him was new. It was soft and held a deeper understanding than just camaraderie.

"Yeah, dork. Really. Go get suited up," Katsuki chuckled, and politely ignored his near panic-attack.

Izuku reinforced to himself he was misreading the expression, so he took the saving grace for what it was. A chance to catch some fresh away from the two Todorokis in the station. He needed space from that bloodline so very much.

Katsuki took him on patrol around the city and Izuku was more than thankful.

The young officer felt a smile slip onto his lips looking at the elder man beside him_. _He noted how nice the moment was with just the two of them riding in a car and for the first time Izuku felt like he belonged in Shizuoka City.

He leaned his head back and let the summer breeze blow against his skin in the peaceful car. Katsuki kept checking on him and asking about his breathing periodically. Izuku felt bad for hindering the blond's schedule and possibly making him go so far out of his way for him.

He heard Katsuki's laugh again and watched the way the caring red eyes assessed him dearly. Izuku swore up and down that he imagined it but the longer he stayed looking into precious ruby tinted eyes, he saw a look of something more than care inside of them.

Izuku felt his heart skip a beat.

"Should I tell you I need a break even if it comes down to things that...make me weak? Like pyrophobia and agoraphobia?" He whispered when Katsuki reassured him that he wasn't asking too much for going on patrol.

"Look, if I can make an exception to go out of my way for Denki and make sure that he leaves work on Thursdays an extra two hours early for his damn secret band practice, I can go out of my way to go on patrol whenever you need space from the precinct. Accommodations don't make you fucking weak. Got it?"

_Accommodations don't make you weak._

It was something Izuku never knew he had to hear, but it felt like Katsuki had put an icepack over a long-term burn that was still searing Izuku's skin.

_He's so thoughtful._ He complimented privately while looking at Katsuki's kind ember colored eyes. Izuku felt his crush swell and his face grew heavy in heat when he realized he wanted to lean in.

He wanted to kiss Katsuki.

Like magnets, his hand moved on its own next to Katsuki's. He felt himself blush while looking down because he had no clue what he was doing and why he felt the need to express his thoughts but—

"Katsuki," he whispered with a heated face. "A-About what I said last Friday...when I said I liked you…" A lump lodged in Izuku's throat as he worked up the courage to keep going.

Red eyes flickered up to him with a pink blush spread across Katsuki's face, but in a split second, those same red eyes were widening with fear. Katsuki lurched forward for him and Izuku tried to turn around to see what had frightened the blond so much—but it was too late.

"IZUKU—"

Izuku's world spun out of control at the violent impact of a steel vehicle ramming into his side of the squad car. The young detective was launched forward and his head snapped to hit the dashboard, nearly knocking him out. Everything progressed too quickly after that when Izuku's feet became rooted by fear.

The arsonist was there, looking like a hungry wolf in a gas mask and swinging a crowbar.

"Hey there, lieutenant. We're here to pick up something."

He cut Izuku loose from the jammed seat belt and the greenette could do nothing but hopelessly cry out for Katsuki. Izuku yelled as he was forcefully dragged by the roots of his hair away from the bleeding blond.

Panic melted into his heart as he tried his best to get away, but the arsonist was stronger—an unnaturally type of strong. Along with that, this time he bought two more lackeys with him to get the job done.

Unnerving alarm slammed into Izuku's core at the sound of a gunshot and when he turned, he saw Katsuki falling down to the cold ground with a scream.

_No, no, no, no—not him too—_

Izuku pushed the man off of him with all his strength and scrambled to get to the injured officer desperately.

"Katsu—_AH!_" Izuku's actions were forcefully halted as he let out a shriek higher than he knew his voice could go. He stumbled at a large, sharp needle being stabbed through the back of his neck unsuspectedly as he was roughly handled by the tall man in all black.

Instantaneously, his vision swirled.

He saw double vision of both Katsuki and Touya bleeding out on the ground and felt himself nearly break down. The trauma victim slowly started to unravel when his movements got weaker and weaker and the haunting smell of gasoline filled the air.

_They're going to start a fire—_

He was handled like a rag doll when his body began to shut down, but this time Izuku couldn't pull himself back up. He helplessly watched Katsuki bleed on the concrete through blurry eyes and feared for where he was being taken.

Two more gunshots rang out and Izuku heard the mystery henchman carrying him let out an ear bleeding yell. He went toppling onto the pavement quickly and the sharp rocks dug into his skin. Izuku weakly called out for Katsuki as he struggled on the ground with the edges of his vision fading out to black.

Izuku blinked and Katsuki was above him with a fierce face of determination telling him he was going to be okay. In one swoop, the strong lieutenant picked him up bridal-style and rushed him away from the almost-kidnappers. Izuku clung on desperately to Katsuki's uniform, the smell of gasoline growing stronger.

Then, like one of his many nightmares, the squad car went up in horrid flames directly next to them. Katsuki buried Izuku's head into his uniform but the green-eyed man was slipping under. He could feel the unwanted heat of the flames against his skin and the drug in his system mix like a triggering cocktail of pain.

Izuku no longer was in Shizuoka City, but Makinohara and the flames were eating away at his flesh again. Those hands made of fire were dragging him under as his vision faded more. His clutching onto Katsuki got tighter.

"You're okay. I got you," Katsuki's solid voice pulled him back momentarily. Izuku focused on the sound of Katsuki's vocals to lead him out of the nightmare. Steadily, the illusion of Makinohara's inferno was pushed back with the sound and vision of Katsuki above him. "I got you, don't worry. I'm not going anywhere," he reassured and Izuku wanted so desperately to believe it as Katsuki held him.

He looked up one last time and saw Katsuki's bleeding, worried face mouthing words he could no longer hear.

Distress took over Izuku's body when his vision went black and his body fell limp like a broken doll. But instead of visions of flames, his head was filled with the sound of Katsuki's voice telling him he wasn't alone.

. . .

When Izuku was trapped by darkness he had his third dream of Katsuki.

He was standing on the beach again, but this time when he turned to his right, he saw a forest that looked like Kuromata in flames.

The flames were bright orange, threatening and consumed everything in their path like uncontrollable wildfire. Standing in the front of them was Touya smiling with eyes the color of the ocean. Like the shadow of the past, the redhead reached his hand out for Izuku to join him in the flames.

Then he turned his green eyes to the left, and there he saw Katsuki wading waist deep in water, looking off to the distance calmly watching the waves. Dream Katsuki looked at him out of the corner of his eyes and turned to face him with a smile and held his hand out with eyes the color of the fire.

Izuku stood in between, scared of the deepness of the water, but more afraid of the burning flames and the dark, power hungry look enrapturing Touya's face suddenly.

He took Katsuki's steady hand without hesitation and waded deeper into his ocean.

A handsome smirk graced Katsuki's face.

"I told you I wasn't going anywhere."

. . .

Izuku was moved into Toshinori's guest bedroom after that.

The U.A officers chalked up his almost kidnapping to be related to The Cremator's deep want to burn a cop alive. Toshinori informed him that he was not to leave the house without a buddy or safely walking in the area that was being heavily guarded by other officers. Much like Aizawa when he was originally kidnapped.

Izuku didn't mind it after _that_ experience, but his mind kept replaying the strange dream he had while in the drug-induced sleep.

He had chosen Katsuki without fear and the flames in the dream dissipated into embers, floating away.

Izuku had forgotten what it was like to dream peacefully, yet here he was, having the strangest dreams of one person and one person only.

When all the officers he was friends with came over to Toshinori to wish him well, they all brought cards and flowers. But he was most surprised to see Katsuki fiddling with a small bouquet of emerald roses and a card that read 'Get Well Soon'.

"They're green," Izuku laughed as he took the bundle of flowers. "I've never gotten green roses before." The blond blushed and looked away and kicked lightly at the carpet beneath his feet.

"They reminded me of your, er, hair and eyes," the lieutenant mumbled without looking at him. "Thought you might like them to make this guest bedroom feel a little more homely."

"I do. I like them a lot. Thank you so much, Kacchan." Despite the literal whiplash in his neck, Izuku felt happy looking at the green flowers in his hand.

He leaned in for a warm embrace and discreetly thanked Katsuki for saving him with a double meaning to the words.

. . .

The days following the accident, Toshinori insisted that both him and Katsuki take three weeks off work, which Izuku was more than happy to do. His neck was stiff, and his muscles were still sore from fighting off two large men.

Izuku sighed heavily as he sat alone in Toshinori's house that Saturday after the incident.

His green eyes studied baby photos of Mirio everywhere along with old photographs of Mirio's mother who passed away during childbirth. He saw an old Polaroid of his father and Toshinori together back in their youth. Izuku smiled at one goofy photo of them getting their detective badges together and fondly studied another of Toshinori at his parent's wedding eating cake with them happily.

Later that Monday, Izuku got a call from Kirishima that he wasn't expecting and picked up the phone eagerly after being alone for so long all weekend.

"Hi! So nice to hear from you Kirishima," He answered happily, and he could hear a friendly chuckle on the other end with Mina yelling 'hello' in the background.

"Nice to hear from you too, green bean!" Kirishima replied and Izuku could picture the large grin on his face. "Are you getting enough rest after that crazy shit?"

"Ah, trying my best," Izuku hummed and scratched behind his head sheepishly. "Toshinori has been pretty locked down over here, so I'm just trying my best to relax." There was a small pause in silence before Izuku decided to ask about the one person always on his mind. "...Have you heard from Kacc—I-I mean Bakugou at all? I haven't, um, heard from him and I was just wondering if he was okay."

"That hard-headed blond actually tried to show up for work on Friday despite the captain's orders," Kirishima grumbled and Izuku's eyes went wide. _Holy sh_— "I know, dude is a full out workaholic but I also think he might just be a little lonely right now. Maybe you could stop by his place for a bit?"

Izuku perked up at the idea and nervously played with the hems of his sleep shirt. "O-Oh! Sure! That actually sounds like a good plan. Do you have his address?" He immediately thought about the safest route to a grocery store so he could pick up some of Katsuki's favorites.

"Oh yeah, for sure!" Kirishima chuckled slowly as Izuku gathered a pen and paper. "Now, before you go, I have very specific instructions for you. It's an inside joke of sorts between all of us at the station."

Izuku wrote down Katsuki's address and listened diligently to what Kirishima asked of him. But when the redhead finished, Izuku couldn't help but scrunch his nose at the request.

What in the world was a _care package_?

. . .

By the time Izuku arrived at Katsuki's apartment, he was blown away by how downright beautiful the luxury loft was.

Emerald eyes sparkled looking at the lavish view of downtown, and all the leather couches and loveseats decorating it. He admired the black spiral staircase leading to the upstairs of the loft and the marble counters in the pristine—obviously underused—kitchen.

One small detail however that surprised Izuku the most was the painting of the red rose he had done from a while ago hanging up in the dining room. It was the only real piece of art Katsuki had hanging up on the walls. No family portraits or anything else to show signs of love and life.

Izuku couldn't figure out the reason why Katsuki rarely stayed in this apartment. Why work at the station when his home looked like _this_?

He began cooking for the blond and he could immediately feel a wave of thankfulness rolling off the man, and it took everything in Izuku not to blush whenever they caught eye contact. There was something heated in the way Katsuki stared at him the first day.

He was looking at Izuku as if he belonged there, in his apartment.

A gentle warm expression carried across his lips and Izuku wasn't anticipating the open invitation to come back—but the blond welcomed him with a pink blush on his face.

Izuku remembered how nervous he was about it, but also how eager he was to spend more time with Katsuki.

They spent the next two weeks like that and Izuku felt so full of happiness every night he went back to Toshinori's. Not a single nightmare graced his mind and he soon started to make a long list of things to do while at Katsuki's as he went over in the early morning and didn't bother leaving until Toshinori beckoned him to come back before curfew.

Izuku thought it was the beginnings of a beautiful friendship, because Katsuki was being so _kind_. He always asked Izuku questions, went even out of his way to memorize a katsudon recipe.

Izuku didn't tell him—but the blond nearly made it to be the same as his mother's.

"Here, taste this. Did I get the seasoning right?" Katsuki asked, embers flickering in his eyes as he held up the spoon for Izuku to taste. Izuku opened his mouth hesitantly but allowed Katsuki to feed him. They made brief eye contact and Izuku felt something warm underneath his collar at the intimacy of the action.

The flavors flooded his taste buds and green eyes sparked with life.

"It's perfect," he declared with a shy smile and Katsuki broke out into a confident smirk.

"Fuck yeah, another thing off my check list."

Izuku laughed in harmony with Katsuki and he knew in his heart he could get used to this. Time with Katsuki just blended together without effort and he had no doubt they could be best friends.

But he should have known better that his self-control would completely slip the day of the kiss cam.

"M-Maybe a quick kiss wouldn't hurt," Izuku said out loud more to himself when the crowd wouldn't stop.

The prospect of kissing Katsuki hung in the air and Izuku suddenly was tempted with eyes fully blown. He needed the taste of the sweet water lips against his again and after spending two straight weeks with the man, he undeniably felt his crush grow stronger.

He had no doubts Katsuki would probably reject him again afterwards, so he allowed himself a little taste of the lips he craved when they pushed against his. They crashed into each other and the cheering of the crowd drowned away at the feeling of Katsuki's mouth returning to his.

Izuku felt himself give in quicker to his want for Katsuki than he expected. He found himself pulled like a magnet to push forward and shyly kiss the man just a little bit—_a little kiss couldn't hurt_—

Then Katsuki kissed him back slowly and Izuku lost any and all self-control he had left.

Their lips moved hungrily and Izuku's body grew so uncomfortably warm. His toes curled in his sneakers when Katsuki fully took control and Izuku completely forgot where he was as he was swept away underneath Katsuki's tidal wave.

They went back to the apartment, eyes dancing so desperately around each other and Izuku felt a dangerous shift in the air. He was surprised that Katsuki kissed him back, but he was even more surprised by the fact Katsuki kept staring at him.

And it wasn't a normal, regular stare—no. It was the same one Katsuki had given him at the bar. During training. While sitting on his couch. At the nightclub.

It was a look of extreme deep sexual need and contradicted what Izuku had thought early about Katsuki not wanting him. The burning gaze of _yearning _was written across those handsome features so plainly. Their tension for the rest of the day was thick and full of all the unspoken words between them since they met.

Red eyes were ignited with embers that scorched through his soul the longer Katsuki spent assessing him up and down, eyes lingering on Izuku's backside without shame. Tension coiled tightly in Izuku's body and snapped fiercely when Katsuki whispered a single sentence that tipped them both over the edge.

"I've been questioning what really is for the best recently," the blond said truthfully looking at his door, ready to let Izuku inside. "Haven't you?"

"Yeah, I have. But...I've never had good self-control, Katsuki," Izuku whispered. An image of himself pinning Katsuki down with his legs and kissing him fiercely flashed in his mind.

Katsuki clicked his tongue and those fire eyes burned straight through Izuku's resolve.

"...I don't think I'm necessarily asking you to have _self-control _right now."

And just like that, Izuku was gone.

He was swept away with Katsuki and it was everything he imagined it to be. Strong, needy hands were everywhere as they desperately worked against each other. Izuku felt that rush of intoxicating euphoria spill over into his core because it felt like they should've done this _ages_ ago.

Katsuki picked him up effortlessly and they crash landed onto the black couch. Izuku couldn't stop himself from smiling and letting out a short whine as he finally got an eye full of Katsuki's bare chest. The visual shot heat straight down to his straining cock and Izuku curled his toes at the tantalizing feeling.

The man was a perfectly sculpted _Adonis_ and Izuku had never in his life felt this much of a need to be with someone before—not on this level.

Right as he felt everything falling together, it all fell apart at the same time.

"I can't wait to see this beautiful fucking body of yours," Katsuki's raspy voice whispered into their desperate kiss. Izuku paused for the split second as his palms were pressed against Katsuki's perfectly molded chest.

_Beautiful_? It was a word he hadn't associated with himself in years.

"Really fucking beautiful—you're so damn gorgeous, Izuku. Now let's get you out of these damn clothes," Katsuki responded and Izuku didn't notice he had said it out loud. The burn victim took a momentary pause and shook himself out of the strange feeling the word had called upon inside of him.

But the second his hands reached to pull off his own shirt, his brain fed him a vision of Takeyama's unblemished skin. Then it followed up with all the countless rejections he'd received from men who were repulsed by his scarred body.

Izuku paused.

His mind imagined Katsuki seeing his body and he imagined the blond being shocked—or confused—or worse: _disgusted_.

Lust quickly drained out of his body at the thought because Izuku had never considered the possibility of ever getting this far with the handsome blond after so many rejections—but what if he turned him down again? Much less about his own body like so many nameless men before him?

He painted the scene in his head: Katsuki taking off his clothes, stopping, assessing the ugly discolored skin on his left side and all the various scars. The scar from Himiko, the ones from Touya, and the ones from Makinohara. Scars he couldn't explain. He imagined the burning fire of want dying in those red eyes and being left with nothing but repulsion.

That thought alone made Izuku petrified.

Katsuki was the first person in _years_ that he felt something for—but what if he did reject him? What if he saw how damaged he _actually_ was? Then Izuku would have to spend the rest of his time at U.A feeling ugly and brokenhearted over the scathing truth that Katsuki truly didn't want him and never would.

He panicked.

He panicked himself straight out of Katsuki's door but not before accidentally letting all his fears, insecurities, and the fact that he felt so strongly for Katsuki spill out of his mouth.

Izuku never ran faster in his life when his brain kept telling him how much of a mistake he had just made.

. . .

The burn victim convinced himself to stay away from Katsuki after that. He shamefully didn't tell his therapist about his moment of weakness—or whatever it was. But he felt embarrassed and fragile.

Post break down, Izuku realized he exposed himself in a completely different way to Katsuki: he exposed his heart along with all the damaged pieces of it. Knowing his insecurities and fears were laid bare for the blond he felt so strongly for easily made Izuku feel queasy.

It was as if he was on a sinking ship that was drowning in his overgrown thoughts and right when Izuku thought he was alone—Katsuki reached out his hand to pull him out of his negative thoughts.

Again, and again and again.

Katsuki reached out for him the entire time during the bachelor party and Izuku was floored by the amount of kindness he was shown. It made his heart swell at the care he was treated with and how diligently Katsuki seemed to be into making sure he was smiling.

Izuku had forgotten what that felt like—to have another care so deeply about his needs.

When Katsuki recited poetry, it made Izuku's heart flip. When he danced with him in the middle of the street, he felt himself swoon. Even when Katsuki stepped in and saved the strip tease, Izuku blushed furiously, but more importantly he was taken back that even with the skin on his thigh showing, Katsuki didn't seem to care.

The blond did everything in his power to keep Izuku smiling and the green-eyed man's heart clenched.

At first, Izuku thought it was just pity, much like the type of pity Mirio always had with him. But when the lieutenant stripped himself down and showed Izuku his own scars, it changed everything.

Katsuki sat there vulnerable and showed off every knife and gunshot wound he'd obtained with a story behind each one. Slowly, Katsuki washed away all of Izuku's fears.

Then the beautiful visual of Katsuki diving into the pool shocked Izuku.

Izuku stared, eyes blown large, thinking he was hallucinating while awake at the sight of Katsuki's chest deep in sparkling blue water. It was flooring to see the man he knew to be wound up tighter than a toy soldier let go of his inhibitions just to try and make Izuku realize how much he liked him.

The shining pool against the night made it seem like the blond was nearly glowing as he reached out his hand to Izuku, just like in his dreams.

"C'mon, Izuku...just...take a chance with me," Katsuki pleaded with his iridescent ember eyes as he reached his hand out. "_Please_."

Just that sight alone, made the previous three dreams of Katsuki play like a movie in his head. As each one progressed, Izuku noted how dream Katsuki was beckoning him to come deeper with him into his depths.

Izuku gave in.

He let himself become fully immersed in those burning, passionate eyes for the next month and it was the best decision he felt like he had ever made.

The once love-fearing greenette gave himself to Katsuki during the wedding, when once again, Katsuki saved him from his dark thoughts. The month following was the brightest part of Izuku's life as he spent it diving deeper and exploring the caring, thoughtful man he had come to know.

Katsuki was _everything_. He was smart. He was diligent. He was thoughtful. He was the most amazing lover Izuku had ever known and the last one he hoped to ever have. When he told his therapist, she made a face about him sleeping with his higher up, but she was more focused on the fact that Izuku had reopened himself up.

"It's good to love," she told him with kind eyes and Izuku gave a soft smile at the thought.

It was good to be with Katsuki, and Izuku didn't feel like he made a mistake. The young detective hadn't even bothered stepping foot in his tiny, lonesome apartment for nearly thirty days. But when Katsuki gave him the day off, he decided to go back for a short while. Mainly just to get more clothes, maybe grab some art supplies.

Izuku walked in after getting off the phone with Katsuki to the complex, completely lost in his thoughts holding a brown paper bag full of all the foods he knew Katsuki would love. His bright yellow backpack was full of his sketchbooks, taking them back home after spending time showing Katsuki them.

However, when he arrived at his door that morning, he was surprised to see a pile of various colored roses that looked rather old.

"Ah," Izuku sighed, bending down to the pile. "I'm so sorry, stranger. I forgot about you."

He stared at them, feeling oddly guilty while studying their wilted petals. His green eyes looked at how the red rose was the driest, indicating it was the oldest. There was a message on it with the address of the local coffee shop coupled with a small _'I miss you_' in black type. There were also several blues roses that looked as if they were delivered back to back, their freshness on a declining scale.

But what stood out the most was the still fresh black rose sitting on top.

Unlike the others, it didn't have a poem and there was something strangely eerie about it. He had never received a black colored rose from the nameless stranger. He contributed it to the fact whoever was giving him the roses probably felt neglected from seeing his flowers grow old and being technically stood up.

Izuku had almost wished he had been there for the first rose, because then at least maybe he would know who it was and inform Toshinori about a possible public meet up.

He picked the delicate flower up, feeling saddened to know he might've subsequently hurt whoever's feelings by becoming so close to Katsuki. He pondered that maybe this was the end of the roses?

As his guard was down, a sharp unforgiving explosion went off that made Izuku give a loud yell and fall to the floor. He hit the ground hard, spilling his groceries all over as the balance of the building shifted dangerously. Screams rippled throughout the building and people began rushing out of their apartments.

Green eyes looked around in horror when he realized exactly what that was. He tried to get up again, but another large explosion went off and people began pushing and shoving. Terror filled Izuku's veins when he could start to see smoke fill the space and his limbs went ice cold.

His body trembled harder than anything Izuku had ever experienced when everyone around him started panicking full force. He felt other people's hands on his body trying to get him to stand up, but his vision began to blur, and all his brain could think was _fire_.

He stumbled with the rushing crowd towards the lower levels but another unexpected explosion went off in the staircase where he was, and he was launched forward. Izuku's hearing drowned to white noise with faded screams in the back when all he saw were flames blocking his only exit. Parts of the building rumbled and shook, falling and his body shut down completely when the heat got too close to his skin.

The hyperventilating greenette blacked out from panic and he wouldn't remember how or when the firemen came as he was carried outside shaking in horror. He clung desperately to whoever as he watched his home—the last of everything he owned—go up in flames.

Izuku lost his composure at everything being taken away from him _again _and his right shoulder _stung_ unimaginably_._ All he could see were flashbacks of Makinohara knowing all his art, memories of his parents and Touya were once again lost completely to spiteful flames.

Tear filled green eyes glanced up feeling hopeless and right as he turned his head, he saw Katsuki running towards him.

He broke down uncontrollably as he clung desperately to Katsuki as if he was a lifesaver.

"I don't have a h-home again," Izuku's voice crack, mind flashing back to the ugly feeling of having nothing all over again. "That was everything I had left and now I have n-nothing. I'm a-alone again. I'm _alone_. I'm alone—"

"You have me," Katsuki quickly correctly, holding him close. "You can...You can stay with me, okay? You're not alone."

Izuku's crying slowed down at the words as he looked into the red eyes that were studying him with the utmost care. Izuku clung tighter to Katsuki and allowed him to be his lighthouse as a beacon to his rapidly depressing thoughts.

And once again, Katsuki washed them away.

Izuku felt himself pulled afloat above his misery by the way Katsuki gently cleaned his body that night, being mindful of his new burn. He kept Izuku calm by the way he slept peacefully beside him, reassuring him anytime he woke up from a nightmare and finally he completely dosed out of the flame of fear in Izuku by building an art studio.

The orphan felt like he didn't deserve Katsuki as he looked at the new studio.

It was one of his dreams that he let go of when he left Yaizu, yet here it was. Sitting in front of him accompanied by a deep look of flickering passion sitting inside of the blond's deep colored eyes.

That night as they tangled into each other, Izuku felt a shift between them that he couldn't explain. Katsuki whispered sweet nothings into his ear while rocking his body full of indescribable pleasure.

"I can give you everything, Izuku," Katsuki rasped out into their deep kiss and pushed against his pleasure spot harder. Izuku groaned at the deep sensual thrusts Katsuki gave like he did with more purpose as he stroked his hand through Izuku's hair tenderly. "Just like I'm giving it to you right now, I can give you that damn dog, a warm bed and more. I can give you a _home_."

Izuku moaned and arched up at the words, not expecting them but Katsuki kept going, moving inside of him like the steady ocean. Nothing but praise and comfort spilled out from the lips he loved to kiss so much and when Izuku closed his eyes he saw something he never thought he'd see again:

He saw the vision of his future so crystal clear in front of him for the first time in four years. But this time it was full of Katsuki's smiling face.

He saw them holding hands, kissing, and laughing. He saw them with Toshinori and the U.A squad gathered around for holiday parties. He saw them dancing in the rain and he finally saw them living happily together and covered in paint in his art studio laughing.

Izuku dug his nails deep into the muscular shoulders of the man above him and gasped loudly as the visions got more intense the closer to his peak he became.

"I'm close! I-I think I'm going to_—_ah!" Four euphoria triggering thrusts snapped against his sweet spot that made Izuku see white, and finally he saw him and Katsuki together on the beach holding hands whispering three little words—

"K-Kacchan," He cried out, toes curling. "I think I-I lo_—fuck_!"

He came quicker than the words could leave his mouth and Izuku felt Katsuki pour inside of him as well. The large hands holding his hips down tightened their grip and Katsuki grunted as he buried himself all the way inside.

Both froze and Izuku stared up the ceiling, shocked by what imagery his brain just provided. It had been so long since he could ever envision himself in the future, yet there it was, brought back by Katsuki.

When stunned ember colored eyes stared down at him, Izuku decided to keep his thoughts to himself, too afraid that he might scare off his most precious person.

. . .

Izuku kept his private thoughts to himself, but he found a new purpose as he moved through life that week. He told his therapist what he experienced, and she smiled, saying that was a really good sign that he could envision a future further out than just the next day.

"How long has it been since you've been unable to see yourself in a clear future?" She asked concerned, taking notes.

"It's been four years," Izuku replied. He looked down at his hands, feeling strange about it. "The last time I was able to even think about myself past the present was four years ago...right before I hit my first depressive episode."

"It sounds like Katsuki is special to you," she smiled and Izuku felt his lips switch in an upwards movement into his own happy expression at the thought.

"Yeah," he whispered thinking about the beautifully colored eyes. "He is special."

Izuku fully accepted that day that Katsuki was someone dear to him. It became even more of a realized fact the night before the undercover operative, when he heard Katsuki softly whisper "I love you" into his hair. Izuku's eyes went wide because he thought he'd never hear those words again.

Yet there was Katsuki, breaking all the locks on Izuku's heart again. The greenette stopped for a second at the meaningful words as he pictured his parents and Touya but when he fell asleep, he had his fourth and final dream about Katsuki.

When he closed his eyes, he was back on the beach, but this time already in the water being held by a chuckling Katsuki who kissed him. Izuku felt himself melt into the dream and when he opened his eyes again, they were immersed underwater fully. The light from the surface shone on Katsuki's handsome smile as they floated down, deeper into the depths of the ocean in each other's arms.

It felt like a fairytale for a moment, he could breathe underwater with the man in front of him as they sunk to the bottom with hands intertwined. He felt safe and secure as Katsuki whispered how he would never have to be alone again.

It was a feeling Izuku could only describe as love—floating without fear in the deepest parts of the sea with someone.

After that, he felt he needed to make sure Katsuki was protected at any cost because he deeply feared losing a loved one again.

Which is why the second Himiko laid her hungry gold eyes on him, the deepest chord of dread was struck in Izuku.

"C'mon, Zuzu," Himiko called sweetly through a laugh. "Let's go to ground alpha together. He's waiting for you and I _promise_ it'll be worth your time. Otherwise, big boss isn't going to be happy. You don't want to be responsible for another repeat of Makinohara again, do you?"

The word Makinohara made Izuku grow stiff and the nightmare played out again: he heard the screams, saw the blood and felt fire against his skin. She dragged her murderous gaze directly towards Katsuki as if she _knew_ and instantly a vision of the man he loved going up in flames slammed into his head.

"I'm so sorry. Please forgive me for this later," he said quickly before Katsuki could turn towards him.

He steeled his nerves as his brain worked quickly for a solution that would have the blond lieutenant safely away from All For one and their cop killing tendencies. Running on nothing but adrenaline and short time, he did the one thing he knew he could do: he knocked Katsuki out cold before he could object and get himself killed.

"I love you, I'm so sorry," he whispered to Katsuki's unconscious figure as he safely dragged him through the snow to the curb as Himiko led the way out of the maze made of fences.

The cold chipped away at his exposed legs as he reached down in Katsuki's pants for his phone. Shaky hands pressed the emergency dial and sounded off the unconscious male's tracker for help to come.

And with that, he turned off his tracking device and he let Himiko take him away in the dark winter night.

. . .

Izuku sat in the back of the van trying to keep his breathing calm. He was blind folded, and his hands were restrained harshly behind his back by Himiko who looked overjoyed and gleeful to see him.

"I can't wait until we get to ground alpha, Zuzu!" She giggled into his ear. "We've been waiting for this moment for a long time. Everything is going to change from here on out."

Izuku didn't reply as two men roughly handled him in the mystery vehicle but several things kept standing out in his head, screaming loudly.

The first being the threat of another Makinohara. Izuku could picture the U.A precinct going up in flames and he would do anything to prevent that ugly nightmare from becoming true because he couldn't risk Katsuki like that.

The second was the promise of going to ground alpha. He knew the Shigarakis were there and he knew the terms and agreements of his life still so undoubtedly clear from so long ago.

"_If we request your expertise on the bomb mechanics in the future, you come running to us like the goddamn dog on a leash you are to us now. Then you go back living your boring life. Do anything to disrupt this, and we'll make sure you're disposed of quietly." _

But Izuku was still undoubtedly scorned about Makinohara.

He knew they were going to underestimate him, so he sat there silently the entire two hour ride formulating a plan to dig up their ground alpha for good—even if that meant throwing himself directly into the shark tank.

But the last thing that was screaming in his mind was _who_ exactly was Himiko referring to?

"_He's waiting for you." _

The sentence made Izuku's heart skip a beat when what she said made him reconsider how Dabi touched him. The grip on his wrist felt ghostly familiar and Izuku couldn't pinpoint it until the arsonist's hand brushed his hair out of his face. Then Dabi lightly touched his earring in a way that only one person had ever done.

Izuku remembered how stiff he went when a chill crawled up his spine like a spider because it almost felt like—

—Touya.

But that couldn't be true...right? He recalled Touya bleeding out on the floor and all the three years of grief he went through. It just didn't make sense.

After that, he spent a lot of time trying to see behind the wolf mask to no avail. However, when they got into the car, Dabi turned his head slightly and the back of the man's head struck a familiar note. The sharp minded detective flashed to the black-haired stranger at the bar that had broken a glass with his bare hands and the memory perfectly aligned with that he was seeing.

The purple burns were in the exact spots on the man's neck and covering his ears.

Things began clicking in Izuku's brain like an unfathomable puzzle. Izuku felt his heart rate increase because something wasn't right.

"We're here, get him out of the back," a distorted voice commanded.

The van jerked to a hard stop and within the minute he was dragged by his arms out of the van. A cold weight of a gun was held to his temple and Izuku let out a shaky breath as he was led into a building and onto an elevator that descended down below the surface.

When the elevator finally dinged, Izuku was thrusted forward onto the ground and the menacing chuckling of various men surrounded him.

"Ah, our angel has finally arrived," a sinister, unforgettable voice echoed. A hand reached down to snatch his blind fold off to reveal Tomura, mere inches away from his face. Izuku sneered automatically at the sight of the man he hated so much.

"Beautiful as ever of course," Tomura taunted as he lifted his thumb to wipe away some of the dried blood on Izuku's lip. "So glad to see you. Must say it took a minute to get a hold on you again after everything. Bold choice on moving out of Yaizu. Was that to get away from me?"

Izuku ignored Tomura as he looked around.

They were clearly in the basement of a building but this time instead of a rundown warehouse, it seemed to be an office space. It was clean, well put together, and Tomura was dressed in a business casual purple shirt.

Izuku then cut his eyes off at the few men and women off to the side. He saw three bodyguards by the doors and standing in front of him were people he remembered from so many years ago. Himiko. Magne. Sako Atsuhiro.

Green eyes automatically searched around for familiar red hair and blue eyes—but found none.

He bitterly bit the inside of his cheek when he realized he let Himiko bait him_. _

_Of course he's not here, Izuku. He's dead—what were you thinking?_ _She said all that just to get you to come and mess with you._

Izuku's sights landed on Dabi who was stationed directly behind Shigaraki senior's sitting figure wearing a gas mask. The top boss looked bored as he rested his face against his fist, leaning his elbow on the armchair.

_He is a part of All For One. _The puzzle piece clicked and Izuku worked his jaw at the silent man in the gas mask that was standing still like a statue. But as Izuku looked around more...there was someone missing that he felt like should be there.

_Where's Nine? _Green eyes cut to Dabi suspiciously.

Fingers snapped in his face to bring his attention back to the powerful kingpin. "We didn't give you head trauma again from roughly handling you, did we?" Tomura arched an eyebrow curiously at the spaced-out behavior. "You're so delicate."

"What do you want with me, Tomura?" Izuku asked cautiously, prying his eyes away from Dabi. "We had an agreement, I thought you said you'd leave me alone."

"We do and we're about to fulfill part of that agreement," Tomura sighed as Himiko stepped around to free Izuku of his wrist restraints. The greenette nursed his skin from the tight hold as he finally stood up in the strange space.

"We've been trying to figure out a way to get to you without pissing off Yotsubashi. But that bastard is always making sure we can't move further north—I'll be glad for the day he's finally dead and out of our hair."

At this declaration Izuku stiffened. He paused nursing his bruised wrist and looked at Tomura confused as he replayed Dabi and Nine killing Yotsubashi in cold blood in his head.

In the background, Izuku saw Dabi discreetly bring his pointer finger up to the mouth part of the gas mask in a _'shush'_fashion.

Izuku furrowed his brows as his skin creeped unnaturally.

"Dabi here informed us that you just so happened to fall into his lap while you were out _clubbing_," Tomura continued on ignorantly when Himiko looked towards Dabi with a strange smirk. "So, we instructed him to sound the alarms and bring you back here to us for a moment. We'll let you go soon, just like we agreed."

Izuku turned his attention back to Tomura. He frowned. "You brought me here for the agreement. Which means you need help with…"

"The bomb. You're correct." Tomura snapped his fingers and Dabi bent down and picked something off the floor behind the chair of Shigaraki senior. The black-haired man then stepped forward holding Izuku's haunting creation. "Our newest member Dabi is the current engineer and he wants to make it have a larger explosion radius, but he can't exactly fiddle with what you made due to it being so complexly put together. You're here to help him out."

Dabi slowly handed him the bomb and Izuku stared questionably at his full coverage gas mask. There was something both baffling and inexplicable about Dabi that Izuku didn't know how to voice—so he decided to play it safe.

"Okay," Izuku said slowly, keeping his voice light.

"Okay?" Tomura question, voice inclining upwards in an amused fashion. "I expected a little bit more feistiness from you—especially in that outfit. But guess you finally learned your place in the food chain, huh?"

Izuku bit the inside of his cheek as he looked down at the dirtied green kimono and red slash. "Where are the tools?" He gritted through his teeth, trying his best to stay on task.

"Right over there," Tomura answered, pointing off to the side. Izuku turned his head to see a small bench table with a blue chair off to the side. "Take as much time as you need. Dabi, watch him so you can see how it's done in the future. I'm sick of your excuses."

He was led by Dabi off to the side and escorted to take a seat. Izuku held back his frown when the dark haired man pulled out the plush blue chair like a gentleman.

The room filled with small conversations from the criminals inside as Izuku worked on what was asked of him. But an unresolved notion kept causing him to cut his eye towards Dabi who was leaning against the wall next to him with his arms crossed. Izuku noted his large bulging through the black leather jacket and all the different silver chains around his neck that he assumed to be status symbols.

_Why didn't he tell the Shigarakis that he killed Yotsubashi?_ He thought curiously, studying the large burn covering the entirety of the black haired man's neck.

Izuku noticed how Dabi wasn't actually watching him. He had his head turned away and he was staring ahead at the Shigarakis who seemed to not have a single clue their biggest rival's body was most likely being disposed of by Nine.

When it came time to solder the two fuses together, Izuku looked over his shoulder slowly at everyone paying him no mind. Quickly, he discreetly reached in between his legs and felt up for the small holster on his thigh. Izuku worked with haste as he snapped off the small inactive tracking device and hid it in the mess of blue, yellow and green wires.

He melted it carefully against the bottom most corner of the device when he felt like Dabi wasn't looking and concealed it with a small piece of silver metal.

"I'm finished," Izuku spoke loudly to the whole room. His heart pounded in his ears with nerves because he was praying that this worked.

"Dabi, check to make sure everything looks correct," Tomura called out from the other side of the room. Izuku stiffened when the man in all black turned towards him in that lifeless mask. The arsonist slowly lifted the top of the detonator and inspected everything closely but paused when it seemed like he saw something.

Izuku held his breath as his eyes moved back and forth between Dabi and the bomb, but oddly enough, nothing was said. Dabi lifted his head to look at him through his tinted visor and snapped the lid shut with purpose.

"We're good," Dabi's deep distorted voice echoed out for the first time. "Everything is set to go."

"Perfect. Izuku you're free to go back to Shizuoka City," Tomura smiled tauntingly at him. "Magne, make sure you return his phone and wallet when you deliver him to the drop site."

"Is that all you need?" The greenette hesitantly stood up, looking around at all the different people when he suddenly felt a strange tension in the air. He studied the way Himiko's eyes sparkled with something close to bloodlust—but the look was directed at Tomura and not him.

"Yes, angel, that's all. We said we would let you go back to your boring life without a scratch if you hold up your end of the agreement, which you did."

Dabi walked over to Tomura with the bomb and the silver haired man snatched it out of the arsonist's hands as if he was irritated about something.

"I'll hold on to this for now until you finish what we asked of you," Tomura hissed in a low voice that Izuku almost didn't hear. He watched how Dabi flexed his gloved hands in what seemed like anger, but nothing happened. Tomura turned to give the green-eyed man a tight lipped smile.

"You can go now, Izuku. Remember to keep your mouth zipped as tightly as you've been doing for years now." Tomura snapped his fingers and quickly all the bodyguards walked over to the greenette.

Izuku gave a muffled yelp of surprise when a black bag was shoved over his head and he was dragged right back out from where he came.

. . .

The car ride to wherever they were taking him wasn't nearly as long.

Izuku huffed when they removed the bag off of his head and the doors of the black van opened wide. He yelped as he was shoved out of the back of the van onto the cold concrete in a single, swift movement.

Green eyes squinted at the bright orange sky that forced his pupils to constrict from the brightness. He put his hand up to cast a shadow over his sensitive eyes to stare at the plateness black van driving off in the other direction and his phone and wallet being thrown out of the window on the sidewalk.

Izuku groaned at the pain from being thrown out of the moving vehicle and shifted out of the snow to see where he was dropped. But when his eyes settled on the all too familiar worn-down blue 'For Sale' sign, he outwardly groaned.

"You've got to be _kidding_ me," he hissed in a strained voice, looking up at the dawn colored sky in irritation. "Why do they have such a sick sense of humor?"

Izuku bitterly studied his childhood home that was exactly the same as he left it six months ago. The windows were boarded up with wood and it looked lonely covered in white snow that hadn't been shoveled for what seemed like the entire winter.

_They could've dropped me anywhere else,_ Izuku thought bitterly as he picked himself off the ground, hissing at the sudden string on his right knee. He looked down and saw a small scrape from the sidewalk and sighed tiredly.

He began to limp away from the house, refusing to gaze back at the painful reminder of his life as he went to search for his wallet and phone in the snow. As he moved forward however, he heard the shuffling of something in the bushes behind him and paused.

Izuku's paranoia kicked in like lightning and he turned around briskly, thinking it might be the strange Dabi. There was something off about the man in the gas mask that he couldn't shake as he thought about him possibly being the man from the bar.

But as he looked around, there was no one in the early morning Yaizu streets.

He turned around again, painfully slow and started walking until he found his phone and wallet in the middle of the street. Izuku exhaled tiredly at the sight of his now-cracked screen and picked it up.

Then the rustling in the bushes returned and this time it was closer to him. At the sound of such closeness, Izuku rapidly reached down to his thigh holster and pulled out the small black pistol.

"Who's there?" He called out to the still darkened forest-like area in his old neighborhood. The rustle began again and Izuku cocked his gun as he stepped forward into the shadowy area.

He was expecting it to maybe be another person—but instead he was greeted by large puppy doe eyes and a small whine.

Izuku froze, not anticipating to find a small black and tanned Shibu Inu puppy sitting behind the bushes in the snow on the ground. The young detective quickly put his gun away as the harsh winter winds blew and the small creature shuddered.

"Hey there," he whispered, squatting down slowly to the small animal's height, heart swelling as the puppy inched forward towards him. "Let's see...are you lost like me?" He asked sadly while checking the small dog's neck for tags, only to see none. But when the tiny puppy yelped Izuku froze as his eyes zeroed in on the limp paw the Shibu had.

"Ah. Lost and injured. We're more alike than I thought. Come here, I won't hurt you," he whispered as he picked up the tiny creature. Its tail wagged and it snuggled into Izuku more, making the tired man smile weakly. He held the puppy securely in his arms hoping to give it warmth. "There we go, you must be cold. Ah you're such a good…" He quickly looked down at the small pup's belly. "...girl!" He giggled.

The wind blew again reminding Izuku that neither of them could last too long out in this cold much longer. He cradled the small puppy in his arm as he pulled out his cracked phone.

He turned on the green device only to have his heart sink at the amount of missed calls and text messages. Every single officer from U.A had blown up his phone.

—But most of them were from Katsuki.

There were over a hundred missed calls and several dozen rapid fire text messages. He quickly shifted apps and pressed the 'on' button for his tracker. He watched the green dot blink several times and noted how Ground Alpha was right in the center of downtown Yaizu. _Of course._

Right as he was about to press the dial for Katsuki, Toshinori sprang up on his caller ID.

Izuku sighed as he began walking to the train station looking down at the dog in his arms that had begun to shiver against him. He pressed the answer button on the phone and automatically held it several inches away from his ear.

"Izuku, what in the _hell_ is wrong with you!?" Toshinori's loud voice boomed through the speakers. "We have been trying to get a hold of your phone and tracker for the last _four hours_—Bakugou said you went off with AFO willingly?! I'm sending a damn team out right now to extract you from your tracker's location—"

"—I'm not there," Izuku quickly interrupted, but the flustered captain was still going off on the deep end of his disapproval. The young detective raised his voice to try to catch his attention. "Toshinori—wait! Stop—that's not my location."

The scolding paused. "...What do you mean, Izuku? Where are _you_?"

"I'm in Yaizu by my parents' old home. I'm starting to make my way back," Izuku sighed, trying to ignore the freezing of his limbs in the skimpy kimono. "But the location, it's the Shigarakis...it's ground alpha's location. I...I was able to slip my tracking device in when they weren't looking."

There was a long pause between both men at the implication of what Izuku just said.

"...Are you telling me that's ground alpha's location?" Toshinori whispered harshly. "Izuku, if that's true we need to call S.W.A.T immediately."

A burning resolve settled into Izuku's core when he realized that this might be it. He looked over his shoulder at his forgotten childhood hold and all the weeds that over run the once joy filled house.

"It's true. Call S.W.A.T."

"Okay, I'll alert the team," Toshinori whispered with a hard edge to his voice. There was an exhausted sigh and Toshinori calmed down. "In the meantime, son, come home...and call Katsuki. He's been worried sick about you."

Izuku's heart clutched and he paused his walking, the guilt fully settling in. He pictured the look of worry in red eyes and missed the flickering embers.

"Okay, I'll be back in Shizuoka City in about three hours. Don't worry about me, focus on bringing them in. I'll be fine."

"Alright. See you soon, Izuku. Be safe and get home."

Toshinori clicked off the line and Izuku pulled the phone from his ear to gaze at the time on the home screen. The background was a silly photo of Katsuki in his PJs and glasses and sitting on top of the image the time read to be nearly 7:00 am. Izuku had no doubt that a certain blond was probably having an aneurysm.

He made a move to press call on the name 'Lieutenant Kacchan,' but his phone went black again as his battery glitched and died. He cursed loudly under his breath at the luck, startling the tiny animal in his arms.

"Sorry," he whispered, petting the soft fur on top of the female Shibu's head. He put his phone away and inhaled deeply as he started to make his way towards the train station.

. . .

Izuku knocked nervously on the door of Katsuki's apartment around 10:00am. He stared down at himself and realized how much of a mess he truly was.

His body was freezing, and he was sure he was shivering from near hypothermia, but he was trying his best to keep the small animal in his arms warm. His brain was sluggish from being awake for nearly twenty-four hours and trying to process everything he just witnessed. His knee was badly scraped, and he had numerous other injuries from fighting off the members of AFO in the warehouse.

But when Katsuki answered the door—he somehow looked worse.

The apartment's wooden door aggressively swung open to reveal red eyes that were utterly bloodshot, something Izuku has never seen on the blond before. There were shadows underneath his eyes and the frown on his handsome features looked as if he was about to pop a vein at any given moment.

Above all, what caught Izuku's attention the most, was the emotion sitting deep inside Katsuki's ember colored eyes. It was nearly infinite sadness and worry.

The two lovers stared at each other without saying a word while assessing each other. Katsuki's eyes flickered to the small dog in Izuku's arm and his frown only went deeper.

"Hi," the greenette started with an apologetic smile. "I brought a guest? I found her on my way to the train station."

Katsuki opened his mouth to say something but quickly snapped it shut. He closed his eyes to take a deep inhale in and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Get inside this fucking apartment," his tiredly hoarse voice whispered as he stepped aside for Izuku to come in. Izuku bowed his head when he entered, anger and betrayal radiating off the hot-headed blond. He walked inside the apartment and waited for Katsuki to follow him inside all the way.

Izuku laid the small sleeping dog down on the couch peacefully and he noticed how Katsuki softly looked at the pup as well. But when the elder man shifted his gaze to land on him, Izuku knew the blond was past livid.

"Katsuki...I'm sorry—"

"Why would you do that?!" The blonde harshly whispered, outrage finally snapping. Katsuki looked at Izuku full of hurt and anger as he stepped forward to tower over him. "You ran off to a drug lord's fucking headquarters without backup like a complete dumbass!? Do you know how dangerous that could've been—_especially_ for you!"

"I knew they wouldn't do anything to me," Izuku defended. "And I was right. But they would've hurt you—"

"You don't know that!" Katsuki's voice cracked. "You don't know if they weren't planning on hurting you, Izuku! You _cannot_ fucking trust people like that! What if they had!?"

Izuku hung his head down, furrowing his brows. "I was just trying to protect you, Katsuki—"

"—_That's my goddamn job_!" The lieutenant's voice boomed at an octave that startled Izuku.

Izuku snapped his green eyes upwards to find tears pouring down Katsuki's face. Izuku opened his mouth speechless as he watched the usually well-composed man completely come undone. His heart painfully pulled to make it stop. But Katsuki kept going, wiping away his tears in front of the younger officer.

"It's _my_ job to protect _you_, Izuku! I-I'm your lieutenant and I'm supposed to watch out for my subordinates!" He said through gritted teeth. "I promised Toshinori that nothing would happen to you and if it had I would've _never_ fucking forgiven myself—"

Katsuki's words were halted by a crack in his voice at the end of the sentence and his chest heaving uncontrollably. Izuku stayed silent as the blond cried softly in front of him, trying desperately to wipe his tears away quicker than they were falling.

"_Fuck_," Katsuki whispered when he realized that he was completely lost to his emotions flooding out of him. "I can't stop fucking crying."

Izuku's heart pulled and strained painfully until he reached up to wipe away Katsuki's tears for him and his own started to fall. They made eye contact and Izuku whispered the softest apologies as Katsuki reached up to squeeze Izuku's hand in his.

"I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to make you worried. I-I just didn't want you to get hurt. Above everything. Yes, I went knowing that they said they wouldn't kill me...but...most of all, I was worried they would hurt you if I didn't go," he whispered.

Red eyes searched his face with raw emotion. Gradually, Katsuki climbed down from his temper to bring Izuku in for a long, wordless embrace. Izuku squeezed the larger body in his arms as Katsuki tiredly rested his head against him.

"You can be too selfless," Katsuki rasped out into his curls, holding him tighter. "Promise me you won't do anything like that again. _Please_."

Izuku nodded and pulled back to look into the ember colored eyes he's come to love.

"I promise I won't," Izuku whispered, wiped away the last teardrop that shed from Katsuki's eyes. He gave a small smile and the handsome blond gave a grateful one back.

Katsuki leaned down to cradle his freckled face carefully and the Izuku melted into a kiss that felt as warm as the embers burning in his heart.

* * *

**Notes:**

I hope you enjoyed! Please let me know what you think below! I'm really excited to move into the next arc! No preview this week, next chapter is a surprise :) Thank you guys so much for the R&R! I really love reading your reviews as I write this story. You guys are so much!


	21. Simmer

**A/N: **First off, Hello, I am so so sorry. I thought I updated this on this website and then realized I, in fact, had not for four chapters. The COVID-19 issues really made my life a little bit chaotic but it has calmed down a lot. I graduated from my Master's of Science degree recently and I am currently job hunting in this odd climate.

I am going to just consecutively post the last four chapters! So You'll be getting updates every day for the next four days! I hope you enjoy! Thank you all so much if you're still out there for reading! I really love you guys and all the comments that you leave.

Alrighty, let's jump into it! Please read the warning for continuing in this particular chapter.

**Warnings: Stalking, obsessive behavior, dark thoughts, murder & minor character death, torture, unhealthy behaviors, gang violence.**

_Song: Simmer - Haley Williams_

* * *

**Chapter 21 - Simmer**

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Touya gasped awake to the smell of smog and the sound of police sirens in the distance. His eyes snapped open while his breathing was a harsh in and out, struggling for oxygen.

_Burning_.

Everywhere on his body burned and his eyes stared wide up at the night sky confused, startled and disorientated.

_Where am I?_ He thought to himself. Wild blue eyes darted all around the dark sky as his whole body stung. He registered that he was laying on his back in the grass somewhere and tried to move. But when he attempted to lift up, a rough, broken yell was pulled from him as unfathomable pain shot all over his limbs.

The teal colored eyes of the red haired man then caught the sight of a black smog in the air coming from his right. Slowly, he dragged his eyes to turn his head to see off in the distance the building he was just in up in flames.

The building he and _Izuku_ were in.

All the memories flooded in like a firestorm and Touya's eyes went wide at the realization of what happened. He recalled trying to speed on his motorcycle to Makinohara in order to beat the Shigarakis, running into the building and trying to get Izuku out.

_Failing_ to get Izuku out.

"_D-Don't leave me, Touya—"_

He remembered the green eyes he loved full of tears as Izuku's small hands clung desperately to him. Now the building with the one person to ever show him true love was up in flames.

An indescribable feeling of fire simmered underneath Touya's skin as he stared in dread at the crumbling building. He thought about Izuku inside and all the warmth drained from his body, leaving behind nothing but rage.

"Ah, he's awake," a familiar sly voice from his left side spoke. "Jin, go see how he is."

Touya clenched his teeth when pain struck like lightning all over his neck and he tried to make a strained noise but failed. His throat felt like hands of fire were wrapped around it, squeezing. As his pain was the highest, that's when he finally looked and saw his arms.

They were red, skinless and bloody with deep scarring burns. The sight made another terror filled yell was pulled from Touya because it looked as if he had been dipped into the fiery pits of hell. His eyes shifted to look at his chest and found the same disturbing amount of damage.

Green eyes and hair flashed in his mind along with Izuku's soft smiling gaze. He stared longer at the fire and slowly his chest started heaving thinking about the Shigarakis. The fucking Shigarakis who gave the kill order to take out Izuku and his family.

A family that was going to welcome him in with the warmth and love he never had when he finally married Izuku. But now Izuku was dead and that family was _gone_.

The feeling inside his chest simmered stronger and his nostrils flared with anger. He heard footsteps approach and a figure kneeled down beside him to check his breathing.

"The bastard is kicking. Unsurprisingly," Jin spoke exasperatedly, leaned over his twitching body. Touya slowly inched his head towards the sound of the voice above him with crazed eyes and thoughts full of Izuku's beautiful laugh. "Tomura, what do you want to do n—_fuck_!"

As if the devil gave him a second wind of new life, the angry feeling inside of Touya violently boiled over. His rage erupted and he snapped his arm up to strangle Jin by his skinny _breakable_ throat. The man above him startled with a strained choking noise as he was dragged down and tossed onto the grass.

Touya pushed through his searing pain, running only on adrenaline, rage and thoughts about the green eyed man he loved being burned alive. His bloody hands slammed Jin against the cold dirt and he rolled over on top of him pinning him fully.

Jin tried to grab his gun but Touya was quicker.

All of the red head's loathing made him ignore the burning and blood dripping off him as he snatched the steel gun out of Jin's hand and shoved the barrel all the way to the back of the man's mouth.

Jin screamed and Touya pulled the trigger.

The loud gunshot echoed into the night, and bright red blood sprayed all over the dark green grass.

The body underneath him went satisfyingly still.

Two more sets of footsteps came running towards him and Touya immediately used his sharp reflexes to point the gun in the direction of bodies approaching. He whirled his head around, teeth clenched and face covered in blood. His chest convulsed, unable to contain how much hatred was in his heart as he thought of Izuku being dead.

His ice cold blue eyes laid sights on Tomura and Magne who both immediately paused at the sight of the loaded weapon pointed towards them. The silver haired man's red eyes were emotionless and level headed. Always so fucking under control and Touya was so goddamn _sick_ of it—

He cocked his weapon when Tomura tried to speak.

"Now, hold on one second Touya—"

"—Give me _one_ goddamn reason I shouldn't fucking land a bullet in both of your skulls!" He spat in a threatening tone, ignoring the blood that leaked out of his mouth. His eyes began to sting with tears thinking about the bubbly, beautiful man inside the inferno.

"Izuku is alive," Tomura said steadily and Touya froze at the words. "The firemen dragged him out of the building and he's breathing. I saw it myself."

Touya felt a type of relief wash over him at the idea that Izuku was safe—but to what extent?

He glanced down at his hideous burns and thought about his angel possibly being disfigured and maimed. His murderous gaze returned, and he sneered at the kingpin, not lowering his gun. He picked himself off the ground, staggering to stay up right but his resentful fiery glare was unwavering.

"That's even more reason for me to fucking kill you where you stand," Touya hissed, not removing his gaze off of Tomura. "I told you to stay away from him and you _didn't_. You nearly fucking killed him—"

"—I can make you a permanent deal if you want," Tomura suggested and Touya shook his head, not caring about any more deals. "C'mon, you know you want to hear it. If you kill me then my father will just finish the job on you and Izuku. Then your precious angel will _actually_ be an angel and you squandered his second chance at life."

"Another fucking deal?" Touya's upper lip curled up in disgust. "Is that why you pulled me out instead of letting me burn to death? To hold Izuku over my goddamn head so I can do as you say?"

"Yes," was the short answer and Tomua put his hands in his pants pockets calmly. "After I saw Izuku being saved from the fire, I thought _maybe_ you're actually worth saving too. It's why you're standing in front of me now."

Touya tried to retort but a shock of pain slammed into his body when he opened his mouth.

The redhead struggled to keep his arm upright, all his adrenaline slowly leaving as his vision became weak. Without warning, his legs buckled from strain and the red head fell to his knees in pain when more ripples of agony flooded his nerves.

Tomura tilted his head at him like it was a game—it was _always_ a fucking game to him.

"You're in no shape right now to debate with me, Touya. I suggest you listen to what I have to say before I instruct Magne to put a bullet in both you and Izuku and finish what I started," Tomura informed and Touya gritted his teeth because he was right.

He wasn't in any shape to do anything _right now_.

The Shigarakis were impossible to outmaneuver without meticulous long-term planning and Touya didn't want to squander his and Izuku's second chance at life.

He slowly collected himself and brought down his anger to a low simmer. It was a technique he learned how to do as a child to control his temperament problems. He let all the raging, violent thoughts sitting inside his head fester and boil quietly underneath the surface.

When he looked back up to Tomura, his eyes were as empty as he felt.

"What's the deal?" He snarled through his burned jaw. The skin was beginning to hurt and small specks of bright white dots were spilling into his vision. He knew he needed medical attention and he knew the Shigarakis had it.

"If you come back to us full time, I'll leave Izuku alone," Tomura supplied. "I will give him a trade: his life for his silence and then ensure that he takes it."

Touya glanced down at the ground at Jin's lifeless body. "...Why do you want me to come back to you so badly?"

"Because you don't belong to that boring, mundane type of life, Touya. Even you must know that by now," Tomura sighed tiredly and the red head stiffened because he wasn't...wrong.

Touya had always felt a type of restlessness stirring inside of him while he was inside the small apartment with Izuku.

He tried to push it down because he wanted Izuku to be with him more than anything. But still, undeniably, there was a sleepless urge inside of him that always beckoned for more after having nothing for so long. He never had a voice growing up and the Shigarakis gave him that voice, showing him the path on how to fully use it.

They easily gave him the full control over his fate that he craved.

Izuku had given him love—but he rarely easily gave him control unless Touya had to force his hand.

"There's a rare, ruthless fire in your eyes Touya that both my father and I recognize," Tomura continued. "It's the fire of _power_—the same one we have. If you let us, we can mold you into one of the most well-respected powerful men in Japan like we were _trying_ to do for you before you got distracted with Izuku."

The red head furrowed his brow and remembered how Tomura had found him on the street burning flowers out of anger. It was something he used to do that calmed him. He found it satisfying to watch something so beautiful be stripped down to ashes and brought down to the same level as him: brought down to nothing.

The silver haired man took him in when Touya was caught doing this near their building overgrown with weeds.

He offered the red head income in exchange for one of his infamous deals. It was a deal to work alongside them in All For One and help them conquer underground territory—and he had aided by burning alive several of their rivals to help him harness his itch to watch things be incinerated down to ash.

When Touya didn't respond right away, Tomura 'tch'd and forcefully lifted the redhead's chin to look him directly in the eye. Touya hissed at the press against his raw flesh but Tomura didn't ease up.

"Listen to me and listen to me _carefully_. You need to let this false fairytale life you've been deluding yourself with to _die_," Tomura hissed, squatting down to his kneeling level. "Izuku is clearly a weakness for you and you need to learn how to control your weaknesses. Keep them on a leash so they can't hinder you going forward."

Touya said nothing, absorbing the words carefully. He shifted his blurry gaze to his burned limbs.

"Okay, fine," he finally whispered. "What now?"

"You start over, Touya," Tomura spoke. "When I mean die, I mean you _die_ tonight. You're cutting off all ties with Izuku and stopping this pointless lovebird shit right now. You clearly need to be kept away from him so if I see you go near him I'm fucking shooting him _dead_. We're going to rebuild you from the ground up and this time you're going to _stay_ loyal if you want your precious angel's life to be spared."

Angry red eyes looked into cold blue and Touya kept his anger stirring low.

At that moment, Touya realized he didn't have a choice in this deal he was presented with. After all these years—he still wound up with no say over his own life.

The Shigarakis were just as bad if not worse than his own crooked cop of a father. They both lied and manipulated people to do their dirty work for them while sitting up on a false throne of praise. His hands itched so badly to tear them down from their fabricated kingdoms and expose them all for who they _really_ were.

It made Touya sick to think about how vile the Shigarakis were—but he felt sicker at the thought of someone as pure and loving as Izuku in a body bag.

All Touya wanted was a say in how his life was going to be but he knew while staring eye level at the powerful kingpin in front of him, that he needed to wait.

He wanted his power and control and he wanted Izuku in his life as well. He wasn't going to settle for a half baked ultimatum.

"Okay," Touya spoke slowly, settling in his resolve. "You have a deal. I'll come back to you full time as long as you let him live."

"Perfect. I knew you'd make the right choice." Tomura flashed his greedy smile and turned to Jin's cold body next to Touya. "Now, let's hurry and get to work. Todoroki Touya dies tonight."

Blue eyes stole one more glance back at the burning building and he saw an ambulance rush off loudly with a blaring siren. He trailed it as it sped off in the opposite direction, taking whoever inside far away. Suddenly, Touya felt his tear ducts sting painfully with their burns as he held back from crying in front of Tomura.

His eyes started to swell with tears at the thought of being apart from the one person he loved.

. . .

After Makinohara, Touya had learned to have good patience.

He learned to have it after having so many outbursts in his life that resulted in negative outcomes. Outbursts with his mom. His dad. Shouto—fucking _Bakugou_. Even with Izuku, he learned to control his anger whenever the greenette wouldn't listen.

However, like Tomura had pointed out, he easily lost control around Izuku. There was something about the beautiful green eyes that made him easily unhinged whenever Izuku didn't do what was asked of him. It caused Touya's rage to violently snap quickly in order to get Izuku to behave.

But now, Touya had learned his own lesson when he emerged from those flames that were meant to consume him. He learned he needed to be more in control over his actions and that he needed to plan several steps ahead.

So he stayed quiet after the deal with Tomura was made, brain studying every move he made carefully.

He allowed Tomura to transport him back to Ground Alpha in downtown Yaizu while Magne took care of staging his death with the help of Jin's body and their endless connections.

Tomura confined him in a small comfortable room in the basement for two months after the fire to recover fully with the help of a private in-house doctor. They easily kept him a secret from the other members, only a handful of essential people knew of his survival. Tomura decided it was of the utmost importance that he bury his old life behind him and this was a part of the process. Touya was happy to do so.

His old life held nothing but pain and misery. He shoved the memories of it all the way in his heart and let them freeze over with the last of the warmth in his soul in order to survive.

The thought of not being able to hold Izuku again any time soon hurt more than his third degree burns but it was also what kept him going. He knew they would be reunited, he just needed to remove the Shigarakis from the picture and Izuku would be back in his arms.

But despite everything, he was happy Izuku was alive. The greenette was listed as the sole survivor of the 'Makinohara Tragedy' and Touya wished with his heart that he could comfort the younger male for the loss of his parents.

He felt more guilt than one could imagine for being one of the sources of Izuku's pain. Touya knew he had to make it right—he knew he had to fix the situation by uprooting the Shigarakis completely so they could never destroy people's lives again.

During his time in recovery in the small room he worked out constantly, watched the news and paid attention to the outside world he wasn't allowed to see.

It made him seethe with loathing however because every time he turned on the television, he suddenly saw Bakugou _fucking_ Katsuki flying through the police ranks to the point even _Yaizu_ was reporting on him.

The title of 'Symbol of Victory' was bestowed upon the man and he was deemed as the second coming of Yagi Toshinori because he worked under the man. Hearing Bakugou's name so much made Touya clutch the remote to the point it snapped in half. He wished it was the fucking blond's neck because it wasn't _fair_.

It wasn't right that _Golden Boy_ always got everything—even after Touya put his pride aside to take him from the streets just for that asshole to suggest he get thrown out on the streets like a lowlife.

Touya sneered every time he saw those red eyes and blond hair.

Bakugou got _everything_.

He had gotten the praise from his father. He got along with his family easily and they never looked at him as if they were afraid. He got into the top college in the country and fell into a job easily. But above all, he got the comfortable life Touya used to dream about when he was cold and hungry, living in an abandoned building because of him.

But now, looking at the blond decorated in badges and a solid, stern look on his face, Touya didn't doubt that the man was probably as corrupt as his father to move that quickly to such a high status.

Touya decided he loathed Bakugou. When he got the opportunity, he would tear him down too just to feel the satisfaction of watching Shizuoka City turn on him and weep over the loss of their Golden Boy.

Why was it that Bakugou's life was glowing as bright as the sun while Touya's was stuck in the dirt, wallowing over the separation from Izuku? The red head ground his teeth as his rage spiked.

During these two months alone, Touya made a short list of people to expose for who they really were:

The Shigarakis.

Todoroki Enji.

Bakugou Katsuki.

And anyone that got in his way would automatically be tacked on as he went.

While he was plotting his revenge, sometimes Shigaraki Senior visited him in his lonely grey room.

The man always regarded him with a different level of respect than other members, it was almost kindred. He could tell the kingpin pitied him and even mentioned how he was homeless as well in his youth. It's why he took Tomura in. He saw himself in both Touya and Tomura and declared both times he could make something out of both young adults.

But as time went on, Touya didn't exactly fall into line easily with people giving him commands like Tomura had in the past and this made Shigaraki Senior displeased.

The elder kingpin mentioned several times that Touya needed to be broken in, just like Tomura to learn his place. But unlike the silver haired young adult, Touya would sneer at this. He didn't like the prospect of being molded and fixed up like some broken doll to just fit in some skewed hierarchy.

But after Makinohara, Touya played along as if he learned his lesson.

He made them believe he understood exactly where he belonged.

The silent elder man would come into his isolated room after the fire and always set up a game of chess. They both enjoyed it and would always play before Touya's departure from AFO the first time.

"The doctor said it should be another month or so until you can speak again properly," Shigaraki senior said as he moved his white chess piece. Touya said nothing as he stared at the checkered black and white board in front of him. "Same for your body burns. You should be up and ready to go and then I have an assignment for you specifically."

At this Touya tilted his head and strained his voice from underneath the bandages covering his mouth and nose. "What assignment is it?"

"We lost all connections in Tokyo recently which means a third of our monetary gains have been severed," the elder haired man sighed as Touya moved his black pawn.

"How did that happen?"

"Our allies, Shie Hassaikai, had an unfortunate passing of their leader suddenly and his son stepped in as the new Yakuza leader. _Apparently,_ the young man is named Chisaki Kai and isn't at all fond of us. Wouldn't give an explanation, just said that if we stepped foot in Tokyo again he'd have his men put a bullet in us faster than we can breathe."

Touya cut his eyes up at the familiar name.

"Chisaki Kai?" He mumbled and Shigaraki senior nodded.

"We need someone to go down to Fujieda and claim the city to counterbalance the loss of territory. We're nowhere near as strong as the Shie Hassaikai and I'm not a fool to think otherwise."

Touya paused his thinking while staring at the intricate chess game in front him.

The name dug up a familiar memory of Izuku casually talking about his chemical engineering teaching assistant one day. He recalled how the beautiful greenette mentioned how aloof the man was and how he was always busy with his 'family business'.

Touya clicked the pieces together when Shigaraki moved his queen.

"Do you think you could go to Fujieda and overturn the small gang down there for us, Touya?" Shigaraki said, pitch black eyes looking up at him. "Most people in the area know our faces and affiliates by now but, luckily for us, you're technically dead. You can assume a new identity and infiltrate easier."

Blue bore into the man he resented more than his own father, carefully shielding his contempt.

"Are you going to try to take Shizuoka City as well? It's denser in population than the countryside of Fujieda. You would make up for the loss of Tokyo easier and possibly make more meaningful connections."

"Like I said Touya, I'm not a fool," Shigaraki Senior retorted with a tight, serious look when the young adult moved a knight. "Yotsubashi Rikiya is still angry with me from years ago when I stole his woman and he is just as powerful as us. You get too confident and you risk exposing yourself to the police easier. Too many members and too much land to cover makes it easy for sloppiness."

"Sorry, sir," Touya apologized and while thinking about his next move. "I'll be more than happy to go over to Fujieda and establish territory for you."

"Thank you. In the meantime, start preparing yourself for a new identity. Pick out a name and I'll get the papers and ID."

Touya nodded emptily but his thoughts started reeling.

All For One losing their connection with the Yakuza was a huge opening, meaning they only owned Yaizu and Makinohara. They were vulnerable and Shigaraki deciding to settle for tiny Fujieda only reinforced what Touya thought.

An intricate plan birthed inside of the emotionally scorched man's head.

"Ah, checkmate," Shigaraki said and he moved his queen again. "I got you again. Sorry about that. Maybe I should start letting you win some chess games."

"Ha, don't worry about it," Touya chuckled and put on a charming gaze through his blue eyes. "Maybe one day I'll checkmate you, but otherwise I just enjoy the company."

Shigaraki senior smiled at him and Touya returned the gesture underneath his bandages for an entirely different reason.

. . .

One month went by and Dabi was born from the ashes of Touya.

He spent a lot of time thinking about the name. He wanted a name that would symbolize his rebirth and thought it was perfect. It symbolized how Touya died and how Dabi was forged in the inferno of Makinohara.

**Dabi-ni-fusu — Cremate the body**

Blue eyes looked directly at the first two characters and carefully circled them in red.

**Dabi**

_Dabi_. This would be his second life and he was going to ensure that Dabi never made the same mistakes as Touya.

Touya was impatient, Dabi wouldn't be. Touya only thought about the next day, Dabi would think about the next year out. Touya lost control of his temper while Dabi would harness his rage righteously.

The red haired man buried Todoroki Touya six feet deep in the ground with everyone else and locked his old self away in his mind. He locked away all his sympathy, empathy and the last bit of warmth he had in his heart as he chiseled his new soul out of coal.

One day during the isolation, he took a good long look at himself in the mirror—something he always hated doing because of how much he resembled _him_. Cold teal colored eyes studied the purple burns covering both of his arms, the skin under his eyes and completely covering his neck, chin and ears.

But despite the jarring sight of his burns, that's not what he hated seeing.

He leered at the visual of his father _still_ staring directly back at him after all these years.

That night, he emerged from the bathroom smeared in black hair dye from furiously blacking out every last inch of his Todoroki appearance. The black liquid stained his fingers and bled into his scar tissue. It didn't fade for nearly a week when he requested a needle and steel silver rings.

He sat alone on his bed with his hands blackened, watching the news coverage of Bakugou with spiteful eyes as he pierced his face.

He sunk fully into his new identity as he watched the man he hated so much for tilting his life off balance. The black haired man ignored the excruciating pain as he sunk the needle into himself resentfully over and over again. He was hellbent on distorting his features to the point he could no longer see his father, and he could finally be free of being a fucking _Todoroki _pig.

He ignored the blood as he pierced the needle directly where his burns stopped and four down the center of his chin. He gave himself three new nose piercings, completely abandoning his old snake bites.

When he finished disinfecting and decorating himself in all the silver hoops, he looked in the mirror at his work.

A sly smirk twitched its way on his face at how menacing he looked—how _powerful_ he seemed. Dark joy filled his heart because there wasn't a single damn trace besides his eyes of being connected to that family anywhere in his physical appearance. His scars hid his features well and he embraced them as if they were just a new identity.

After his full transformation in Dabi, Tomura had shown him a photo of the grave that read 'Todoroki Touya.' Ice cold blue eyes noted the white and red roses sitting in front of them that made his heart clutch at the thought of Izuku out in the world alone.

_Soon_. He told himself as he clutched his fist tight enough that his nails dug into his skin. _We'll be together soon. _

"Thought you might want to see these as proof we haven't touched him," Tomura had hummed one evening while visiting him. "Just ensuring you we've kept up our half of the deal."

Tomura flicked his thumb across the screen to another photo of Izuku that was taken from a distance. His head was down, headphones in his ears while he clutched the straps on his yellow backpack. The background was the familiar setting of the Yaizu University campus.

There was a distant, depressed look in Izuku's beautiful green eyes.

The blue eyed man didn't say anything at the thought of Izuku out there alone suffering—thinking he was _dead_.

"Why didn't you at least just tell him I was alive?" he rasped out in an even voice. "He's clearly hurting and I don't want to see him suffer like that."

"With his track record of snitching?" Tomura huffed and closed his phone. "Not a single damn chance. He probably would tell the police we were keeping you hostage or something. Your angel is better left out of our hair and off grieving you if you want him to keep his life."

Dabi worked his jaw back and forth when the simmering feeling of anger returned. He wondered how delusional Tomura was not to see how they _were_ keeping him hostage by threatening to kill Izuku.

"You're right, sorry. That makes sense," he forced out in a fake apologetic tone with a charming smile. "Is there anything else I need before I head off to Fujieda?"

"Ah, yes. I actually have a gift for you, Touya—"

"—I told you not to call me _that_," he snapped quicker than he could control.

His barely contained anger spilled over, triggered by the name he no longer wanted to be associated with. The room turned silent and Tomura's face grew dark at the raised voice. The now black haired man cleared his throat and flexed his hands to control himself.

"...Sorry, Tomura. I just don't want to be reminded."

"Of course. My apologies, _Dabi_," Tomura gave a tight-lipped smile before pulling out two sheets of familiar looking paper.

His heart skipped a beat when he looked at it closer and saw Izuku's unmistakable handwriting.

"Like I was saying, I have a little gift for you. It's something I think you might find useful if you can build it. I'll send an engineer your way with you to Fujieda and you can begin the claim."

Dabi reached out his hands and slowly grabbed the paper with expansion upon the plans he already had.

. . .

Two years passed since Makinohara with Dabi fully settled into his new being.

It felt refreshing to finally shed the skin that he hated so much because he finally realized something: Tomura was _right_.

He wasn't built for the normal married life he wanted with Izuku like he thought. He was built for _this_. He had a ruthless flame of power in him that no one else had and he knew that was exactly what he needed to uproot All For One and take all that he wanted.

When he had arrived at Fujieda with other members who didn't recognize him anymore, it only took them two months to fully establish the city as All For One territory because he burned fear into anyone that dared object.

Or more specifically, he burned a piece of their body.

Seeing them squirm and beg underneath his hand was more than satisfying. He watched coldly as the flames would eat away at parts of them, consuming the person. There was always something so powerful about fire that spoke to him and he knew if he could harness it properly, he could have it all.

The henchmen that were assigned on the mission with him soon came to respect him for his merciless tactics and how savage he was about getting the job done. After Fujieda, the Shigarakis were more than impressed by him and started sending him on other missions to straighten out other deals or claim more land to make up for the loss of Tokyo.

Dabi did this all willingly without making a sound of objection to fully earn their trust again. In the back of his mind was always Izuku because he knew that's what he was working towards.

He checked Izuku's social media accounts every morning and night from ghost accounts. The first year there was nothing, just a sad photo of a rose that read 'thank you everyone for your condolences.' Then after a full year post Makinohara, Izuku started posting again. It was mostly just his art, and some of it had taken a sad, sullen turn. There were a lot of sketches of Izuku's parents and an equal amount of him.

It pulled on his heart to see but it was strangely reassuring. Izuku still cared about him after everything.

Despite the last night they were together when he lost his temper, Izuku still regarded him with love.

There were more posts documenting his senior year of college. They were filled with him smiling with friends. One of his favorites was of Izuku's beautiful freckled face bright and unblemished laughing as he made a peace sign hugging some red haired woman.

Izuku was still as sweet as he remembered, and heaven's light still shined brightly around his pure personality.

He curiously made note of the location tagged that photo because it kept reappearing.

Outside of checking Izuku's Instagram, Dabi realized a pattern the more territory and missions he went on. It was more than easy to slowly stir resentment inside of the members of All For One when he probed the topic of the Shigarakis.

"They killed my wife," one member spoke to him one night with a blue look. "I took money from them thinking they wouldn't notice to pay off my son's tuition, but I was wrong. They told me if I wanted my kids to live, I would work for them full time. Now I'm _stuck_."

All the members around him sympathized with the story and shared similar backgrounds. It wasn't terribly hard to plant the seed that both Tomura and Senior needed to go. Some people he knew were loyal to the end, like Magne, and brushed off the idea. But Dabi gauged each person carefully before poaching them so he never set off the Shigarakis' alarms.

But for the most part, there were an equal number of angry members as loyal.

And that's what made Dabi's plans possible.

When the ones they scorned turned to him, Dabi used alcohol and mimicked the emotion of care for each person. With their thoughts slicked up and dizzy, he was able to truly see who they were and if he wanted them on his side going forward. Not long after, they all started praising how quickly he got things done, how he gave efficient orders, and how he understood what it was like to get his hands dirty unlike either of the Shigarakis.

"You would make a good leader, Dabi," one mentioned off-handedly and Dabi silently fully agreed. "You're very down to earth and you know what you're doing."

They all regarded him with respect for not only the fact that he showed him kinship, but because he had _The Incinerator _blueprints in his hands. They all knew the man with the plans for this bomb could easily be more powerful than anyone who opposed him if done correctly.

And Dabi used it correctly.

He built _The Incinerator _easily thanks to Izuku's easy to follow sketches and he only used it as a threat or final consequence if someone didn't heed his warnings.

He silently thanked his angel when his rivals, now allies, cowered in fear at his feet and half of the All For One members commended him. Izuku truly was a blessing in every aspect of his life, and he had a plan for the green eyed man once his own kingdom was perfectly laid out.

Izuku would be his lover and his mechanical expert because despite Dabi taking to building the bomb easily, there were things he still didn't understand and by now Izuku should have graduated with a degree in chemical engineering.

It was perfect—he would help him build more powerful weapons that would allow Touya to keep expanding his land.

However, he knew he would have to break Izuku in. He wasn't delusional to think Midoriya 'I wanted to be a cop' Izuku would take to being in a gang easily. But, luckily for Dabi, he knew the freckled man responded to pain.

He could break Izuku down just like the Shigarakis had done to Touya and keep him by his side no matter what.

After the two years, Dabi returned to Yaizu more permanently. He had absorbed just about every surrounding city except for Shizuoka City for the Shigarakis, but more importantly, he had absorbed them for himself in the long term.

That aside, however, the first thing Dabi wanted to do when he moved back was see Izuku's smiling face.

He admittedly became mildly attached to checking Izuku's pages every day because of how rooted it made him. Izuku's Instagram stories became more consistent with short poems and it made Dabi smile knowing Izuku was still the same.

His freckles were the same, his eyes were still kind and not jaded like his. His love for art, life, and his reserved shy blush was still present.

He was still his angel.

But despite the pull in his heart, Dabi knew it was still too soon to tell Izuku about everything. But he just wanted to see the greenette and maybe check in on him after so long of being apart.

He imagined the green eyed man missed him and thought of him fondly. There was a part of him that was nervous about how Izuku might view him now. He looked at his burns and wondered if Izuku could love this version of himself that he liked more than the other because, for him, there was no else who he wanted to love.

Izuku was perfect inside and out.

There was no random man or woman that could ever replace the love Izuku had shown him. He had tried while going around to the different cities, to see if he could recreate what Izuku had given him, but he failed every time.

No one even came _close_ to the green eyed angel.

Which is why when the beautiful man's 22nd birthday arrived, Dabi couldn't help but to slyly figure out a way to leave a red rose for Izuku wishing him a happy birthday.

He knew it was risky, but loving Izuku from afar through his social media was hard for him. Izuku still had control over him in more than one way and Tomura was right. Izuku was his weakness and most of his logical reasoning went out the window with just one look at those sweet, emerald eyes.

He took a guess on Izuku's location and went to the bar that was frequently in his posts and stories, Happidorinku. Originally, he didn't see him and figured maybe he got it wrong but then he caught sight of the ginger woman in half of Izuku's posts behind the counter and put the pieces together.

Dabi originally considered dropping off the rose to her, asking her to tell Izuku it was from a secret admirer and leave it be, but it all changed in several seconds.

The nightclub's doors opened, and the wind blew in the sweet-smelling scent of rose cologne.

He turned his head and approaching the bartender, sweeping his hand through his dark curls was Izuku. Beautiful Izuku who was still wearing his golden hoop earring and the leather bomber jacket with a rose embroidered on it—and he had somehow become even _more_ irresistibly handsome than two years ago.

He was as pretty as the roses he used to pluck from the ground.

Dabi felt his hands twitch with deep want at the sight, but he quickly turned his head away when Izuku stationed himself one seat away from him.

Izuku was _so_ close.

Dabi's heart rate elevated for the first time in nearly two years and he felt an addictive wave of life washed over him. He fiddled nervously with the rose underneath the counter thoughtfully trying to think of how to give it to the green eyed beauty.

Then that's when it dropped.

Information that nearly made him see fucking _red_.

"Haven't seen you in a while, what's going on? Looking for some trouble to get into again?" The ginger haired bartender giggled and Izuku smiled leaning in towards her.

"Ah, I'm just dropping in," Izuku spoke smoothly and Dabi felt his heart jump at the sound of how smooth Izuku's voice was now. "It's my birthday and I want to celebrate starting my new job on Monday."

"You got the officer position and it's your birthday?"

Dabi nearly snapped the rose in two in his hand at the mention of Izuku's new job. He held his breath as the information sunk in.

Izuku was a police officer. Izuku went and became a fucking _police officer_.

After fucking _everything_—after he thought he _died_.

There was something sour about that fact sitting in his brain as he accepted the fact that Izuku had gone against one of the beliefs he knew he felt strongly about. His anger flared as he continued listening.

"I just want to have some fun and figure I'd get out of the house versus sitting around. Mirio was pretty pushy that I didn't spend it like my twenty-first, just by myself writing poetry."

"Ugh, that sounds god-awful, Izuku. Your roomie is right. You definitely should be out, whether or not that includes you trying to suck someone's dick like last time you were here."

"Hey! _Language_! Don't let everyone know my business, Itsuka."

"Don't let everyone know your business?" The woman now identified as Itsuka huffed. "Did you forget how we first met? This is gold coming from the guy who I found sloppy drunk on his knees about to blow some rando in this club's _public _bathroom stall—"

His mind instantly fed him the visual of Izuku on his knees, drunk in public ready to act like some goddamn common slut and it didn't add up to the man who was a virgin angel when he first met him.

He stood up immediately when he felt something inside of him _snap._ Realizing he accidentally drew attention to himself, Dabi quickly turned away holding the rose low in his hand in the night club. The music pulsated through him with all the different smells of alcohol while he strummed his fingers on the countertop. He quickly took his leave with the rose in hand to get air. He could feel himself steadily coming undone.

Slowly, that dangerous simmering anger came back.

It sat at a low fire underneath his collar as he tried to process the new pieces of information he heard.

But that couldn't be right. After two years...that couldn't be _right_. That didn't align with the imagery of Izuku he had fallen in love with and watched from afar for two years.

Izuku wasn't like that—he never had been.

He was pure, shy and poetic. He saved stray animals, gardened, and cared for other humans deeply. He didn't fucking blow random guys in the bathrooms of dirty ass night clubs and he sure as hell didn't just say _fuck you_ to his dead boyfriend's memory by becoming a goddamn _cop_.

After everything he opened up to Izuku about, it felt like a slap in the face. He had opened up to Izuku about his abuse only to have the freckled man completely discard what he said by becoming an officer just like fucking _Enji_.

Dabi ground his teeth together while he studied Izuku the rest of the night.

He watched from the upper level how Izuku flirted with the man next to him shamelessly and the stranger fed into it. Dabi didn't know how to feel as he kept his eyes on Izuku, unwavering.

The tornado in his chest picked up speed when the stranger made a move to slyly feel up Izuku and the greenette just fucking leaned into the touch.

This wasn't how he thought this day was going to go.

He felt his anger ignite as he watched Izuku leave with the man that wasn't him.

. . .

He carefully followed Izuku back to wherever he lived, trailing the loud obnoxious laughter of the scum whose hand was intertwined with Izuku's.

Every few minutes, Izuku would peek over his shoulder as if he heard something and it would make the stealthy gang member shift into the shadows of the alleyways. His blue eyes carefully watched how Izuku would glance around and pause his walking.

"Is everything okay?" The scum asked, looking at Izuku worried as he peered around as well. Green eyes flickered with paranoia but slowly it dissolved away. His angel looked back at the man with a so _obviously_ fake smile and expression.

"Sorry," Izuku whispered, beginning to walk again and turned his head away. "I think I'm just a little naturally spooked when it gets late like this."

"Ah, don't worry, cutie," the strange chuckled, throwing his arm around Izuku's shoulders and Dabi felt his heart turn sour. "I'll protect you if anything happens and I'll keep you company tonight to scare off any ghosts."

Izuku gave a fake laugh and the stranger didn't think twice about it. Dabi felt his nostrils flare at the sight of them leaning into each other.

He followed them all the way back to what he presumed to be Izuku's apartment when the greenette pulled out the key and dangled it flirtatiously in front of the stranger. He waited several moments before trailing them inside.

Dabi didn't know what was happening or why he was doing this—risking being exposed like this. But the ugly feeling eating away inside of him made him carefully creep around the corner, following the intoxicating laughter of Izuku.

He heard a door slam shut on the first floor and the sounds of making out ensued from one of the corner apartments. He looked and saw that there was possibly a window and backtracked himself, following the squeezing feeling in his chest. When he came up to the side of the brown bricked building—he was right.

There was a window that gave a perfect view of Izuku's bedroom. He crouched low in the dark and watched angrily as Izuku happily let some random man push him backwards onto the bed.

All the thoughts of Izuku jumbled and rearranged abstractly as he tried to assess what he was seeing—what illusion he was looking at as Izuku let himself be undressed.

But when the last article of clothing fell off Izuku's beautiful frame, everything halted in his mind.

Izuku was full of scars—he was scarred all the way from his shoulders down and the sight made Dabi pause. He assessed how Izuku's entire left arm was wrapped up save the tips of his fingers and how the burns on his left shoulder were still visible.

Drinking in the sight, Dabi realized something: Izuku was just like him.

He watched closer, seeing past his anger and only then did he notice that Izuku wasn't fully into whoever was above him. Izuku's eyes stayed closed as he gripped the sheets, headily pushing back to meet the thrusts slamming into his body. His moans were loud but they lacked passion. Whenever his eyes did flutter open, they were distant—not fully there as if his mind was blank.

Dabi found himself staring longingly at Izuku's beautiful face twisted in pleasure. He carefully listened to the muffled moans and pleas that fell from Izuku's pink lips as the stranger took him from the back.

He wondered if Izuku was imagining it to be him, just like he imagined it to be Izuku with countless partners. He switched the random man with himself and imagined that it was himself taking Izuku roughly. He pictured himself pulling harshly on those silky curls like he used to as he mercilessly fucked Izuku into the mattress until that gorgeous voice was chanting his name.

His _new_ name.

Then finally, when Izuku came, it reinforced just how beautiful Dabi knew he was. But it also made something obvious to him: Izuku was just seeking pleasure.

He wasn't looking for anything more than a cheap fuck for his birthday. It was so obvious compared to all the unforgettable times he and Izuku had made love. They would always make eye contact and Izuku would cling to him, touching him as if trying to memorize all the crevasses of his skin.

He didn't do that for this stranger.

Something inside of Dabi felt better after the conclusion, but he still found himself rooted in place, crouching low watching as Izuku fell fast asleep. The stranger fell asleep as well and soon it was just blue eyes open, studying all of Izuku's scars. He committed each one to memory because he loved all the new pieces of Izuku.

Within less than an hour the partner woke up again and looked at Izuku, eyes studying his body as well. Dabi watched as the man left out quietly, not even bothering to wake Izuku and it was then that Dabi looked down at the rose still in his hand.

When the man was far down the street, Dabi found himself in front of Izuku's door again. His heart was pounding knowing it was a mistake to go in but he couldn't stop his hand from lifting up and testing if it was locked—_and it wasn't_.

He pushed open the door and crept in slowly. The space heavily smelled like Izuku's rose cologne and a familiar surge of desire trickled into him. Dabi quickly noted that Izuku had a roommate at the sight of another empty bedroom and bathroom. He saw all the art sloppily tossed in the living room corner just like Izuku always did with his paintings.

Keeping his footsteps light, Dabi reached Izuku's bedroom door with the rose in his hand. He studied the way the delicate moonlight spilled all over Izuku's angelic sleeping figure and felt his heart do a flip.

_He's still so beautiful _he thought to himself as his eyes raked up and down Izuku's bare skin, stopping at every little new scar and all his curves that were on full display.

He loved them all. Izuku was truly perfect for him.

As he was staring, he saw Izuku shift in his sleep and he felt his adrenaline spike. He backed up, ready to duck and hide, but the next words Izuku mumbled in his sleep changed everything.

"Touya," the sleepy mumble fell into the air as Izuku rolled over, still fast asleep. His bandaged arm lazily felt the empty side of bed expectedly with his eyes still shut. "Come back to bed..."

Dabi felt his heart swell with warmth.

Izuku _did_ still love him.

. . .

Another six months went by and Dabi felt his cold heart sparked to life again by what he witnessed that night in Izuku's apartment. He had left the rose in Izuku's living room after watching him sleep for a little while but of course, his angel was precautious.

If he had been thinking straight, not taken over by the sight of Izuku mumbling his birth name, he should've guessed Izuku would've thought of the rose strangely. Izuku wasn't stupid enough not to think twice about receiving a strange rose in his apartment of all places.

The greenette put all his social media on private instantly and began closing his window and shutting the blinds at night. It frustrated him initially because he couldn't check the social media pages he grew into viewing as a hobby, but he just replaced it with casually watching Izuku from a distance.

He learned Izuku's jogging route in the mornings and eventually it became his own as he loosely trailed him. He figured out his gym, favorite movie theater, shopping mall, art supply store and coffee shop. And he couldn't help himself but to keep buying roses to leave at the greenette's apartment door and leave poems he knew Izuku would love.

It was a good outlet for his bottled-up affections.

But then one day as he was leaving a rose, he heard very loud, rough sex coming from inside.

"H-Harder, Mirio—please—ah! _Yes_! Right there! _Right_ _there_!" Izuku's high pitched voice keened wantonly and there was loud banging against what sounded like the nearest wall to the door.

"—I got you," a ragged out of breath voice groaned and the sound of Izuku's rough, desperate moans got louder. "I got you Izu, I'll take care of you—_fuck_—"

Dabi snapped the rose in half and crushed its beautiful petals in his fist.

_Mirio_. He remembered the name Mirio from Izuku explaining how close he was to Toshinori and his son. His damn law-school bound son _Mirio_. It took him a long time to accept that Izuku was fucking his childhood friend turned roommate—but it turned out, that was just the tip of the iceberg.

The more he followed Izuku, the more he found out how much of a slut he was. Was _this_ how Izuku spent the last two years?

Then when he casually poked around, Tomura openly admitted that one of the drug leaders, Shindo _fucking_ Yo, apparently had bragged about laying Izuku only _three months _after the fire.

He felt more pissed off than he thought hearing that.

At first Dabi assumed the man on Izuku's birthday was just being used for celebratory birthday sex, but he was wrong. _Dead_ _wrong_. Izuku threw it around more than anyone he's _ever_ seen and apparently, he'd been fucking Shindo Yo for two years straight. Starting three months after he thought he fucking died.

It made the jealousy in his blood simmer at a low boil knowing that the man he loved disregarded his memory in such a way.

Izuku wasn't even _acting_ like he was grieving anyone. Just sex, clubbing, drinking, _repeat_. Then Izuku started his job at that god forsaken station and it didn't take very long for Dabi to see the switch in partners. He went from sleeping with random people at the bar to _cops_.

Izuku was letting the fucking _police _have their way with him.

He ground his teeth tightly as he tried his best to bring his anger down, but it felt impossible. Why would Izuku let dirty pigs crawl all over his body? Slowly, Dabi realized he needed to intervene in Izuku's life quicker than he thought. Being around swine wasn't good for Izuku.

They were doing exactly what he thought: _they were corrupting him._

So, he kept a loose follow until further notice to keep tabs on Izuku and made sure he didn't stray too far away from his light.

And if he did, Dabi would rip him from that life earlier than planned.

It was a harmless loose follow and he was just...watching over him until he finished with the Shigarakis.

Which was a whole other issue.

He still didn't have enough fire power to strike and uproot them. Strategically gauging all the different members' stances took far more time than he thought.

Then he got an even bigger set back when the entire Yaizu police branch of AFO was suddenly uprooted and sent to jail.

Several people he had poached were arrested and interrogated while others immediately skipped town in fear that the entire All For One empire would come unraveled.

But Dabi promised to protect those who came over to his side. Some stayed, but a lot of them were becoming impatient.

"What's taking so long for you just to throw a coup?" One woman huffed one day, pouting during their discreet meeting. "They're vulnerable _now_ and it's been two and a half years, Dabi. They're both too busy fuming over Toshinori and trying to recruit more members."

"Right now, the ratio is fifty-fifty," Dabi spoke calmly while scrolling through Itsuka's still public Instagram, admiring a candid photo of Izuku on her page. "If we strike when they have an equal number of members who are loyal to them, then we're going to have a _war_ not a coup. Plus, we need to get Himiko out of jail now."

"How are you going to get more people then if we need more? That's just about everyone that I can think of that would want a full turn over. Plus, they're bringing in new people—it's going to be uneven again."

"I'll convince Tomura to send me to Shizuoka City." Dabi pressed zoom in one of the photos of Izuku and Itsuka laying in a bed of flowers and admired how gorgeous Izuku looked against the yellow daisies. "I can go under the ruse of telling them I can take down Yotsubashi Rikiya and then just join forces with him to overthrow them. Yotsubashi hates AFO enough that he'll jump straight to the idea with some persuasion once I gain his trust."

_And while in town I can tear down both Bakugou and my father while I'm at it._

"There's no way they're going to send you to Shizuoka City, Dabi. They don't mess with Yotsubashi."

"Are you sure about that?" He questioned, dragging his empty blue eyes up to stare at the people in the room. "I've been demonstrating for the last two years that I can easily give them territory. I think if I ask now, they'll feel more confident about a bigger project. You just have to have patience. Trust me, I am more than twenty steps ahead of them."

The room grew hush with whispers when they all realized it could work.

Dabi smirked as he closed his phone to admire his lock screen.

It was a photo of Izuku in his bed, sleeping soundly on his 22nd birthday.

_Soon_.

. . .

It took five more additional months for Dabi to convince the Shigarakis to send him to Shizuoka City to 'claim' the territory for them. When he got the greenlight, he was more than ecstatic. The end was in sight for the Shigarakis and they didn't even know they approved their own dethroning.

Once he took Yotsubashi's gang from the inside out, it would be over, and he could drag Izuku out of that empty life he was leading and back to him. Because there's only one truth Dabi knew in this world after observing the greenette for the last year: Izuku belonged with him and no one else.

He just needed to learn his place after disrespecting him by sleeping with Shindo only three months after he thought he died.

Within those five months, nothing changed with Izuku and the behavior only reinforced Dabi's beliefs.

Izuku still slept around and went out to his favorite bar every other night. He was always so busy smiling and laughing with that ginger woman that Izuku never noticed him in the distance watching him from the upper levels in the dense crowd.

Until one day he was shown that Izuku needed him more than he thought.

He wasn't expecting Izuku to come, understanding his patterns a little bit better. But soon the smell of roses filled the bar area and light sobbing trickled in. The greenette looked distressed, body shaking, and his eyes were screwed shut, trying to stop the downpour of tears.

Dabi's heart dropped before he could take another sip of his drink.

He watched how Itsuka hurried over to the crying freckled man and deep down, Dabi wished it could be him. She comforted him in all the way he wanted to and Dabi was silently grateful Izuku had someone like her. But as the conversation progressed, he felt that rage inside of him boil.

"I broke his nose after he tried to force himself on me," Izuku explained hollowly in a whisper. "He said it would be my word against his, then called me a slut as he fired me."

"Are you shitting me? That sleaze bag of a captain tried to _rape_ you?!"

The shattering sound glass filled the bar area in the club, and everyone whipped their heads around to him.

A stinging pain cut into his palm and tore open his biker glove before the black-haired man could realize what was happening. His thoughts swarmed because he was absolutely _furious_. He grinded his teeth together and tried to hold his hand to lessen the pain but he couldn't even focus on himself.

A fucking pig tried to rape Izuku. _His_ Izuku.

He sneered at the thought and ignored how the ginger woman began rushing to get him first aid because all he could see was fire. He saw that precinct and the captain going up in flames and decided immediately that the pigs needed to be taught a lesson.

He had the right amount of power now and he was done with letting people hurt Izuku.

Not if he could help it.

. . .

"Are you sure about this?" One of the other All For One members asked him as he strapped the bomb to the wall. "I took out all the cameras in the area and jammed the lock on his door, but we didn't get permission from the Shigarakis to do this—"

"—You have permission from me," Dabi cut off coldly, glaring at the man questioning him. "I told you this is needed if we don't want the police digging deeper into us. The Shigarakis will thank me later."

The four other people with him all exchanged looks before finishing strapping a total of six devices in different places on the outside of the precinct. Frigid blue eyes calmly assessed his work before signaling to pour the gasoline all around the grass.

"Everyone discreetly get in the cars and drive off. I'm setting the detonation for ten minutes from now," he commanded without any hesitation.

All the gang members nodded and Dabi got on his bike but, instead of fleeing the scene like the others, he parked himself across the street at a safe distance. Then as the minutes ticked down the first explosion went off.

He smiled as he watched the building crumble with the sequence of other explosions. All the screams from the police officers inside sounded like music to his ears. They couldn't scramble fast enough, and it was _beautiful_. He watched without flinching at the sight of the flames and welcomed the warmth of the fire against his skin.

He took one last deep, satisfied inhale of the smell of grey smoke before turning his back.

. . .

"You moved without our permission," Tomura sighed looking at him unamused. "I thought you learned by now nothing gets approved before going through us, _especially_ in Yaizu."

"It was the right move to do, they were digging deeper into us and I had to destroy the evidence," he lied easily. "I went out to a bar last night and overheard some drunk cops talking about new evidence on AFO at that specific station. It was a necessary thing to do right away because I understand approval takes up to two weeks."

The red irises of Tomura looked at him carefully, trying to catch a whiff of falsehood in his words but Dabi had built his mask tight. Tomura wouldn't find a trace of emotion on his face.

"...Good call," Tomura finally said with a smirk, falling directly into his ruse. "You're finally understanding how to use your head to make needed calls that protect _us_. I think you're more than ready to start moving up in the ranks."

Dabi paused, not expecting that. "What?"

"You heard me," Tomura gave a half smile and leaned back in his leather chair. "From here on out consider yourself a little more than just a lowly member of ours. It's been nearly three years, Dabi. You've earned yourself a raise and a higher status in AFO than just grunt work. If you're able to take Shizuoka City for us, I'm sure my father can make even better arrangements for you and even give you some percentage of the profits."

"Thank you," Dabi spoke slowly, trying to figure out if there was a catch. But there wasn't—he had finally fully earned their trust. But he still sneered at the idea of a percentage. He didn't want just a _percentage_. "That means a lot to me that you trust my loyalty."

"You're welcome," Tomura hummed, full of himself. "Now, go ahead and start selecting who you want to bring to Shizuoka City with you and we'll make it happen and be sure to take everything you need tonight."

So Dabi did. He name-dropped Himiko and Tomura worked his magic and got her out of jail. The blonde woman was more than ecstatic to see him and be free of prison. This only reinforced the members loyalties to him when they saw he never turned his back on someone and even more when the Shigarakis seemed to regard him in a future leadership position.

He packed all his needed weapons, Izuku's sketches and took one last morning visit to the green eyed man's apartment the day before he left—but Izuku's bedroom was completely empty.

His heart dropped and he felt himself panic nearly from having Izuku out of his sights.

He immediately ordered Himiko to track down the freckled man without letting either Shigaraki know. When she reported back to him, she apparently found out that he had moved to Shizuoka City that evening before to go work for _Toshinori_.

And who worked for Toshinori?

_Bakugou Katsuki._

A dark look encased Dabi's face at the knowledge and he smirked.

"Well," Dabi spoke slowly while looking at the photo of Izuku sleeping soundly on his phone. "I guess it's time to go kill three birds with one stone."

. . .

When he arrived in Shizuoka City it felt bitter.

The sky was a bright blue that mocked him, and the summer was searing with heat. It had been over eight years since he left but he arrived a new man and Dabi wasn't as weak as Touya was and he had the one thing Touya didn't: he had power.

He had power in the way he planned to destroy Bakugou's reputation carefully through well thought out arson attacks. He chose the buildings carefully, inspired by the one thing he loved and made an impossible puzzle for Bakugou to figure out to fuck with his head.

He had power in the way that he was sent to the city with over twenty members who would listen to his command. Members who wanted to see the downfall of the Shigarakis just as badly as he did. They reported back to him and it felt like he was sitting on a throne.

He struck the first building on Kaze Ave with full intentions of making the Shizuoka City police look like fools and weaken the trust the public had in them. He also knew a large-scale attack of a bank like this would catch the attention of Yotsubashi Rikiya.

Slowly, both things fell into place.

The news articles rolled in and it was working, there was fear in the air and it was potent. Then finally he was approached by a gruff looking man with a scar over his face saying that the exact man Dabi needed wanted to speak to him: Yotsubashi Rikiya.

The greedy ginger man had a pointed nose and wicked smile that stretched across miles. He was heavily decorated in gold chains and always wore a suit and ring as green as the cash flow he received. Yotsubashi had sought to see him after the burning of the Sekai Bank to find out who he was and why he was burning banks in his town.

"You can't just come into my city and go around burning down buildings I need," Yotsubashi sneered after Dabi had been dragged to his office. "Who even _are_ you? I've never seen a face as hideous as yours in my life."

"My name is Dabi, but they call me The Cremator," he spoke smoothly ignoring the ropes binding his wrists behind his back. He kept a completely level head as they all looked down on him at the table, smoking their choice of poison.

"Big talk for a young guy," Yotsubashi laughed and his men all laughed as well. He took another swing of his whiskey and a long drag of his cigar. His dark eyes looked coldly at Dabi and unimpressed. "And _why_ exactly do they call you _The Cremator_?"

"Because I burn people alive who get in my way," he spoke confidently. A spark of bloodlust flickered in his eyes when he saw one man's face twist with discomfort. He slowly dragged his eyes towards him, sensing the fear and fed on it. "And I invented The Incinerator."

The entire room went silent and looked at him with wide eyes. It was a lie he knew would allow people to easily respect him and see him as more than valuable. Or at least that's what he learned from the Shigarakis' treatment of Izuku.

Slowly, just like he thought it would, Yotsubashi's face twisted with disgust yet respect as he leaned into Dabi's face.

"I've only seen that weapon in association with the fucking _Shigarakis_," the drug lord hissed, aggressively blowing smoke out of his nostrils. "Tell me, are you All For One scum?"

"No, I'm not," Dabi spoke confidently and leaned back in the chair he was in. "But I _am_ their downfall. They made the mistake of not killing me three years ago and I fully plan to rip them down from their thrones."

There was a long pause as the ginger assessed him, and this time Dabi took off his emotional mask. He let all his hate and spite spill through his eyes to show the man the truth: he hated the Shigarakis ripping his life with Izuku apart.

Seeing his blue eyes ignited with a dangerous, undeniable fire made the red haired man grin.

"A fellow Shigaraki hater I see," Yotsubashi smirked darkly, reflecting his loathing on equal par. "Well then, we _might_ get along. You must understand I can't just have you running around committing arson willy nilly. I have to keep my people safe, so, _please_. Tell me what you had in mind while in my town."

"I have a checklist and if you could help me with that, we can make a deal of sorts," Dabi spoke calmly. "I want to make a statement to the police about my presence here. I have unfinished business with the Symbol of Victory and the Chief of Police."

"Ah, those arrogant bastards. Well, you're in luck," the kingpin chuckled as he put out his cigar. "If you like burning people alive how about I offer you something to quench that thirst in exchange for those bomb plans? I just happened to catch an undercover cop in my rankings recently and I need to dispose of him."

Dabi's smirk twitched onto his face at the thought.

"You have a deal."

Or at least that's what they thought.

Later that week when they scheduled the exchange, out of all people, Bakugou _fucking_ Katsuki undermined his plans. He sneered at the news articles that praised him for another victory and doted over their precious Shizuoka City hero for rescuing the police captain that was in Yotsubashi's clutches.

It pissed him off and it pissed Yotsubashi off even more.

The ginger kingpin wanted the plans for The Incinerator more than Dabi thought he would, so he used it at leverage going forward. He was able to strike a deal with Yotsubashi because of it. Since he didn't get his cop, he wanted more leeway to make arson strikes. Five minimum.

"Deal," Yotsubashi agreed, "You get your five terrorist attacks in the approved areas I give, and I get the blueprints. Also, while we're at it, I have to say I like you." The man smirked while pouring Dabi a glass of whiskey. "What else is on your checklist?"

"I need help taking down the Shigarakis. I want to replace them in the hierarchy but right now I just don't have enough people on my side to take them down. I need more men."

"Oh, that can be arranged," Yotsubashi chuckled. "Once I have the blueprints of course. I'll throw in as many men as you need with the five attacks in trade for The Incinerator. Is there anything else?"

"I was hoping we could have a partnership going forward once I come into the position of power," Dabi declared. He waited for a response and saw the ginger man just laughed and shook his head.

"Sorry. I don't do partnerships, but I can give you a percentage of my earnings every month as a thank you."

Dabi resisted sneering at the low ball. He wasn't going to settle for an unequal partnership—if that was the case, he would just take Tomura up on his offer and call off the coup.

"Is there anything else I can offer you?" Yotsubashi asked casually. "Wine? Women? _Men_? Anything of your tasting?"

Dabi started up at Yotsubashi and green eyes entered into his mind.

"Do you think your men would be able to locate the home address of a man named Midoriya Izuku for me? He just recently moved into town."

. . .

Quicker than anything he's seen, he was given Izuku's home address on a small piece of paper, but it made his eyes grow cold to see where it was located.

Yotsubashi had been kind enough to give him a map of the different districts in Shizuoka City for where he could operate and where he couldn't. Green for clear, yellow for at your own risk, and finally red for police tight districts that even Yotsubashi didn't cross.

And Izuku was directly dead center of a red district.

He tried his best to pick up his habit again and follow the man, but it was hard. Izuku still kept his social medias locked up tight, and his apartment was now on the 11th floor. He worked his jaw in frustration from being cut cold from his angel because he _itched_ to make sure Izuku was alright.

He scouted out an apartment across the street that gave him a perfect view into Izuku's living room from his balcony with the usage of binoculars.

That night he felt himself grow calmer when he got the full sight of Izuku just lying lazily on his couch, curling up cutely with a fluffy blanket watching a movie.

He jittered his leg in an antsy manner when he watched Izuku fall asleep, alone for the first time in ages. He looked so peaceful and he wasn't laying up in bed with a cop.

But then Bakugou came into the picture again—and not in the way he was expecting.

It wasn't before long one day he came back from working for Yotsubashi and earning his trust that he looked to check in on Izuku.

And sitting there in the flesh was _Bakugou_, on Izuku's couch.

He lowered the binoculars in his hands and felt his anger start to slowly simmer again, but this time he couldn't contain it. He tried to tell himself there was no way that Izuku would sleep with _him_ of all people—and he was right. Nothing happened.

But that didn't stop the thoughts from spinning in his head.

The next morning, he lit three houses on Ichirizuka street on fire and sent Bakugou a note to keep him running in circles and his mind off Izuku.

But then as time passed on, he just kept appearing. Fucking showing up_ everywhere_ near Izuku.

Dabi tried to ignore it, but an emotion stronger than the firestorm of jealousy ignited within him the day he saw Izuku wrapped around Bakugou on the man's motorcycle. Perfect golden locks swayed in the wind while Bakugou made Izuku laugh wearing that arrogant smirk on his face. The angelic greenette was flirtatiously pressed against the elder man, resting his head against the blond's frame.

His mind flashed a vision of all the times Izuku would ride on his bike and he felt anger boil until it reached an uncontrollable temperature.

He snapped.

All he saw was fucking red and wanted nothing more than to land a bullet in those annoying blond locks because he didn't deserve to even be _close_ to _his_ Izuku. But considering Izuku's rap sheet of fucking _course_ he was Izuku's type now that the green haired man acted like such a goddamn _slut_.

It made him hate the sight of the two together in front of him. He nearly hated them _both_ for it. He wished he could hurry up the attack on the Shigarakis so he could just fucking drag Izuku by his hair away from this empty life already.

But he controlled himself the best he could when he heard sirens. He quickly put his gun away and he left the scene of the two officers cowering on the ground.

After nearly killing Bakugou, Dabi tried to stay on task. He focused on winning Yotsubashi's trust from the inside and slowly he was able to absorb some of the man's assets as well.

Right before he was planning his next arson attack, he was approached by a man who called himself Nine one day in his own private headquarters in Makinohara.

There was a cool, calm air around him as he wore suits as silver as his hair. Nine originally planned on warning Dabi about working with Yotsubashi, saying that the man never followed through on his deals and just took but never gave.

Apparently, Yotsubashi had unknowingly scorned Nine in the past, and the purple eyed man was bitter about it—just like him with the Shigarakis. Dabi smirked when he felt like he finally found his right-hand man.

"I have no real plans on working with him in the end," Dabi informed Nine privately. "I just want his members and his assets. I'm building my own group and I'm planning on taking him down as well as All For One. He doesn't want to work with me as equal partners and I don't settle for less."

"Oh?" At this Nine's purple eyes sparked with interest. "Well, tell me more about your real plans then, We might have similar goals."

Dabi enlightened him about his plans of using Yotsubashi to take down AFO and then taking Shizuoka as well. Nine seemed more than happy to hear this idea, and his eyes were sparked with the same fire as Dabi's.

"I can help you, if I can be your second in command," he offered, "I've been in the undergrounds of Shizuoka long enough to know how it works and who to talk to."

They made a deal as partners that day, and Dabi learned that he could trust Nine, a man as equally ruthless as him. The AFO members he brought with him into the city liked the pairing and were more than welcoming of the silver haired man who could help them control Shizuoka City.

He kept a distant eye on Izuku from the watch apartment and continued to watch baseball whenever needed to help himself unwind. Every now and then, he wondered if Izuku thought of him, sitting in his apartment alone because some nights he found the greenette crying privately to himself at night on his couch.

Dabi wanted to rush over, to tell Izuku the Shigarakis were almost out of the picture and could no longer threaten either of them.

But then _he_ showed up again.

That godforsaken blond was in Izuku's apartment for a party with a bottle of wine and it was so goddamn obvious they were flirting—especially when they came back from wherever they went that night. Izuku was drunk, hanging all over Bakugou and from his angle it seemed like the greenette was trying so desperately to kiss him.

He snapped again and found himself hastily making a plan to try to grab Izuku quicker than he originally scheduled.

He had to get Izuku away from Bakugou before the freckled man opened up his goddamn legs like he always did. He wasn't thinking straight because he knew if Tomura found out he was going insane over Izuku again, they would kill the green eyed man. But Dabi rationalized that he could just hold Izuku safe in hiding until they made a move to strike down AFO.

—But getting to Izuku was harder than he thought.

The greenette was rarely alone and he was always escorted home by Toshinori or some other officer in the evening. He never walked out of the police tight zones and he no longer went to sketchy public bars anymore.

Growing desperate, Dabi took the extra step and informed Nine privately about Izuku being the real person to invent The Incinerator. He explained how Izuku was a key asset for their success in the long run due to him being able to tinker and fix the device if it went wrong and build more arson weapons.

Despite explaining all this, the lonely raven haired man kept the privacy of his love for Izuku to himself—no one else needed to know. He didn't want to expose his weakness.

Nine understood, and completely agreed that Izuku needed to be in their possession. The silver haired man easily tapped the radio waves that day and they were able to track the reports about patrols. They heard Bakugou's voice through the intercom inform his squad about going on patrol in sector B and fixed themselves quickly to strike.

But when Dabi got close to having the green eyed beauty back in his arms, Bakugou _once again_ undermined him by shooting out the kneecaps of one of the twenty men he had.

They were _so _goddamn close. They had almost taken Izuku successfully and it made him convulse with rage at the sight of Bakugou holding Izuku in _his_ arms. The lieutenant was looking at him with wildly protective red eyes as Izuku clutched desperately on to him until he went slack.

Dabi was fucking _furious_.

But not as furious as when he turned on the television two weeks later and saw the exact thing he never wanted to happen. He saw Izuku kissing Bakugou, plain as day and there was a clear pink blush across his pretty freckles.

Dabi's nostrils flared uncontrollably because as he watched the kiss cam, he felt his heart start to break in two.

The way Izuku was kissing Bakugou wasn't the same way as he kissed all the random men who paraded in and out of his life in Yaizu—no. It was very much different yet familiar at the same time because it was exactly how Izuku used to kiss _him_.

A kiss with _passion_.

Blue eyes full of betrayal watched them break apart, panting, and fingers tangled in each other's hair. Bakugou's hand rested against the nape of Izuku's beautiful neck and lightly twirled his baby hairs. The crowd cheered loud but neither red or green eyes left each other.

He tried to tell himself that he was hallucinating, but he wasn't.

It was written across the television as plain as day: Izuku held _passion_ for Bakugou. In Dabi's mind, he denied it at first. Izuku was just a slut for muscular men and Bakugou was right up that alley. He wasn't surprised by the fact—it made _sense_.

But his jealousy slowly transformed out of control when he found himself leaving rose after rose on Izuku's doorstep for the five weeks in his denial.

The first one he left he wasn't thinking logically. All the sensible reason was stripped from his brain at the mere thought of Izuku possibly falling for Bakugou. He couldn't. Izuku couldn't love Bakugou—he loved _him_. Izuku dreamed about _him_.

He envisioned years' worth of memories stockpiled in his head and it played back like a movie. He saw Izuku giving him the iPod at the home shelter, Izuku making his favorite food, getting him on his feet and taking him in. He saw Izuku smiling at him, kissing him, loving him.

Then finally he pictured Izuku doing all that with _Bakugou_.

Urgency to get to Izuku made Dabi leave a rose with the address of Izuku's local coffee shop on it when he felt himself come undone. Maybe he could convince Izuku—tell him who was and Izuku would come running back in his arms after so long—

—But Izuku never came.

His anger raised higher as he clenched his fist at the sour feeling that overtook all of his rational thinking. He tried to leave more flowers, but with each rose, they began to pile up at the door—something that had never happened before.

Izuku _always_ accepted his roses but that's when he began to notice Izuku wasn't even at his apartment for an entire month.

With dreams plagued by green, the spiraling man stationed himself discreetly outside of the Uchimizu Ave precinct to see just where Izuku was going—but what he saw was the final blow to break his heart in two.

The green eyed beauty walked out of that station hand in hand with golden boy, gazing up at him in a _loving_ manner. Those eyes Dabi loved were filled with the same delicate care that Izuku would stare at him with. It felt like a thousand needles stabbed their way through his heart at the sight.

Why did Bakugou get to bask in Izuku's light too? Why did he _always_ fucking get to have everything that Touya—

...that _Dabi_ wanted?

Part of his love for Izuku withered and died the longer he stared at the two acting like a happy couple as they walked to Bakugou's apartment together. All the spiraling thoughts in his head came to a complete halt for the first time in thirty days and only a cold, chilling one remained.

His face twisted in spite when the ache in his heart made his burnt tear ducts sting.

. . .

"Reports of the largest arson attack to date in Shizuoka City happened today as all buildings on Uchi Street were burned down to the ground in a frightening attack," the news reporter said from the television inside of the ground beta he was at with Nine. "Citizens are worried because the police have made no headway on figuring out how to stop these crimes as the death toll rises and the attacks seem to be getting more hostile."

Dabi remained silent as he took a long inhale of his cigarette and continued to build the next Incinerator to replenish their stock. He could feel Nine's purple eyes darting back and forth between his silent figure and the gruesome scene on the television.

"I thought you said we needed him to keep the bomb in order," Nine questioned with an indifferent look in his eye. "Why did you go and set his whole block on fire if that's the case? What if he had died? What would we have done then about our mechanics?"

Dabi blew the grey smoke out of his nostrils when a memory of Izuku's smiling face flashed in his mind.

"It was to knock him down a peg," Dabi muttered quietly. He continued melding together wires with purpose and didn't bother looking up at Nine. "He's been too happy recently and we have to make sure when we take him he's malleable. He can't be malleable if he would miss his old life so now he doesn't have any remnants of it."

"Ah, whatever you say." Nine shrugged and continued on reading the news reports. "I still think that was a risky move. Maybe relax with the death by fire when it comes to him. He's valuable to us in the long run."

The silver haired man turned around, completely unaware of the dark thoughts in his comrade's head that had distorted the image of Izuku.

After the month-long spiral, Dabi had realized that Tomura was right—_yet again_.

The green eyed beauty was a dangerous weakness for him. Izuku always caused the logical side of his brain to be drowned out and overrun with thoughts of his desire. The black haired man wished he could make it stop and possibly find a better way to control his love for Izuku. He was on track to be the most powerful kingpin in the Shizuoka prefecture and he couldn't have_ green eyes_ derailing him.

But as he was contemplating this, Dabi realized Tomura had given him a solution over three years ago on what to do with the man he was so hopelessly in love with.

"_Izuku is clearly a weakness for you and you need to learn how to control your weaknesses. Keep them on a leash so they can't hinder you going forward." _

Dabi took another long drag of his cigarette as he envisioned Izuku properly confined inside his future place in Kuromata. It was appeasing to think about because then his weakness could finally be tamed and no longer able to fuck with his head.

Then he thought about how satisfying the feeling of tearing Izuku away from Bakugou would be. Izuku was _his_ and clearly the freckled beauty needed a heavy reminder of that fact.

Later that night, Dabi fed into his old habits.

Instead of delivering the next rose to Izuku, he went out onto his balcony and lit it on fire using his black lighter. He watched with satisfaction the way the red rose was consumed by the heat, petals quickly curling up into a burned, charred state.

As the fire flickered and swayed with the wind, Dabi thought his blue eyes were playing tricks on him. If he looked close enough, he would have sworn he saw a vision of Izuku dancing in the flames, beckoning to him.

. . .

More time passed and by the time he reached his six-month mark in Shizuoka City, he had silently converted enough members from Yotsubashi to properly take the land from underneath him like he had done so many times in other cities.

He knew it was his time to strike. He would absorb Yotsubashi first, then move to absorb the Shigarakis, and after all was said and done, he could grab Izuku in a final swoop.

He lied to the Shigarakis that he needed them to summon Izuku to upgrade something in the bomb because he couldn't figure out how to do it. Tomura was displeased, and slightly annoyed by the request but he agreed to figure out a way to do it anyways. Both Shigarakis' voiced their displeasure about him taking nearly six months to snatch the drug territory away from Yotsubashi but Dabi played it off easily.

"His system is just more complex than I thought," he lied. _It's actually much simpler than I anticipated._ "I just need a little bit more time and then the city is yours." _It's mine. _

"Okay," Tomura sighed. "No more excuses after this point. You've been there long enough. We'll get you Izuku but if I see you get that lovey dovey look in your eyes when you see him, I'm putting him down like a dog. He makes you do crazy shit."

Dabi nodded in understanding. It was true and he couldn't deny it.

He didn't understand why, but he still felt Izuku on his skin and heard his melodic voice in his head. The visual of the sun rays caught in dark, silky curls always made a hungry wolf awaken inside him.

Sometimes when he fell asleep, he imagined Izuku with him, lying in bed by his side in his new empire where he belonged. Often in the dream, Izuku would be crying, wearing a collar wanting to be let go and asking for his freedom. But he couldn't let Izuku go—not even in his dreams. He would hush Izuku and tighten the leash around his delicate neck, keeping him tethered to him.

When Dabi would wake up from these dreams, he would feel indifferent. The memory of his angel had distorted after he learned about Izuku's new life into something dark, and unspeakable. But what surprised him the most was how he didn't mind.

The thought of Izuku on a leash was appealing in a way.

His hands began to twitch with the urge to break the green eyed beauty down and rebuild him again and teach Izuku his place.

When the day came to close the deal on completely taking over Yotsubashi, him and Nine arrived at the man's mindless self indulgent costume party ready to land a bullet between his eyes.

But he would have never guessed that Izuku would already be there, sitting in Yotsubashi's lap, giggling and throwing himself around just like he had done in Yaizu. But instead of using his real name—he called himself _Haru_.

Dabi froze up, knowing Izuku would be able to recognize his voice so he kept his mouth shut.

"Nine, what's wrong with him? Is he in one of his moods again and not talking today?" Yotsubashi frowned while his large hand pulled Izuku in closer to his person.

All eyes turned to him expectantly and that's when he leaned over to whisper in Nine's ear.

"That's Midoriya Izuku, the engineer of the bomb." Nine grew quiet up as Dabi kept going. "If we deliver him to Ground Alpha as well then we have everything set to go. We take down the Shigarakis tonight. Get everyone gathered."

And that's exactly what happened.

They slaughtered Yotsubashi and his bodyguards and Dabi didn't blink once. He slid the man's power symbol off his cold, dead hand and into his pocket for safe keepings.

It was a simple silver ring with an expensive green gem in the center, but it held the power of Shizuoka City for whoever wore it.

Izuku was transported to Ground Alpha with him and there stood his angel, beautiful, beat up, and bloodied with a fierce look of hatred in his eyes for the Shigarakis just like him. A large part of him was still pissed off with the greenette for Bakugou but something about having the smaller man in his lap, looking like gorgeous eye candy made Dabi realize exactly how lonely he was.

He so desperately wanted Izuku back in his life with all his softness and the way he always smelled like roses. That's what all of this was for, right? To be reunited with Izuku?

The black-haired man calmed himself to stay levelheaded and not lose it like he had done several times when it came to things regarding Izuku. He knew it was just a matter of time before Izuku was in his possession again, he just had to be patient.

However, there was a small miscalculation.

The arrival of the members they needed took longer than the amount of time it took Izuku to fix the bomb than he had gauged. He thought for sure he had asked Izuku to do something that would take him a little over two hours and that would give everyone enough time to get into place.

But Izuku, being the genius he was, finished the adjustments in half of the time he anticipated.

Dabi cursed under his breath lightly when Izuku gave a too soon "I'm finished" to the room and Nine still was nowhere in sight with everyone else.

The small miscalculation blew his plans to take Izuku in the moment because there was no way he was going to have a shootout with the Shigarakis and the thirty men that were always stationed in Ground Alpha without proper gauge of when everyone else would arrive.

It was just him, Himiko, and the three men in the room at the moment.

Then he checked the upgrade on the bomb that Izuku had done and, of course, he did it flawlessly. But he also noticed a small detail that was not there before—and it wasn't attached to anything.

There was a strange piece of metal jutting out from the bottom that looked strange. Almost as if it was covering something underneath it.

Then that's when he clicked that Izuku was possibly on an undercover mission and not just out looking to get fucked like he usually was. He recalled his father always mentioning how detectives would be strapped with tracking devices to help keep everyone safe and located. Knowing Izuku, that would be a move he would pull.

Dabi quickly snapped the bomb's lid closed when time felt shorter at the prospect of police coming.

"We're good," he spoke quickly and nodded to Himiko in a knowing manner. "Everything is set to go."

Tomura then ordered his last few henchmen to drop Izuku off at some mystery drop site that Dabi wasn't allowed to know. He watched with clenched fist as his opportunity to take Izuku slipped through his hands like sand in an hourglass.

Ten minutes after Izuku disappeared blindfolded by Magne, Nine texted him that everyone was officially on their way in two vans now to Ground Alpha and would be arriving in five minutes.

Slightly off by fifteen minutes. He was _always_ slightly off when it came to Izuku—but it was fine. He would circle back around for Izuku if all went according to plan.

Slowly, the arsonist took off his gas mask and set it down on the table to reveal black hair and blue eyes. He cut his eye towards Tomura before pulling out his phone.

**[You]: We might have police coming. Get here quickly so we wrap this up and get out.**

**[Nine]: Alright, we're coming in now. I'm sending thirty men upstairs to tie up all the loose ends and me and ten others are coming down to you. Everyone else is stationed on their mark for the cleansing of the people who aren't on our side. **

Dabi took a deep breath in. It was time.

He walked from behind the Shigarakis and took his stance in front of them with his hands behind his back like a soldier. Both Shigarakis paused their talking at the sight of him staring at them with nothing but malice.

He put his emotional mask away completely and out poured all the festering hatred that had overgrown throughout the years.

"Is there something you want to say?" Tomura pried when the blue eyes started gazing at him too intensely. "Do you want to write a love letter or something to be delivered to him?"

Dabi tilted his head like a feline who had just caught their prey and narrowed his eyes.

"Do you actually know what I want most in the world?" Dabi questioned as he stepped forward. "Like truly? Do you know what I _crave _above everything?"

"For your precious angel to be safe," Tomura chuckled and stepped forward as well. He folded his arms and gave an unimpressed stare. "What is this? This is a pointless question."

"You're only partially correct," the man with ice in his eyes and heart corrected. "This whole time you sat there thinking I only wanted _one_ thing. But you're completely right—I do want Izuku to be safe but more importantly, I want him right by my side when I take the throne of kingpin for the entire Shizuoka province."

Both Shigarakis glanced at each other and Shigaraki senior stood up at the claim.

"What the hell are you talking about, boy?" He hissed, eyes burning into Dabi whose inferno-stricken eyes glared right back at him.

"I'm not a boy," he hissed harshly. "I'm _far_ past being a boy at this point. You've been sitting so comfortably with your noses turned in the air that you didn't take a second to see the biggest threat that was right in front of you this whole time: _me_."

"Himiko...slit _Touya's_ throat," Tomura hissed, giving a command.

The entire room stood still and Himiko did nothing. Red eyes whirled around at the golden-haired woman who just started laughing maniacally.

"_Himiko_! I said to cut this brat's throat out! What are you laughing for!?"

"She's laughing because they don't listen to you anymore," Dabi smirked, eyes sparkling with bloodlust. A wicked, satisfied grin slowly etched its way onto his face at the feeling of power that charged through his bones. "They all listen to _me_ and the ones who listen to you are being slaughtered as we speak."

"You're going to pay for this if you don't back down right now, Touya," Shigaraki Senior warned. He turned to the three bodyguards at the door and pointed towards Dabi. "Kill this ungrateful bastard right _now_!"

But the room stood in silence.

Slowly, reality settled in on both Shigarakis' faces as Dabi stepped forward with an unforgiving leer and the elevator doors opened to reveal ten All For One members and Nine coming in with guns and thirsty looks like hounds.

Both Shigarakis' eyes widened at the quickly turning situation.

"Who do you think the people respect more: the king who sits in his throne with his nose turned up, or the one that's out in the battlefield fighting alongside them?" Dabi questioned quietly, and all too calm.

"This is foolish, Touya!" Shigaraki senior declared, his chest heaving up and down. "You're _unfit_ to lead. You're too unstable—"

"—Oh?" Dabi cocked his head and snapped his fingers. Every single person in the room pointed their guns directly at the Shigarakis. "I think I'm exactly the right person to take over. Unlike you two who sit up barking orders that ruin peoples' lives without lifting a _finger_, I actually do the maiming _myself_. It makes a world of a difference when it comes down to who people respect."

"So, that's it then? You're going to burn us alive to get your little pyro kick?" Tomura glared challengingly at Dabi.

"No, I'm not going to kill either of you," Dabi muttered as he approached the two of them with a bitter, resentful expression. "That would be too easy. I want you to spend time in jail rotting to the best of your abilities, miserable for the rest of your life understanding what it's like to suffer. Then you'll know what it's like to be stripped away from what you love."

"If we go to jail, you're going to be exposed," Tomura challenged. Dabi chuckled darkly, grin becoming more unhinged.

"I know. Which is why I'm going to burn out your tongues and break your hands and feet _myself_."

Dabi held his glove hand out expectantly and Nine stepped forward to hand him a silver butane blow torch. The black hair man cranked up the dial on the fire spitting tool to the highest setting while staring at the raging blue flame that shot out from the mouth.

The Shigarakis stared in fear and immediately Tomura made a move for his gun and Senior tried to run, but the other members were quicker. Without hesitation, several immobilizing bullets were shot into their bodies.

Two sets of blood curdling screams spilled into the air as the once kingpins fell to the ground with a hard thud. Dabi's smirk grew wider as he stepped forward and dug his boot into Shigaraki senior's bullet wound in his knee, drinking in the yell of pain.

"This is such a sight, on the ground at my feet where you belong," the blue eyed man taunted and put all his weight into pressing on the wound before he squatted down to the elder man's level and held up the blow torch.

He smiled wickedly with his teeth as he let the threatening flames into the air when dark eyes widened with fear. Dabi chuckled in a crazed manner as all his simmering rage was finally unleashed into a full blown uncontrollable fire.

"Checkmate," he taunted before reaching down to yank open Shigaraki senior's jaw forcefully. "Now open wide for me."

. . .

Dabi stared down at the two Shigarakis bleeding out on the ground, bodies twitching with what little strength they had.

The smell of burnt flesh filled the air and the blue eyed man's blood hungry smile was more than satiated. He looked at all the new burns covering their mouths, hands, and throats as if it was a work of art. Their fingers were bent backwards with the marrow poking out and feet nailed to the bottom of the floor by rusted black screws. He could hear the muffled-tongueless cries of the vile men at his feet and Dabi couldn't stop laughing.

The sight in front of him was _perfect_.

Seeing them scorched down to the bone but still living in their suffering felt like it was a proper repayment for Makinohara and separating him from Izuku. Their blood leaked uncontrollable from their body and stained his leather boots. The beast inside of him was howling as he fed on the anguish of the men beneath him.

With droplets of blood splattered across his face, Dabi glanced down at the dark red liquid on his hands that was a mix of both Shigarakis. His mouth twitched with the urge to taste the blood caked all over his body. He wondered if it tasted as sweet as the revenge, he just exacted from fighting fire with fire and paying homage to the inferno that birthed Dabi.

He bent down slowly, studying the blood discharging from Tomura's tear ducts as his red eyes were wide with fear. Beautiful, delicious fear. Dabi reached down and slid Tomura's red ring off his disfigured hand along with Shigaraki Senior's blue ring off his hand that was already turning purple.

Nine sent the message for everyone to quickly exit the scene, finish killing off all the loose ends, and to rendezvous in Kuromata in the next forty minutes. As the silver haired new gang leader did this, Dabi slowly placed all three rings on his right hand and he relished in the weight of them—the _power_.

The power and strength that was finally _his_.

They all cleared the scene, but not before Dabi gave one last menacing smirk back to the men lying on the floor.

After that, it didn't take long for them to all meet in the new headquarters he had been putting together for three years now. It sat perfectly discreet directly between Yaizu and Shizuoka City and allowed both him and Nine to watch over all the drug trafficking territories they now owned.

When he walked into _his_ building, there was a giant weight lifted off his shoulders. He was finally rid of the Shigarakis and now nothing stood in between him and his goals.

But most importantly, there was officially no barrier in the way of him going to retrieve Izuku.

When his selected close circle entered the conference room for debriefing, there was a low excited murmur amongst all the men and women who helped get the job done in an excellent amount of time. Basking in the moment, Dabi sat down in his new leather chair at the head of the long wooden table and lazily spread his legs thinking about the next move.

Sunlight poured into lavish office space and spilled all over the criminals in the room who were covered in the blood of hundreds of people. Dabi looked down at his bloodstained hands and felt a hum of happiness in his chest.

"You're officially in charge now, Dabi," Nine said through a smirk as he took his place on his right-hand side. "I just got confirmation that all those opposed to you stepping up have been put down like we planned. So, what now?"

A vision of beautiful emerald colored eyes appeared in his head and he thought about the last two people on his checklist to expose for who they really were.

Todoroki Enji.

Bakugou Katsuki.

He lifted up his right hand, flexing it as he studied the three different sizable rings on his fingers that each held a hefty level of meaning. He stared at Tomura's red one, Shigaraki Senior's blue one and finally the green one of Yotsubashi. All now sitting on his hand.

Dabi leaned back in his chair and smirked.

"Let's go finish what I started."

* * *

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Fun fact, it is this fic's one year anniversary today ^_^ Please R&R! Thank you so much!**


	22. Scorched

Hello all! Welcome back to this gut puncher :D Thank you so much for sticking around!

Edit: Sorry for two updates! I realized when I reviewed I didn't change the page breaks so when I submitted the chapter it was all one page lol

**Song: **MAX - Love Me Less (feat. Quinn XCII)

**Warnings: Disturbing descriptions of crime scenes and violence**

* * *

**Chapter 22 -****Scorched**

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Izuku's thoughts were warm and heavy like hot air as they filled his mind.

He sucked in his breath as he let the lukewarm water from the shower head pour down his body, washing away the night. His eyes stayed closed as he envisioned all the things he had seen inside Ground Alpha and what it would mean going forward.

He contemplated the idea that he might end up exposing himself by uprooting the Shigarakis. Izuku knew very well they had the ability to tell the truth about what had occurred four years ago. The robberies—the _bomb_. But the more he thought about his parents, Touya, and the other victims of Makinohara, Izuku decided it was time to weigh his options with Toshinori before things could get out of his control.

He continued like this as he scrubbed the dirt off his body, sleep crowding his tired mind.

However, the more he thought about Ground Alpha, the worried detective kept seeing the mysterious Dabi in his head.

Green eyes blinked open under the running water to stare in a pensive manner at the water circling the drain in the shower. Like something was under his skin, the creeping feeling of needles prickling his flesh returned the more he thought of the man in the pitch-black gas mask. There was something eerie about his disposition and Izuku would be happy when the raid occurred.

He pinned his nauseated feeling on the fact that Dabi was exactly the type of person he hated.

Dabi was a murderer who locked people in buildings to burn them alive and the man had killed _several_ innocent individuals in Shizuoka City like this. He was no better than the Shigarakis in Izuku's mind. The trauma victim took comfort knowing that both Dabi and the Shigarakis would be locked up soon if everything went correctly. They wouldn't be able to wreak havoc anymore.

But even while considering this, it didn't stop Izuku from lightly touching his golden earring.

He made the unwilling comparison of how Touya used to touch it and how _Dabi_ did.

But he didn't know what he was thinking, or what impossible thought he was trying to voice. Quickly, Izuku shook off the ridiculous feeling. The greenette reached forward to turn the shower handle into the 'off' position and he stepped out to dry his body with a fluffy towel. His limbs were heavy as he lazily put on a pair of grey sweatpants and dark blue long-sleeved shirt.

He reached for the counter that held the puzzle piece bracelet he shared with Katsuki. With eyes full of fondness, Izuku put back on his wrist. A glimmer of belonging filled into his eyes as the weight of the small charm made him feel secure.

With his wild curls still damp, Izuku walked out of the bathroom and down the stairs. He followed the trail of Katsuki's deep voice into the living room curiously, wondering who was talking to. From the sound of his non-casual tone, it was someone in a higher position than him. When Izuku finally reached the living room, there he found the tired blond boyfriend sitting on the couch. The off duty Lieutenant was also freshly showered in sweats and a casual white shirt. The small puppy Izuku had rescued was resting in his lap, seeming like it was thankful for the warmth of another creature after being out in the frigid winter for who knows how long.

"Okay. I understand, Yagi. We'll be there soon," Katsuki's raspy voice said into the phone while he stroked his fingers through the small animal's fur. On his wrist, shining in the florescent light, was his own matching puzzle piece bracelet. A smile twitched onto Izuku's face at the sight. "I informed officers Kaminari and Sero to come and pick up Midoriya and I from my apartment."

Izuku's attention perked up at the mention of his name as he took a seat next to the exhausted looking blond man on the couch. Katsuki gave him a sweet smile of recognition and like always it made Izuku's heart flutter at the sheer handsomeness Katsuki possessed.

The elder man continued petting the dog in his lap while he wrapped up his conversation with Toshinori on the phone. When all was said and done, the Lieutenant tiredly pressed end on the phone call before turning to the young detective beside him with a taut, exhausted look.

"I'm guessing we have to go on site?" Izuku prompted, already knowing what he heard on the other end. Katsuki nodded reluctantly and ran a calloused hand through his messy blond spikes.

"Yeah, everyone in S.W.A.T just arrived to Ground Alpha and they found something reportedly disturbing," the blond mumbled, red eyes distant.

"Disturbing in what way?" Izuku frowned and his face twisted with worry. That's not what he had anticipated hearing.

"Apparently something disturbing enough that Toshinori said he couldn't report it through an unsecured line. Ground Alpha is officially a crime scene," Katsuki whispered. "He wants us in Yaizu immediately to start investigating the crime scene for our own records. He has reason to believe this is tired with The Cremator case. No one else on site can do it because all officers were prepped for S.W.A.T."

Izuku opened his mouth but he paused at the tiny new piece of information about his colleagues.

"Wait, all the detectives at U.A are S.W.A.T certified?" The green haired man questioned, tilting his head.

"Yeah, me included," Katsuki boasted with a small smug smirk. "When Toshinori promoted me to be second in command I immediately made everyone become certified. Can never be too careful. You never know when shit will hit the fan in our field."

Izuku pursed his lips, a small inkling of imposter syndrome sinking in his stomach.

He was surrounded by such top notch, noble officers—and he didn't feel like he came close. He thought about the inevitable conversation he needed to have with Toshinori about his criminal past getting dug up and then glanced at Katsuki, wondering if he should actually tell him first despite Toshinori's warnings.

Izuku figured he must've let his emotions slip into his eyes because his boyfriend tilted his head and looked at him closely.

"What's with that worried look, nerd?"

Izuku gave his trained deflective smile and shrugged it off, covering up his real thoughts. "Nothing! I just never heard anyone mention it before, that's all. I think it's really cool that everyone has multiple certifications. You guys are all very 'badass' for lack of a better word."

It was a half truth. Izuku felt like everyone he worked with was significantly better than he was and it made him worry about how it would go over if his past was to get out.

It made him worry about Katsuki loving him less.

"Hah, damn straight," the handsome blond deeply chuckled and loosely swung his arm around Izuku's shoulders with a signature smirk. He was completely unaware of the inner turmoil mulling in Izuku. "As long as _I'm_ running shit, I'm gonna make sure everyone is at their peak performance. Also, don't worry. I fully planned on getting your cute ass S.W.A.T certified when you get a little more experience under your belt."

"_Really_? You had plans for me this whole time and never let me know?" Izuku teased lightly, pushing Katsuki's shoulder playfully.

"Oh, I've got a _lot_ of plans for you that you don't know about," his boyfriend chuckled in a suggestive manner before flashing a hungry grin. Izuku felt a smile bloom on his face at the sweetness in Katsuki's eyes as the elder man squeezed his stiff shoulders reassuringly.

"In all seriousness though, I was going to wait until you reached a year in a precinct before beginning your S.W.A.T training," Katsuki said as he placed a kiss on Izuku's forehead.

He pulled back and Izuku couldn't hide the hint of sadness in his heart as he looked at how affectionate Katsuki was being with him. The blond misread Izuku's contemplative being caused by his uncertified status and gave a small smile right as Izuku was about to speak up about his past.

"If a year is too long, don't worry. I can make an exception," Katsuki began again, pulling Izuku in closer to his body's warmth. "If you want to start earlier, we can. I wouldn't mind giving you private training lessons after our shift."

Izuku snapped his mouth shut, looking at his boyfriend with a raw expression.

"...You would do that for me?"

"I'd do anything for you, Izuku," Katsuki reassured in a soft voice, eyes full of love. "But most importantly, I'd do anything to help make sure your dreams of being a good officer are realized fully—especially after what happened to your parents. I know how important it is to you."

As the ember eyes flickered with love, hope, and all the promises Izuku ever wanted in life—he felt himself struck. His mind weighed heavily from the lack of sleep as he felt tears start to gather in the back of his eyes at the thought of possibly losing Katsuki because of his past.

"Thank you, Kacchan," he whispered in the smallest voice. "You don't know how much it means to hear that from you."

"It's no problem, dork," his boyfriend chuckled, ruffling his slightly damp hair.

As they were staring at each other, Izuku felt the words on the tip of his tongue again, but they fell back into his throat when Katsuki's phone dinged.

Red eyes dragged away from him and took all of Izuku's weakly built courage to confess with them.

The elder man checked his phone while Izuku let out a shaky breath, eyes darting everywhere trying to figure out what to do—but all he wanted was sleep.

"Denki texted that he's downstairs," Katsuki said, shifting fully and waking up the dog sitting in his lap who gave a short whine. "Go ahead and throw on your jacket and I'll grab the dog. We can have Mina or someone else play with her outside the scene."

"Okay, sounds good," Izuku agreed, pushing down all his worried thoughts as he sunk into his detective's mind set. The tired man rose up from the plush couch with a smile, gazing tenderly at the man he loved holding the small creature.

Right as he turned around to get his coat and badge, Katsuki's deep voice gripped him.

"—And no fucking running off this time, _Midoriya_," the Lieutenant spat seriously with the heavy usage of his formal name. Izuku turned around surprised, but Katsuki's red eyes were still furious and looked at him in a challenging manner. "_I mean it_. Pull that shit again with me and I'm gonna put you on desk duty for six months, Deku."

"I was just trying to protect you," Izuku huffed, frowning. "It's not a crime to want to make sure your boyfriend is safe, Kacchan."

"_Exactly_," Katsuki grumbled. He stood up and gently placed down the small dog who pawed at his pants leg. "It's not a crime that I want to make sure you're safe. Which is why I'm telling you _again_ not to go thinking you can handle everything on your own like you always do."

Katsuki stepped towards him, intensely blazing eyes glancing down at him. Izuku didn't know what to say back. Before he could even form a coherent thought, Katsuki spoke to him very sternly.

"Let me do the protecting for a little while," the blond whispered with a deep look. "Stop always sacrificing yourself."

Emerald colored eyes flickered up at the elder man and he gave a soft sigh. Izuku offered a soft smile and allowed himself to indulge in the warm feeling Katsuki showered him with.

"Alright," Izuku chuckled. "No more running off."

. . .

When they went downstairs to pile into the back of Denki's car, Izuku found himself in a deep slumber within three minutes with his head on Katsuki's lap. A calloused hand stroked through his hair lovingly and lulled him quickly asleep as the small dog licked his face. Izuku tried to hone in on the distant chatter of Sero, Denki and Katsuki but his mind was enveloped in darkness.

When Izuku awoke again, he was looking up at the morning sky upside down from out of the window with a hand still in his hair and around holding him steady in his curled-up position.

The fluffy white clouds passed by slowly as he heard the other officers' radios chime in and out. The tired young detective took a second to study his strange topsy-turvy position, liking the feeling of the sky suddenly being the ground.

Then slowly, Katsuki craned his neck down to look at him with a soft expression and Izuku felt himself grateful to just be in the blond's arms.

"Hey there sleepy head," the blond whispered and cocked his head with a playful smirk. "We're here."

Katsuki lightly pushed him awake and upright, making Izuku hum as he sat up to see the exact building he was inside of less than three hours ago. All four detectives stepped out of the compact car and headed towards the trunk to grab their investigation gear.

They suited up in the proper wear, sliding on bright blue sterile gloves and mouth masks. Each detective grabbed a case full of tools for identification and evidence gathering. Izuku kept a serious face as Katsuki instructed them on the protocol and assigned them specific duties for gathering possible evidence and DNA. Izuku noted how the normally lighthearted Denki had a dead serious look written across his baby face as he was handed the camera by Katsuki for documenting.

The group walked up the outside of the tall building and it was completely marked off with yellow police tape. Yaizu crime technicians were buzzing all over along with several police officers Izuku recognized. Dense crowds of the public population gathered around from distance and Izuku could hear the light shutter of cameras going off in the distance as the crime scene drew chaos towards it.

"Sero. Kaminari. Midoriya. Bakugou. Over here," Toshinori's voice called out to them.

Izuku turned around to see the tall blond standing in his S.W.A.T gear with a notebook in his hand waving them down. The four detectives walked over to the small gathering of U.A officers and Izuku didn't miss the pale, distraught look on Mina's face. There was an even more serious one on Iida's already sternly concerned features.

"Thank you four for coming out here on such short notice," their captain sighed with a ghostly look. "I know you all must be tired from just going back to back but—wait...did you bring a dog?" Blue eyes melted into confusion at the sight of the small animal nested in Izuku's arms. On cue, all eyes in the vicinity turned to the greenette.

"I, um, I found her before I went back to Shizuoka," Izuku explained with a wince at all the prying eyes. "W-We haven't decided on what to do with her, so we just brought her along—"

"—We're keeping her," Katsuki interrupted in a matter of fact tone and Izuku's head whipped around. The blond just shrugged with a small knowing smirk before he turned his attention back to his colleagues. "Is there anyone that needs a break while we're investigating the scene and wants to watch her?"

"Me!" Mina perked up desperately, raising her hand. She stepped forward quickly towards Izuku and held out her arms for the small animal. "Oh, Kami, me _please_. I need to pet a puppy after what I walked in on in that basement," she harshly exasperated.

"Uh, sure! Here you go," Izuku said quickly as he handed the small animal over to the eager pink haired woman. His mind fixated on the premonition in her words—what was in the basement?

"Thank you so much, Izuku," Mina said, translating a grateful expression through her golden eyes. She cooed to the small creature as she cradled it against her chest before looking back at the four newcomers on the scene.

Her face was as if she saw something she could never forget.

"All of you need to brace yourselves when you walk in there. It's not pretty," she whispered before walking off to the side.

Katsuki and Izuku exchanged weary looks before heading inside.

. . .

Not pretty was an understatement.

What they walked in on was something that looked like a gory scene out of a horror film. All four sets of eyes went wide in silence at the dark red blood that was splattered everywhere. Izuku scrunched his nose at the smell of iron mixing in with body fluids and his eyes darted off to the side. There he found were multiple rows of black body bags and technicians taking DNA samples.

"Holy shit," Denki whispered, eyes wide as he gripped the black camera in his hand tighter. Sero's face dropped with confusion and Katsuki flat out flinched when the sight of bloodied handprints on the wall that looked as if a ghost had tried crawling up the stairs before dying into nothing.

"What the fuck happened here?" Katsuki harshly whispered, staggered by the gruesome scene. He twisted his head down to look at the green haired detective next to him, eyes wild with disbelief. "Izuku, was this how it looked when you were here?"

"N-No," Izuku quickly replied, shaking his head. "Absolutely not. It looked like a normal office building from what I could see. I was blind folded and taken to the basement, so I only saw the lower level and there was no sight of blood."

Green eyes were completely unable to tear away from the scene in front of him as he watched Yaoyorozu and Kirishima off to the side giving out orders and collecting information. The investigative team of officers walked up to the two grim looking sergeants in S.W.A.T.

"Kirishima, where are the Shigarakis?" Katsuki immediately asked, not wasting time.

"In the emergency room," the redhead replied back with a disappointed look. Red eyes briefly scanned all their faces before sighing and relaxing the grip on his assault rifle. "Guys...when we got here, it was a complete blood bath. There were dead bodies scattered up and down this whole building. Not a single person was alive anywhere except in the basement."

"What?" Sero's face twisted in confusion "How many people?"

"Twenty-five and counting," Momo informed. "The only people alive were the Shigarakis—but just barely. We found them bleeding out on the ground nearly unconscious. Their tongues were _burned_ out and their feet nailed to the floor along with other gruesome mutilations."

"They were barely alive," Kirishima sighed. "There's no witnesses to attest to what happened."

"None?" Katsuki hissed and Izuku felt his stomach start to clench into knots. Kirishima shook his head and Momo gave a sour look.

"I don't think it's possible to get any sort of confession out of them in the state they're in," she said, casually shifting in her black combat boots. "Both their hands and feet are mutilated so they can't even write out what happened. Anyone that could possibly be a witness is either dead or gone. No one knows what happened here."

"Where's Dabi?" Izuku asked quickly, eyes wide. "He was here when I left, along with a blonde woman named Himiko. They were acting kind of strange."

Katsuki turned to him with a face creased with a deep frown line. "Strange how?"

"Dabi didn't tell the Shigarakis' he killed Yotsubashi," Izuku whispered. "It seemed like he wanted it to be a secret...and…" A vision of Dabi's gas mask appeared in his head and an eerie feeling gripped his bones again. He looked at all the other officers cautiously.

"I know our profession relies on facts and evidence, but there's something extremely dangerous about Dabi besides just the arson," Izuku tiptoed in a light voice. "I can't tell what it is because even I don't know, but he makes my skin crawl—more than the Shigarakis' do. I think I've seen him before when I lived here in Yaizu."

All the U.A officers exchanged heedful glances at Izuku's words.

"Well, you can take a look at the row of bodies in the back and try to identify them," Kirishima offered. "None of them look like the description of Dabi that the bartender witness from Uchi street gave. No one had severe burns."

Izuku pursed his lips at the information and he connected the dots.

"They might've done this then, if they're not here," Izuku said confidently. "Both Dabi and Himiko were here in this building before I was taken away. It was about a thirty-minute drive and that's plenty of time between when I called and S.W.A.T arrived. That's a full hour."

"That makes sense," Katsuki hissed. "Well, shit. What now? No confession. No witnesses to this homicide spree, but I guess we got them. Still, a confession would've been nice. We would've been able to unravel more."

"Actually, despite everything, we found something worth probably more than any confession the Shigarakis could've given," Kirishima interjected, holding his loaded gun a little tighter.

"What?" The blond squad leader asked. Izuku eyed the powerful S.W.A.T gear the U.A squad were all dressed in and dragged his eyes to a very stern looking Katsuki who was on edge waiting.

"We found a vault full of detailed records of every person ever involved in All For One," Momo said while pointing behind her. Izuku only then twisted his body to peer around the corner beside the two sergeants.

There he saw what looked to be a hive of busy, bustling officers going through countless stacks of paper.

Shouto being one of those officers.

Izuku felt his eyes widen and his breath caught in his throat causing him to nearly choke.

"Turns out the Shigarakis were really meticulous about keeping track of everyone they were blackmailing." Momo shrugged. "There's files on people dating back from over forty years ago until now."

Katsuki's face broke out into a satisfied smirk but Izuku's whole body went cold.

"That's perfect," the tall lieutenant responded, his voice shifting to a more optimistic tone. "I want the files sent to my office so I can begin assigning everyone a different section to go over today before putting it in evidence."

The thudding of his heartbeat was suddenly too loud.

Izuku didn't hear what orders Kirishima gave to the officers behind him, and he didn't hear what Katsuki said as he patted him on the back. All he could see was his future possibly being stolen as all the officers worked like busy bees. They marched out of the building holding countless bins filled with files in their hands.

Files that could possibly have Izuku's name inside of them.

The air around him suddenly felt too tight.

. . .

Izuku's mind scattered for a way out. The heat under his collar simmered and scratched his skin thinking of Katsuki possibly finding out about his past like _this_. He waited quietly, listening to Katsuki take charge of the team and give orders fluidly like water. With each passing second, he found himself both anxious and disturbed as they went around the crime scene.

Whatever had happened in this building, it was a massacre. They found five more bodies, dead and bleeding out inside closets, the dark red blood soaked through the blue carpeted floors. But what disturbed Izuku most to see was the basement that he had just been inside of.

He could see the bloodied holes where he assumed the criminals who murdered his family were pinned down. However, that's not what stood out the most. When they went around the basement for Denki to take pictures and Izuku to do swabs, there was a message written in blood on the wall as a warning.

"**The Kings Are Dead"**

Izuku could only assume it was the Shigarakis' blood used.

"This is fucking brutal," Denki whispered from beside Izuku as he took a snapshot of the writing on the white wall. "Whoever did this must've seriously hated them."

"Unsurprising," Izuku mumbled as he carefully peeled off a piece of the wall paint for DNA. "They made a lot of people angry. It was bound to come back and bite them."

"Or burn them in this case," Denki muttered, flashing the camera a couple more times near an identified piece of evidence labeled '#2' by Izuku. "Have we even found their tongues?"

"According to Kirishima, no," Izuku answered. "Tongues still possibly around or with whoever seared them off."

The young green eyed detective sealed the paint chip securely in a sterile bag with shaky hands. He could hear Katsuki and Kirishima's voices off to the side as the two large men tried to open up another cabinet. They seemed preoccupied enough that Izuku felt like he could excuse himself and go talk to their captain in private.

When he got the blond man in sight, Izuku felt his panic spike again. His blood swarmed with fear and his mind started to race. He tapped the captain on his shoulder, and lightly pulled him off to the side when Toshinori began asking him what's wrong.

"Izuku," the captain called, but Izuku kept leading them around the corner until they were completely out of sight. "Izuku—seriously. What's wrong? Is something the matter?"

"There's _files_," Izuku whispered in a shaky voice.

Without warning all his anxieties burst past the seams of the thin threads keeping him together. He thought about possibly being torn away from his new life—a life he recently settled into and felt his chest convulse. He thought about all the U.A officers, his new home—_Katsuki_.

"The Shigarakis kept private files on everyone that was ever involved with AFO which means they have files on _me_," Izuku's hoarse voice cracked as he pointed wildly to himself to emphasize his point. "They're going to send them to Katsuki's office. W-What should I do? I think I need to start weighing out my options and I can't afford a lawyer—"

"—First off, calm down, Izuku. I heard, okay?" Toshinori whispered harshly and looked over his shoulder. "_I'll handle it_. I already have several plans. The first being we're going to try to get rid of your records all together."

Izuku stumbled on his words. "W-What?"

"Yes," the captain harshly whispered. "What good would going through legal processes do now? You're not a bad person, son. I can see that and I have no qualms about getting rid of something that would ruin your future for no reason—especially since it was the Shigarakis that kept pulling you down."

"...And what if we can't get rid of my file?" Izuku prompted, still finding it hard to believe that Toshinori—the symbol of peace—was suggesting tampering with evidence. At this, the captain shifted on his feet and sighed.

"Then we move to my second plan," he replied with his head down. "We talk to Mirio about what options you have legally. I asked my son about something like your situation discreetly and he told me when it comes to someone being blackmailed into doing a crime it's not a black and white case depending on the severity of what happened."

The lump in Izuku's throat only swelled with the info.

"I think robbing several stores and a bank is _pretty_ severe, Toshinori," Izuku whispered, dread increasing in his face.

Along with building a bomb and handing the blueprints over to a drug lord—blueprints that were possibly sitting in his folder for the world to see.

"Yes, you're correct, but Mirio is also an extremely good lawyer," Toshinori said with a sympathetic smile trying to calm the increasingly worried green haired man. "If push comes to shove, I'm sure he'd represent you if this accidentally got out."

"Okay..." Izuku muttered, playing with the hem on his dark blue winter coat.

"Also, I heard all the files are organized alphabetically by the surname of the individual. Todoroki is in charge of them so I'm going to have him send over the 'M' files before they're sent to Katsuki. I'll filter through to try to find your folder, okay? If possible, let's bury this deep."

A large warm hand rested on his shoulder and squeezed affectionately. The heaviness of Toshinori's weight pulled Izuku back to reality enough to snap his sleep-deprived brain from out of his own hurricane of unease.

The fatherly kind blue eyes of his captain made Izuku feel calm enough as he thought about the reality of things.

The future might be rocky, but this was the end of it...right? The Shigarakis were in custody and AFO was officially done for. All that was left was apprehending Dabi. This was the last step. He thought about The Incinerator and if Toshinori was correct, maybe he could grab the blueprints and remove them from his name all together.

"A-Alright," he finally said, straightening out. "Alright, that sounds good. You're right. This is manageable."

"Yes, it is," Toshinori said and put back on his serious face. "Now let's go back out there and keep an eye on where those files are."

Izuku nodded and blinked back the worried tears he had. When he rounded the corner, he saw Katsuki's red eyes assess him curiously, but the blond gave him a small smile from the other side of the room that only made Izuku push further in his need of keeping his new life intact.

. . .

The day continued and all the U.A in S.W.A.T wrapped up to leave Yaizu. Izuku's tired state of mind started to make everything mesh together. He felt torn about letting Mirio handle things the right way and handling things the way Toshinori seemingly wanted them handled.

But the more he listened to Katsuki's smoothing voice the entire way back to the precinct, he felt himself leaning towards just doing what Toshinori said. He imagined his life shattering all over again—over the same thing.

Deep down, Izuku didn't know if his already bruised heart could handle another home being torn away from him.

Izuku watched as Katsuki took diligent notes about the crime scene in his notebook next to him in the back of Denki's car. He watched and how the small dog spread across their laps like she already considered them to be her owners. He studied the way Katsuki would occasionally ask "is everything okay?" and squeeze his leg lovingly.

Izuku stayed silent, contemplating this question. Was he okay? He listened to Sero and Denki joke and laugh and realized after_so long_ he was finally in a good place.

The lonely orphan didn't have the heart to uproot his happiness again.

"I'm fine," he whispered to Katsuki after the blond asked about his silent mood for the fourth time.

The greenette ignored all the worried glances he got from Katsuki and allowed himself to lean against the lieutenant's sturdy shoulder. He fluttered his eyes closed for the second time that day as he indulged in his newfound stability.

When they arrived at the station, everything went exactly how Toshinori planned for it to. The captain gave the order for all files labeled with the surname 'M' be sent to his office and being the highest in command, no one seemed to notice or think it was strange. Ochaco decided that she wanted to hold the puppy as she managed an increase of calls around the city and told Izuku it was stressing her out.

Then finally, Shouto gave him a small smile of recognition as he passed Izuku on the way up to Toshinori's office. The youngest Todoroki was exhausted from being up so long as he lugged the pins of files up to Toshinori's office. Izuku worried slightly when he saw a lag in the tall man's blinking.

Then like clockwork, a loud surprised yelp echoed out. Everyone startled as Shouto stumbled on the stairs, several sealed envelopes flying outwards. Izuku held his breath for several moments as Iida rushed over to help the sleep deprived sergeant off the ground and they quickly shuffled the files back into the bin.

"Ah, Bakugou said everyone on the undercover mission can go home after this is all handled," Iida said with a sympathetic smile to the sleepy Todoroki. "You guys have been up way too long."

"Thank Kami," Shouto mumbled. "This undercover mission was just a bit of a mess." Izuku watched how they didn't pay attention to the folder on the ground and he sighed in relief not to see any strange reactions plastered across Shouto's face.

Izuku felt like he was strangely in the clear when Shouto walked up the stairs fully—but it almost felt too easy. Would that really be it? Toshinori could take his file possibly and then the next thing would just be to continue living normally?

Izuku hoped so. He prayed. He wanted this all to be done with.

However, when two hours painfully stretched by and more files started piling up in Katsuki's office, Izuku grew worried. Toshinori hadn't come down to reassure him and Izuku considered maybe he was stunned by the possible blueprints in his case file. All of his unease made his feet fly like a delicate bird all the way up to the ninth floor to the captain's office.

Sitting there was an image he didn't expect to anticipate. The captain had his large hand gripping his messy locks and his expression was deeply anxious. The greenette felt his heart skip a beat as he stared at all the opened envelopes sprayed across his superior's wooden desk.

"Did you find it?" Izuku whispered and closed the door behind him. Toshinori shook his head but he didn't look up.

"Izuku…" Toshinori whispered. "There's no file for you."

Izuku felt his world come to an abrupt halt.

"What?" Emerald eyes widened in disbelief. "T-That can't be right."

The shaking young detective stepped forward quickly because that couldn't be _right_. He picked up folder after folder, the weight of something so light suddenly seemed so heavy on top of his finger tips. But each time he just got a different name that wasn't his own. Murakami. Miyazaki. Maeda. Matsumoto.

But no Midoriya.

Izuku shook his head, trying to throw off the feeling of hopelessness creeping up his spine.

"I-I have a folder—I _know_ I do," Izuku tried to rationalize, not understanding. "The Shigarakis _always_made sure to let me know they had me by a _leash_. They threatened to expose me several times—"

"—Maybe they didn't find the robberies you committed for them significant enough to record?" Toshinori explained. "Even though I did find more minor crimes on record for others. It's possible your file is elsewhere but it's not in the section listed under 'M'."

Then something clicked in Izuku's head that he didn't consider before.

"_Shit_," he cursed. The young detective dragged his hands down his face. Red hair and blue eyes flashed in his mind as he looked grimly at his captain. Izuku covered his mouth as a tear slipped out of his eye. His stomach fell to the blackest pit.

"Toshinori...It might be under T."

This only made the decorated man frown. "Why would it be under T?"

"The boyfriend I told you I dated that was involved with them...it was Todoroki Touya." Izuku sucked his breath in, waiting for the storm to arrive—but there was none. Blue eyes blinked at him once, then blinked again and then finally Toshinori gave a head shake in denial as his nose scrunched in disbelief.

"What? _Enji's_ eldest son? Izuku, he was clearly trouble_—_"

"—I know." The freckled young adult threw his bandaged left hand up to stop the sentence. He already knew where this was going having been there several times in his own mind. "Trust me—I _know_. We just...fit together well in the beginning, alright? But, focusing back, what if they might've clumped us together? That's a possibility, right? Since I was associated with him."

"It is," Toshinori whispered, lips pressing in a thin line. "T was originally assigned to Kirishima, but he went home from sleep exhaustion. Todoroki is going to look over case files S and T now. I don't think he's gotten around to them yet, and Kirishima just dropped them in Katsuki's office before leaving. You need to go downstairs and double check that _immediately_."

Izuku nodded frantically. He didn't need to be told twice as he quickly ran back down the stairs.

When he got back down to the main floor all the office noises felt too loud. The echo of the jammed printer sounded like a fork in a garbage disposal and Denki's yawn stood out way too much on the silent floor. Izuku knew it was his own paranoia that made it feel like everyone's eyes were burning into his freckled skin as he peered around the floor.

He tried his best not to be suspicious as he checked around for Katsuki—but found he was gone. Shouto was too.

He thought it strange for a fleeting moment but took the window of opportunity for what it was and quickly stepped into Katsuki's office when no one was watching him. Sitting there, disregarded on the ground, was a mountain of files that were somehow organized yet chaotic all in the same breath.

Izuku looked over his shoulder as he kneeled down and started carefully digging through the bins. He made a mental note that the Shigarakis were a lot of things and apparently organized to the t was one of them. There wasn't a file not updated or out of place from what Izuku could see.

And it made it easy to find the red folder labeled 'Todoroki Touya' directly right at the top.

Izuku opened the envelope carefully, mindful not to make too loud of a sound. He crept through all the files on Touya, searching for anything related to him—but what he found was anything but. There wasn't a single mention of himself in Touya's file but inside were things much more devastating.

The folder was packed to brim with information Izuku never knew about the man he dated for two years.

Bile crept up the back of Izuku's throat at the first horrifying image sitting top top of the dense stack. It was a dark, twisted up, disfigured burned body lying on the ground. Directly labeled at the bottom was 'Touya's first kill.'

Nausea quaked Izuku's body and he stood up from his crouched position, eyes raking over the image repeatedly. The greenette soon found himself sitting down on Katsuki's couch quietly and he let out a shaky sigh. His hand quivered as he was compelled to flip to the next page in Touya's file. His heart sunk when he found more of the same.

Izuku kept on, his mind reeling as he sifted through the rest of the thick file condensed with photos and reports of crimes. Each new paper held a photograph more visually disturbing than the last as Touya's timeline in AFO progressed forward. With each body he saw, with each description of all the people Touya had murdered in cold blood—the romanticized version of the redhead in Izuku's memory was harshly shattered.

The soft memories of Touya loving him and sleeping by his side in their apartment distorted darkly when he realized he never actually knew _Touya_.

Touya had been more than just involved as a drug dealer with AFO—he _murdered_ for them.

The boy with rose colored hair Izuku knew was ripped out of his memory like a rotten tooth and soon found himself on the verge of tears as he realized he fell in love with someone he didn't know. He looked up at the top of the file to see a clipped mugshot in the file of Touya dated before they had started living together.

Who was looking back at him wasn't anyone he knew. The person in the photograph was an angry, violent young adult with an unnamed hunger in his cold blue eyes.

There was one last page Izuku didn't check in Touya's case and Izuku found himself dreading it—but he knew he needed to see it. Part of him hoped this would be information on himself, but he didn't get his wish. The last page of information in Touya's file showcased the tall redhead smirking with Jin.

They both were on either side of a bloodied, lynched dead police officer's body who was still in his 'Yaizu Law Enforcement' uniform.

Izuku snapped a hand over his mouth to stop the horrified gasp from escaping from his body. He slammed the other papers on top of the last page as his body began to shake. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to get rid of the vision, but he was unable to remove the sight of whoever's body swinging from that rope.

"Touya...Touya _why…_" Izuku whispered brokenhearted as he stared down at the mug shot. Several of his tears escaped from his eyes and landed on top of his ex-lover's photograph.

He hadn't found his file, but he had found something much, _much_ worse.

His green eyes glanced over all the basic information the Shigarakis had on the inside underneath the mugshot. They carefully recorded everything. The recorded Touya's eye color, hair color, even his blood type. They recorded his height, his weight, his birthday and even his—

As he was reading along the plain black and white dotted lines, all of Izuku's thoughts paused at the lack of information in one very important section.

_Deceased: ***_

The world stopped.

He read once more. Then he read it again.

Izuku's dark brows furrowed at the lack of an exact deceased date in the Shigarakis' personal records. That small piece of missing information made Izuku reel himself back to reality long enough to feel disquieted.

_Why didn't they record the date of his death?_ Izuku questioned, finding it odd. If these files proved anything, it was that neither Shigaraki was sloppy.

Suddenly, he heard Himiko's taunting all over again.

_"That's not possible. He's dead. I watched him die because of you all—"_

_"—Are you sure? Completely sure?"_

Unreasonable doubt trickled into the back of Izuku's mind and planted a small seed of suspicion. It would grow in the upcoming months but for now it stayed rooted, trying to fight against the three years of trauma and grieving the greenette had gone through that kept it pushed down.

Viridian colored eyes cut to the side at the stack of files and Izuku reached forward quickly to pull out a random folder from the stack. When he ripped open the envelope, he paid no attention to the disturbing information inside and his eyes zeroed in on the deceased date. This one was before Makinohara.

The young detective felt compelled to reach for another and then another until he found a file that showed a deceased date listed after Makinohara. Then he found one for another member that didn't have a deceased date—but it looked different. There were no asterisks in place of a date, just blankness.

Izuku scrunched his face in confusion as he opened Touya's folder again and his eyes stared down at Touya's strange deceased date again. He kept trying to find a conclusion for why three asterisks were there inside of a proper date.

Then like clockwork, he felt the ghostly feeling of both Dabi and Touya touch his earring.

"What the hell are you doing?" Katsuki's rough voice cut through his racing thoughts. Izuku jumped out of surprise, having completely forgotten where he was—lost in the abyss of Touya yet again.

Green eyes whirled around to the entrance of Katsuki's office to see both Shouto and Katsuki standing there with unreadable expressions. Both men were intensely watching him and it made Izuku jump off of the leather couch as if it was on fire.

"S-Sorry!" Izuku stuttered out, trying to regain his balance as he quickly tried to hide Touya's folder that was in his hand. But he wasn't quick enough because Katsuki stepped forward and snatched the piece of evidence away from him.

Izuku was stunned by the harshness of the action and held his breath momentarily. Nervousness crept into his limbs as he watched Katsuki's upper lip curl with what seemed like disgust at the name on top of the folder. A deep, unhappy frown sunk into Katsuki's face.

Those fire filled eyes stared down at him with an unknown intensity.

"Why are you looking at Touya's folder?" Katsuki whispered in a low, cautious voice.

Izuku swore he misheard the distrusting tone and he accounted it towards the fact that he was just caught going unpermitted through evidence he wasn't assigned to.

"I was curious...after everything," Izuku was half truthfully, looking between the two elder detectives who were still giving him rather odd looks. Izuku furrowed his brows at the treatment, but neither higher ranking officer said a word. They just stared, watching him closely.

Shouto glanced his eyes at Katsuki who flared his nostrils in irritation the longer he seemed to think. The blond Lieutenant closed his eyes for a deep breath in to regain some sort of center before speaking.

"Midoriya," Katsuki began in a low voice. "Exit my office and do not go through evidence unauthorized again."

The tone was even, strained and it lacked the usual warmth the greenette had grown accustomed to in his boyfriend's voice. That alone was enough to make Izuku look at Katsuki confused, waiting for an explanation. However, none came.

Instead of meeting his eye, the Lieutenant turned away and stalked towards his desk with Touya's folder clenched tightly in his hand. Katsuki tossed the red folder down like he was annoyed by the mere presence of it before taking a seat in his office chair.

Izuku began to open his mouth but Katsuki cut him off again, glare fully equipped.

"I said _leave_," the blond hissed. "Both of you. I have work I need to do."

All the words Izuku was about to conjure dissipated in his throat as one of the most heated glare he's ever seen was tossed his direction. He froze up the longer Katsuki's vicious stare was set on him because he had never been on the receiving end of such intensity.

He had seen several other people take Katsuki's ungiving gaze. Monoma being one of those people, but Izuku couldn't recall a time where Katsuki ever looked this _angry_ at him.

Then as quickly as the purely rageful look came, it left. An expression of deep conflict soon replaced it. Red eyes darted around as if unsure about something before Katsuki turned away, not sparing a second glance.

"Yes, sir," Shouto said without missing a beat but Izuku frowned, wanting to say something more. The tall sergeant lightly pulled at Izuku's elbow and glanced down at him with a sympathetic stare. "Midoriya, I think we should leave the lieutenant alone for a while. He has to sort through putting in files for the crime scene today."

Green eyes glanced up at Shouto and back to the blond at the desk who was actively not looking in his direction.

Something happened.

Izuku could feel it in his bones that something was off but as he glanced down at Touya's folder and back up to Katsuki—he didn't know which issue was worse.

. . .

Izuku sat at his desk the rest of the day after talking with Toshinori and informing him that his file was nowhere to be seen. The blond captain began to chalk it up that the files the Shigarakis kept on him were possibly elsewhere. Which helped Izuku's anxiety none considering neither Tomura or his father were in a physically capable state of possibly pointing out more of their secrets.

As the rest of the day progressed, Izuku noticed articles and phone calls about homicides all over Shizuoka City flowing in.

Momo seemed even more stressed when a woman came inside the station, distraught about her son being shot in the head by gang members he was reportedly involved in. Yotsubashi's gang specifically. It was then all the officers noticed the pattern as more deaths were reported.

"Someone took out all the AFO members in Yaizu and all of Yotsubashi's gang in Shizuoka City," Iida commented as they all sat around for a midday coffee break. "There's hundreds of bodies scattered all the way from here to Yaizu."

"What the hell?" Sero muttered confused. "Was everyone who was reported dead today a gang member?"

"It seems so," the navy haired man muttered the longer he stared at the several new case files stacking up in his lap. "This was a targeted wipe out. It seems like the only survivors were the people Monoma arrested during the undercover operative last night before Izuku was taken. He's on his way here to talk about the members they arrested with Bakugou."

Izuku felt the air around him weigh down again. He fiddled nervously with his phone and glanced back out at the floor to Katsuki's office that was locked with the blinds closed—something the blond hadn't done in six months.

"Is he okay?" Izuku whispered to the room. "He seems aggravated about something."

"Probably the fact that this terrible ass day hasn't ended," Denki sighed. "We've been awake for over twenty-four hours. Every time I think I'm about to go home, something else comes in! First that horror show in Yaizu and now over fifty reported murders—it's like a never-ending nightmare."

"I agree," Iida chimed in. "With Bakugou being second in command I can only imagine he's going through a lot more headaches and phone calls."

Izuku bit the inside of his cheek and looked down at the dark liquid in his coffee mug. His co-workers weren't wrong. Sometimes he forgot how stressful Katsuki's position was because the blond took everything in stride and was so organized.

But even this mess of an operative was bound to get to someone, even an individual as dutiful as Katsuki.

Monoma soon showed up at the precinct and the two blond lieutenants went inside of Katsuki's office to compile all their evidence for the day.

While sitting at his desk, helping Ochaco handle the incoming influx of calls, Izuku kept an eye on the news articles popping up all over Shizuoka City. One after the other as the day moved into the evening, murder after murder of gang members were reported. However, when the day neared its end, one non-homicide article caught Izuku's eye.

**NHK WORLD - JAPAN**

Long awaited Headway on Reopened Hero Killer Case

Investigations from the last six months have shown new evidence that the Hero Killer was not working alone. The investigation was being led by Lieutenant Monoma of the sector 1B precinct who was keeping it private until recently.

In a recent quote when asked why he had reopened the case he simply answered "It's about justice for my fallen squad members. I have a lot of reasons to believe there's a dirty cop working amongst the Shizuoka City force and that person is equally responsible for it." …

**...Read more **

Monoma walked out of Katsuki's office and Izuku frowned.

Green eyes sharply turned towards the decorated officer passing by his desk.

"Excuse me," Izuku called to the dirty blond haired man. Blue eyes turned around to him curiously and quirked an eyebrow, prompting him to continue. "Lieutenant Monoma, I hope you don't mind me asking but what is this about opening the Hero Killer case again?" Izuku asked carefully.

"It's a well needed investigation," Monoma replied, condensing tone completely intact. "I thought you would be a little bit brighter than that detective."

"I get that," Izuku replied, ignoring the blow. "I mean, what is this you're saying about dirty cops in Shizuoka City?"

"The truth is what it is. I knew something was wrong about the Hero Killer case four years ago. Something always seemed off to me—how did he know _exactly_ where all the officers were stationed constantly if not with the help of an inside man?"

Blue eyes looked down at the puzzle piece bracelet wrapped around Izuku's wrist.

"I just have to put in the last puzzle piece and I'm sure an arrest will be made on whoever is responsible," he snarked, lip curling. Izuku froze at the implication and quickly slid the hand with his bracelet in his lap out of view.

He didn't say a word back because he knew what that meant.

Monoma thought it was Katsuki.

Without sparing him another waste of breath, Monoma left the U.A station not bothering to acknowledge any of the other police officers. In his wake he left a frozen Izuku whose eyes were wide. Green eyes looked towards Katsuki's closed door and felt ice touch his veins.

The young detective quickly stood up from his desk and hurried to find Shouto in the backroom going through case files by himself. Izuku carefully locked the door behind him, still shaken by what Monoma had implied.

Heterochromatic eyes assessed him carefully. "Is there something wrong, Izuku?"

"Shouto, did you know about this case opening back up?" Izuku whispered slowly as he held his phone up. He showed the sergeant the article he found and immediately Shouto's head tilted as if he was baffled.

"I did," he replied. "I noticed it when it first reopened during the weekend of the police picnic. To be truthful, I completely forgot about it. I was sure it was going to go nowhere but…" Shouto paused and sighed, leaning against the heavy rack of evidence by his side. "I guess Monoma is pretty convinced that there was a dirty cop working with the Hero Killer."

Izuku glanced down at the bracelet on his wrist and grimaced. "I think he's insinuating it's Katsuki, Shouto."

At this the half and half sergeant gave an amused chuckle.

"Of course that's what _he_ thinks. That's going to go nowhere, don't worry," Shouto dismissed. "He's had a vendetta against Bakugou the last four years, but Bakugou is about as clean as they come in terms of officers. So that's a silly notion in itself. He fumbled the coordinates, but he didn't disclose officer whereabouts to a serial killer to have them murdered."

Izuku pressed his lips in a thin line and gripped his phone tighter as he reread the quote by Monoma over and over.

. . .

When everything seemed to die down and the night shift officer on the floor below began to clock in, all the U.A officers started to leave. They said their goodbyes to each other after such an exhausting non-stop day. Izuku retrieved the small puppy back from Ochaco who made a saddened expression and begged Izuku to bring her back once per week. Izuku smiled and nodded, liking the idea.

He carefully walked over to Katsuki's locked office and knocked lightly on the door. When the wooden frame swung open, standing there was his lover who still had a stone like expression on his face. Izuku pushed down his nervousness at the blank look in those red eyes that was glancing between him and the puppy in his arms.

"Hey, Kacchan," Izuku said with a soft smile. "Are you ready to walk home? It's getting late and I want to discuss something about Monoma with you."

"You go ahead without me. I need to look over something," the blond muttered distantly, not paying attention to the latter half of the statement.

Izuku froze, confused. "I can wait on you. I-I think we should talk about what Monoma said to me. I don't mind waiting, it's not a problem—"

"—Just go home, Izuku," Katsuki reinforced. "I want to be alone right now to wrap up, I can deal with whatever hissy fit Monoma is throwing later. Have Shouto drive you back to my place."

There was a long pause between the lovers as Katsuki sighed and looked down at the ground. Ruby eyes were heavy with an unknown weight and it made Izuku feel uneasy as if he was on a rocky sea.

"Um, I can just walk by myself if that's the case. I don't want to inconvenience him—"

"—_No_," Katsuki snapped and it made both Izuku and the unnamed Shiba Inu jolt. Fire filled eyes shot their heated glare into perplexed green irises without hesitation. "Do as I say and go ask Shouto for a ride _right now_before he leaves."

Izuku stood there, shocked.

He didn't know what to do and gave a hesitant, soft "okay" and backed away. The door slammed and the freckled detective tried to ignore the bruise on his feelings.

Conflicting emotions suffocated his exhausted mind as he held on tighter to the soft animal as he conjured up an answer for the sudden harsh treatment. He tried to repeat to himself that Katsuki was just stressed—this was a stressful string of events and the workaholic was still his hot-headed self at the end of the day.

No matter how much he loved Izuku.

He did as he was instructed, not wanting to push the lieutenant's buttons any further. When he asked Shouto for the ride back to Katsuki's apartment, it almost seemed like the sergeant was anticipating it.

They got into the small car quietly, and Izuku felt a pensive mood rolling off of Shouto as they drove back in silence with the radio playing in the background. Izuku couldn't get Katsuki's vexed expression out of his mind.

"Did something happen with Katsuki between the time we got back to the precinct and now?" He asked, fearful. Shouto glanced at him quickly, eyes still assessing him as if he was seeing him in a new light.

"Why do you say that?"

"He suddenly started acting like I annoyed him," Izuku muttered, looking down at his feet. "I mean, granted, yes. He's naturally annoyed by everything but this time it felt...different."

There was a long stretch in silence as Shouto didn't say anything back. The low melody of the song filled Izuku's thoughts as he wondered what gears were turning in the youngest Todoroki's mind.

"People are complex," Shouto's even voice finally spoke, eyes locked on the dark road. "I think we're all still learning that."

Izuku didn't reply as he thought deeply about what Shouto said in combination with what he saw in Touya's file.

. . .

Izuku let himself in the large apartment with the spare key and put the Shiba Inu down. Green eyes fondly watched as the puppy immediately started walking around with an excited wagging tail. She still had a small limp but the dog seemed fully rested after sleeping all day. Izuku smiled gently, happy to see the small animal slowly recovering and thought it was a good thing that at least _someone_ got decent sleep today.

Izuku shrugged off his coat and walked to the kitchen with tired footsteps. He turned on the gas stove to prepare tea, thinking it would possibly help his boyfriend's mood for Katsuki to come back to a full meal after such a stressful twenty-four hours.

As he chopped vegetables in the kitchen, the slow rising of the kettle's whistling filled the quiet apartment, signaling that it was close to its boiling point. The door creaked open and he heard the telltale jingle of Katsuki's keys being placed on the dining room counter.

The green haired man looked up when the footsteps approached him, and the kettle finally boiled over with a loud chime.

But before Izuku could greet his lover, Katsuki's hand slammed down a red folder right beside him.

Sitting there inside was a copy of the sketches from over four years ago and the name 'Midoriya Izuku' in bold, unmistakable font.

Izuku dropped his knife.

Green eyes whirled upwards to meet Katsuki's awaiting harsh expression. Bloodshot eyes. Flared nostrils and a fist was curled tight on his side.

"Katsuki—"

"—Tell me this isn't true," Katsuki said in a broken voice. His eyes were both wild and hurt yet his rage was at full boil—completely in sync with the steaming water in the background. "Tell me the shit inside this folder isn't fucking _true_. Tell me you're not some _goddamn_ criminal, Izuku!"

The hurt lieutenant's voice boomed and Izuku felt all his worst fears slam into his body quicker than he could process. His fears choked him like he was drowning and he felt Katsuki slipping through his fingers the longer those heartbroken ember eyes stared him down.

Katsuki stared at him like he didn't know who he was.

Izuku tried to push the words out but distrusting red eyes scratched into him worse than any nightmare he'd ever experienced.

"I-I can explain," Izuku's unstable voice whispered weakly as he turned off the teapot. He shook his head desperately as tears immediately poured out of his face when Katsuki gritted his teeth together in an unforgiving snarl. "It's not entirely what it looks like—"

"—True or not!? Answer my _fucking_ question!" Katsuki screamed into his face and Izuku stumbled backwards.

Katsuki's nostrils flared as he roughly pushed the file across the counter towards Izuku. The papers spread apart across the dark garnet in a mess. Green eyes zeroed in on the thick stack of papers and sitting there for Izuku to see was all the incriminating evidence.

The bomb blueprints. Written evidence of the robberies. There was even a photograph of his bloodied bruised face directly after one of the early robberies inside one of the Ground Betas. He was unmistakablely holding a duffle bag full of stolen yen.

Izuku felt his lip quiver and he sobbed as his world came crashing down.

"It's true," his voice cracked and Katsuki made a painful look and stepped away from him like he had been burned. Izuku felt desperation grew as Katsuki looked at him like he was a stranger. "B-But it's not what it looks like on paper! There's a lot more to the story—"

"—So you did it," Katsuki whispered, letting out a hoarse sob. The lieutenant curled his fist up as he backed away as if he was trapped in some nightmare. "You built that fucking _bomb_. You built that _terrorist_ _weapon_ that psychopath is running around with and you didn't think to say a goddamn word about it for the last six fucking months!?" Katsuki yelled, voice full of betrayal.

Izuku started muttering a litany of sorrys as he rushed towards his quickly unhinging lover. He reached out to touch the blond but Katsuki snapped his body away from him as if the contact scorched his skin.

"—Don't touch me," Katsuki hissed. He finally opened his eyes and his ember eyes were full of tears. "Don't you dare fucking touch me right now. What would've happened if someone besides Shouto had found this!? _Hah_!? Did you _ever_ fucking think, Izuku!?"

Izuku's heart sank at the information and all the peace from his body was stolen.

"Shouto found it—he saw your name after the files had fucking fallen to floor," Katsuki sobbed out pointing to the papers sprawled across the counter. "He originally thought it was the information about you being the anonymous tip but imagine both of our fucking surprise when we saw _bomb_ blueprints in your fucking handwriting! Along with information that you were involved in those robberies in Yaizu four years ago!"

"Katsuki, please, wait," Izuku begged, hands shaking as he tried to hold onto the pieces of everything. "It's not that simple. I didn't…" _I didn't willing do it_ is what he originally meant to say, but the phrase died off the second it reached his tongue because it wasn't true.

No one held a gun against his head when he built that bomb—he did it on his account when he was backed against the wall. It was his idea. And now he was reaping the consequences of his actions for over four years.

Izuku felt his body start to tremble as he dove deeper into a helpless spiral watching the one person he loved stare at him like he was broken.

"T-This doesn't make sense," Katsuki whispered through a broken cry. He gripped his hair and dragged his hands across his face in disbelief. The hurt blond turned away and blinked hard once and blinked again trying to wake himself up.

"This isn't—this isn't how this was supposed to be—_why_?" Katsuki whirled around again, eyes streaming tears. "_Why_, Izuku? _Why_ would you do something like this?"

"I did it to protect my parents," Izuku said honestly between small sobs. "I-I needed to give the Shigarakis money to leave us alone—but I didn't want to. I really didn't, _please_ believe me."

Conflict danced across Katsuki's face as the air between them grew stagnant similar to the way time stood still before a terrible storm. The trepidation between the two lovers swelled like rain clouds and the static of their quiet exchange shook the ground like an earthquake waiting to happen.

Then Izuku's deepest fear occurred.

Katsuki shook his head again and screwed his eyes shut. The tall blond backed away and marched over to grab his coat like he couldn't handle being around the small freckled man anymore.

Izuku lost his last thread of composure and all the alarms inside his head went off when Katsuki reached for the door's handle.

"I'm _sorry_!" He called out, rushing behind the quickly retreating blond. "W-Wait, I can explain it more, please don't leave! I didn't want to do it—" Izuku rushed over to grab the elder man's arm and pulled him back inside with all his strength. "_Kacchan, wait_!" His voice cracked. "_Kacchan_, please—I'm sorry—don't leave me—"

"—I said don't touch me!" The blond yelled as he shoved Izuku away out of reflex.

The greenette stumbled back into the wall and they both held their breath. Both green and red eyes were wide with tears and Izuku felt himself break down gradually into the darkest part of his mind.

"I-I need space to think, Izuku. I'm sorry," Katsuki whispered while gritting his teeth and he looked away shamefully.

And with that Katsuki ripped open the door and left.

Izuku stared at the wooden door, waiting for his lover to come back—but he didn't. Izuku stood there alone and all of his fears grew louder, mocking him in all his shame.

His brain repeated the explosive moment and his heart twisted into formations it shouldn't. It felt like the cruel mistress of fate reached her hand into his ribcage and squeezed his heart too tight to the point no other part of his body could function.

The ground beneath his feet felt like it began to shatter underneath all the weight of his mistakes. Mistakes he couldn't take back. After all his running, trying to leave everything behind, his past finally caught up with him and it was smiling in a devilish way, reminding him that he would always be his mistakes.

A devastatingly heartbroken sob was torn from Izuku's trembling lips and his knees buckled.

He slid down the wall, crumbling into himself. His scarred hand clutched his shirt directly above his heart as the pain of losing Katsuki scorched through his chest.

. . .

Izuku doesn't know how long he was crying while sitting on the ground. His knees were pulled to his chest and his head was buried deep into his arms as a river of salty tears flowed from his eyes. He listened to the long stretch of nothingness and felt the cold absence of Katsuki cradle him like a lost child.

Katsuki was gone.

Katsuki had left—even after he begged him to stay.

Time melted into an illusion in the depths of night as his body felt like it aged on the spot. His limbs were weak, his voice was hoarse and he couldn't stop shaking. He imagined that if anyone walked by the door, they probably would've thought they heard the haunted howling of a ghost because that's exactly how Izuku felt.

He was a stranger in his own skin because nothing about his life felt like it belonged to him—even now with the Shigarakis arrested he had no control.

Izuku lifted his head and stared out of the large living room window. The winter night in Shizuoka was decorated in bright lights and snow and he wondered where the man he loved had gone. Did he go to tell the rest of the team? Would police come in and arrest him and he would be detained as a terrorist?

Izuku felt sick as his mind conjured up countless terrible scenarios.

When the moon was in full view above the shining city of Shizuoka, the door creaked back open.

Izuku turned his head back towards the door and standing there with only sadness in his eyes was Katsuki with trembling hands as he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Izuku held his breath as the lieutenant wordlessly sat down beside him on the ground, not bothering to take off his shoes. Katsuki leaned his tired head back against the wall next to Izuku's and squeezed his hands together.

"Tell me everything from the start," Katsuki said in a hushed whisper, all the anger drained from his ragged voice. "Don't leave out a single detail, Izuku. Be fully honest with me so I can try to understand_._"

So Izuku did.

The words flowed out of his lungs as he told the story from the beginning.

With each shaky breath he shaped the story of how his life fell apart. He started with his first encounter with Touya all the way up until when he was shoved into a closet by the deceased redhead in Makinohara. He told how he attended all the funerals and how he tried to piece his broken life together they best he could. Then he explained the real reason he moved out of Yaizu was because he feared the Shigarakis so deeply.

When Izuku finished lying his soul bare, the space they were in was uncomfortably silent.

The quietness gripped the two lovers in the way a room sounded directly after a television was abruptly turned off. The small echoes of Izuku's story were left ringing in both their ears and Katsuki was rendered speechless.

It took the last drop of Izuku's courage to turn and face the quiet blond next to him.

Katsuki's eyes were streaming tears and his arms were crossed with a hand over his mouth in disbelief. Red eyes were studying the wall in front of them wide, trying to take in all he just heard.

"Izuku…" Katsuki's weak voice finally spoke after several long moments. "Fuck...Izuku..."

There was nothing more he could say about what he had just heard and it made Izuku's heart ache excruciatingly.

"I'm so sorry," the greenette cried, his nails sinking into his biceps as he held himself tighter. "I-I didn't know how to tell anyone," Izuku sobbed, hiccuping as he hung his head away in shame. "I never knew how to come out and explain everything. I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry, Katsuki."

Red eyes were still wide, and a pained expression washed over the elder man's face. The blond cursed under his breath at the severity of the situation.

"I never wanted to involve anyone," Izuku continued on in a weak voice. "Not you or even Toshinori. Especially not anyone at U.A. The Shigarakis—they scare me," the freckled man muttered truthfully as he stared down at his bandaged hand hiding his ugly burns. All the visions of blood, gunshots and screams raced into his mind again.

"They took everything I loved away from me and I've always been afraid that they're going to do it again," Izuku said as he squeezed his eyes shut. "I didn't want to lose you too."

Katsuki sucked a deep breath in before lifting himself up without a word. Izuku blinked up at him, confused. Tearful green eyes watched the man saunter into the kitchen with the file filled with all the darkness of Izuku's past.

The greenette hoisted himself up with his last bit of strength as he followed behind Katsuki's tense shoulders, scared of what he was going to do.

Red eyes looked at him with a sudden spark of deep resolve as he picked up the copy of the bomb blueprints in his hand.

"Just to be clear, Toshinori doesn't know about this, right?" Katsuki whispered and Izuku shook his head.

The green eyed man expected another berating, to be on the receiving end of Katsuki's rage, but was dumbstruck when the blond instead nodded in understanding. Red eyes turned their attention to the stove before Katsuki ignited it.

The Lieutenant placed the paper over the flames without an inkling of hesitation.

Izuku's mouth opened in disbelief as the orange fire took to the delicate paper and ate it steadily out of existence.

"_Katsuki—no._W-What are you doing?" Izuku said harshly as he stepped forward to stop the other, but another heated glare pinned his feet in place. Green eyes watched as the evidence curled and bent in Katsuki's hand and soon the elder officer was tossing it in the stainless-steel sink to burn up completely.

Then Katsuki did the exact same thing with the next paper in Izuku's file.

"I'm putting an end to all of this mess once and for all. This is done."

"Katsuki, _stop_—you shouldn't burn those—"

"—Shut up Izuku," the blond barked at him, eyes both furious and caring. "You spent the last four years expending yourself—you were _abused_ by fucking Touya and _exploited_by those drug lords to the point you have had _several_ metal break downs."

"But you shouldn't be burning evidence," Izuku reasoned, afraid of what might happen if this were to get out. "You could get in trouble and I just told you I don't want anyone involved anymore."

"This is my own choice and I'm involving myself," Katsuki pushed back as he began burning another paper. "They said they wanted to see you suffer—right? That's why you said they didn't kill you. Well, this is me giving them a _fuck you_. They don't get to win anymore. This is over if I have any control over it."

Izuku watched as each paper was scorched and all evidence of him being connected to AFO was incinerated down to nothing.

"I know the system isn't fair, Izuku. I'm not stupid," Katsuki said in a softer tone. He looked away as he continued disassembling the thick file. "The law isn't always fair when it comes down to who's a good person or who's a bad one. Decent people go to jail all the time. What good would sending you to jail do? Tell me, what _actual_ fucking good would come of it besides Shizuoka City losing one non-crooked officer who genuinely gives a fuck about his job?"

When Izuku couldn't answer, Katsuki continued.

"If this gets out and goes to court, the jury isn't going to see what we see," the lieutenant whispered sadly. Izuku hung his head because he knew it was true. Everything in their world was based around facts on paper. "If you get up on that stand, they're not going to see a complex, multilayer person. They're not going to see the stupidity self-sacrificing Deku I love who just wants to be a cop like his dad and an artist like his mom."

Katsuki ripped up more papers and lit them aflame.

"The public isn't going to see an orphan who lost his parents because the goddamn Shigarakis punished him for stopping a bombing. They're going to see you as someone who built a _deadly weapon_ for one of the most powerful drug lords in Japan and then covered it up for _four years_. I know it. _Toshinori knows it_. That's why he's fighting so hard to keep this shit buried. Don't you see? This isn't a grey area."

Red eyes looked towards him with deep concern and it was then that Izuku weighted the full gravity of everything coming to light. He had known it for a long time, but always ignored the ugly truth.

"You will go to _jail_ if any of this gets out," Katsuki rasped through his hoarse throat with tears in his eyes. "All you do is protect people, Izuku. You protected Touya. You protected your parents. You protected Yagi and Mirio. You protected _me_. You protect people every day you put on that badge. But you protect people to the point it's at your own fucking expense—_all the time._"

Katsuki turned away from him, shoulders strung tight with hurt as he picked up the last piece of evidence inside Izuku's red floor. It was a photo of him with Touya. Calloused hands gripped the picture tightly and Izuku could see resentment leak out of ruby colored eyes as Katsuki focused on Touya's face.

The blond held the photograph of the ex-lovers over the stove and watched with empty eyes as it torched at his hands.

Both officers stayed silent as they studied the very last piece of evidence tying Izuku to his past shrivel and curl up in the sink, leaving behind nothing.

It was then, when all that was left was ash, that Katsuki let out a shaky breath. He pushed himself away from the kitchen countertop and turned around towards Izuku.

The embers in his eyes were a full-blown fire.

"From now on we protect each other."

* * *

Thank you so much for reading and I please let me know what you think!


	23. Fireworks

Hello! :D Welcome back! I hope everyone is having a good time and staying during this pandemic. I bring you a nice 19.8k worth of fluff.

So without further ado, I present to you this fluffy drama filled chapter! It was inspired by the show "Little Fires Everywhere" that I recently finished and *loved*.

Please read warnings going forward for the themes if you are worried about such :)

**Warnings: Keeping up with the Bakugous, talk of past abuse, Mitsuki herself in this story just needs a warning. Adult smut scene. Light sub/dom themes during sex, use of sex toys and mild feminization of Izuku during said kinky sex scene.**

_Song: Hozier - Dinner and Diatribes_

* * *

**Chapter 22 - Fireworks**

.

.

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The silence after all the evidence was burned was unbearable to Izuku.

It was the type of silence that followed the destruction of a storm, or after an unsavory argument between two loved ones. It was a deafening quietness that pushed its way under the skin and stayed. This silence somehow became one of the loudest moments of Izuku's life.

The chemical smell of burnt paper and plastic hung in the air as Katsuki took his vow.

"_We protect each other."_

And after that, while Izuku listened to the static in the air, Katsuki took a deep breath. He pushed past him and went upstairs without looking back, but that's all Izuku could do. Look back. The greenette was unable to move his feet from the middle of the kitchen. They stayed planted like solid roots as his chest started to heave.

Trembling green eyes were wide with shock as he inspected the metallic sink that was seared with blackened burn spots and littered with dark colored remains of his past. It was gone. Everything was actually _gone_.

The concept almost didn't seem fathomable about living in fear for so long.

A small creak from the level above him pulled Izuku back to reality. _Katsuki_. He backed away slowly from the kitchen sink forcing himself to no longer look back. He left behind the ashes of his old life as he followed his boyfriend up the stairs of his apartment. The freckled man blinked once. Then blinked harder, trying to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. The moment felt like one of his strange dreams as he took each cautious step up the stairs until he was inside of Katsuki's bedroom.

Izuku waited, wondering if the moment would twist into something dark like it always did—if he would wake up and realize that he was still alone inside the hallway floor.

But it didn't happen. The moment stayed as still as the eye of a storm and it was very much real.

Katsuki's back was to him, and neither officer said a word as the night drew to a close. Izuku looked down to the ground when he heard the tiny footsteps of the small dog run past him. The small unnamed dog pawed at Katsuki's feet and gave a short whine asking for attention.

Izuku watched quietly. The blond looked down and gave an almost inaudible huff before pulling out a cluster of blankets and towels for the unnamed Shiba Inu. Katsuki placed her on top of the heap at the foot of the bed with the utmost care.

Izuku noted how kind Katsuki's hands were. How protective and loving they _always_ were. The tiny dog crawled inside of the ball of sheets with a wagging tail and closed her eyes yet again.

"Katsuki," Izuku whispered, feeling like something should be said. "Thank you. You didn't have to do that for me."

He studied both his lover and the nameless dog in silence, letting everything sink in. He struggled to grasp the concept of his past with AFO completely _gone_—by Katsuki's hands.

The lieutenant's shoulders stiffened at the words as he stood beside the large bed. Burning red eyes dragged their way to him with a serious expression before Katsuki began speaking in a low tone.

"Are there any more secrets, Izuku?" The tired lieutenant asked sternly, lips tight as the tension in the air. "I do _not_ want any more secrets between us from now on if this is going to work. Only honesty from here on out. I don't like _liars_."

The raw expression in the ruby colored eyes was both vulnerable and deeply hurt. Izuku nodded, a small tear escaping to run down his freckled cheek.

"That's it," his hoarse voice confessed. Izuku wringed his hands nervously. "There are no more secrets."

Katsuki nodded slowly as if he was accepting the words gradually. The blond haired man turned away and reached for the light switch with what looked like a heavy heart. The room was quickly engulfed in blackness, officially ending the day.

Izuku wanted to say more, to give a ramble about how much he loved the man in front of him and how eternally grateful he was. But the more he looked at the exhausted blond that was already stripping himself of his clothes and climbing in bed, Izuku kept his mouth sealed tight.

He was too afraid that the weight of his words might break that fragile moment between them.

As he took his place in the large bed that night, Izuku wondered what was turning inside of his lover's mind. The stewing blond didn't utter another word as he pulled Izuku in close and buried his face into the crook of the green eyed man's neck.

. . .

The following day, several investigations of the city-wide murders were launched. All of Shizuoka City's officers were trying to track down who was responsible for the bloodbath at Ground Alpha and if it was connected to the disturbing amount of deaths littered all the way from Yaizu to Shizuoka.

They attempted interrogating the Shigarakis, who were bound in the hospital in an unspeakable condition. Izuku remembered how strange it was seeing them so disfigured and maimed. He stood tall next to Tomura's hospital bed—their positions switched entirely from three years ago. It felt like a full circle of rightful karma.

But as he stayed silently stationed there, the father son criminal duo kept eyeing him with an underlying desperation. There was a consistent stream of salty tears in their eyes that almost worried Izuku. Their hands and feet were completely confined in casts and their mouths tongue-less. Their bodies spasmed with every move they tried to take, which told Izuku their condition was unimaginably painful.

Izuku noted their silence was uncomfortable as every U.A officer looked down at them, but all of his comrades' eyes were void of pity. Especially Katsuki's and Shouto's. The usual emotion filled red eyes of his lover were as cold as the chill that filled the air. Shouto broke his usual indifferent expression and Izuku saw all the resentment the youngest Todoroki held for them as well.

But for the first time in his life, the orphan actually wished Tomura could _speak_. He almost wished the ex-kingpin still possessed the deadly tongue that ordered to end his parents' lives so they could figure out what the hell _happened_.

But instead all they received was silence.

It was different from the uncomfortable silence he had experienced the night before with Katsuki. That silence was full of a powerful unspoken energy. This silence was scratchy and desperate as the Shigarakis tried to let out information that jumbled into indistinguishable mumbles.

Tomura's blood red eyes stayed narrowed in on Izuku the entire time and it made the greenette weary. He stood behind all the higher-ranking officers taking the lead and asking questions, but it seemed like Tomura didn't care about anything they were saying.

If someone were to ask Izuku his opinion, it almost seemed like Tomura was trying to warn _him _specifically of something.

But the more the tongueless men tried to speak, neither Shigaraki could form a single word. Nothing of significance was given. Only silence.

The Shigarakis' deadly chapter officially closed when they were immediately charged with endless accounts of first-degree murder, drug distributing, lethal weapon smuggling and everything in between.

Izuku had no doubts they would be sentenced to capital punishment.

The following day, when more reports and witnesses came in, all fingers pointed towards both Dabi and the mysterious man named Nine.

"They said they were starting their own gang and were recruiting," one witness had sobbed into the interrogation room after the Ground Alpha red dawn.

The witness was a young woman who had been in the V.I.P section at Yotsubashi's party. Izuku remembered her from the way she complimented his freckles while he was sitting on Dabi's lap. She and several others were inside of the cars that were on their way to Yotsubashi's headquarters that Monoma's crew arrested. Before the Dabi isolated their car and led the kingpin straight to his death.

"I was supposed to be one of the members in their new gang, but I had no clue they were planning on eradicating everyone who wasn't." The witness whispered this while her hands shook in the silver cuffs. "They killed my friends…"

Her brown eyes were large and full of regret and the innocent air around her was most deceiving. But it didn't stop her from being charged with several criminal accounts such as past homicide and assault with a deadly weapon when they got the case file of her full involvement with the gangs.

Izuku felt a tinge of pity for her in the depths of his stomach as he watched behind the one-way mirror with Katsuki and Monoma. Neither lieutenant seemed to have the same bleeding heart as him, as they observed with stone cold expressions.

It made Izuku wonder if he would ever be able to detach his feelings from his work like them when he grew older.

Sitting inside the interrogation room was Kirishima and Denki. They were the ones inside questioning all the witnesses with well-rested expressions on their faces.

"Where do you think they went?" Kirishima asked the witness with his kind eyes. He was always able to pull the truth out by his approachable personality. "If you could give us any clues or hints to where they might be, it would be extremely useful to make sure they don't do this again."

"Dabi did mention something about setting up a new headquarters," she whispered from her trembling lips, eyes not looking up from the silver table. "I can't remember exactly where but it's not in Shizuoka City or Yaizu. If everything went well, they would give the information to those who made the cut—but...I'm here."

Katsuki cursed loudly from beside him at the dead-end.

The young commander threw his hand up and raked it through his ash blond spikes before exiting the small room in frustration.

Monoma cut his eye at the retreating Katsuki and Izuku didn't miss how the other lieutenant's blue eyes narrowed dangerously. It evoked Izuku's memory of the strange interaction between them as he eyed the puzzle piece bracelet on his wrist.

After investigating all possible witnesses, the only headway they were given was that Dabi and Nine were the new and 'improved' kingpins of the _entire_lower Shizuoka province. Apparently Dabi promised to double raises, give more power and to treat all gang members fairly unlike the previous two kingpins. Everyone who joined his side went willingly unlike the Shigarakis' method of recruitment by blackmail and fear.

"A regular fucking messiah," Katsuki sarcastically grumbled after they finished interviewing the last possible witnesses.

"Well, on the bright side, if they took half of the Shigarakis' members and half of Yotsubashi's, then really they minimized the threat level of gangs?" Denki suggested with a sympathetic look in the break room while they were all gathered around.

"Yeah, kind of like when you cut two really rich cakes in half and put one of each half together and eat the rest! We only have to worry about fifty percent now!" Kirishima agreed, trying to loosen up the tension.

Izuku wearily eyed the stern looking Momo, Shouto, Iida and Katsuki. None of them seemed to be thinking on the upside as they sipped pensively on their coffees.

"But ultimately that means they have twice the reach," Momo muttered while she tapped her manicure nail on her chin. "Before all of this, AFO and Yotsubashi were opposing forces. They kept each other confined within their cities. Now Dabi and Nine have free range over both Yaizu and Shizuoka."

"Which makes them twice as lethal," Katsuki grumbled as he sunk into his chair. "They're just smaller but Dabi officially has two full gang territories to his name."

The tension rolled off the young lieutenant in waves. Izuku could easily sense Katsuki was stressed and he was still wading in the undefined silence from the night of the confrontation.

Izuku tried to give an understanding expression through his large, green eyes as he reached for Katsuki's hand under the table. The freckled detective loosely intertwined their fingers and pulled Katsuki's mind out of whatever drain his thoughts were circling. Red eyes turned towards him and Katsuki gave a small smile in return before fully interlacing their hands together.

The curly haired man offered a small squeeze of reassurance through their hands as they looked at each other without speaking. Izuku could tell Katsuki was saying more than he could ever with words. Seeing Katsuki's smile after the nightmarish day was like a lighthouse in the middle of night at sea.

Izuku was grateful to bear witness to the handsome expression and it made him hold Katsuki's hand tighter.

. . .

Later that day, Izuku was able to get the all-too-calm Shouto alone. Izuku skated around him nervously, wondering what he could possibly think of him after seeing his file. But every time they interacted, Shouto only graced him with smiles like nothing had happened.

But Izuku knew better. Shouto was a polite person at the end of the day and he came from a family that was notorious for saving face.

Izuku quietly asked him to go on a lunch run with him. He proposed that they could purchase a heap of baked goodies for the team to lift everyone's spirits after such a morbid three days. Shouto agreed to this, saying that a 'pick me up' was the right way to go in this instance.

They put on their coats and headed out of the station side by side. At first neither officer said anything, and Izuku half expected it to stay that way: them wading in nothingness.

But as he watched the snow crunch beneath their boots and all the different families of Shizuoka City passed them by, Izuku broke the silence without looking at Shouto's face.

"I...I know you found my file," he began awkwardly, his hands nervously clenched and unclenched in his blue coat's pockets. "Katsuki told me you were the one who saw it first."

Shouto glanced at him as if he expected the topic to be brought up but didn't reply.

"I'm sure you must think differently of me like he does now," Izuku supplied in the emptiness between them. "I-I told Katsuki the full story, if you want to hear it too, I can repeat it. I swear I'm not that person on paper."

There was a trickle of sympathy within Shouto's mismatched eyes that Izuku missed.

"I know," the older officer whispered softly. "If I thought you were that person, I wouldn't have brought it to Bakugou's attention first to try to get the situation clarified."

Izuku turned to the other man next to him surprised at the calm attitude. There was another long pause as the youngest Todoroki licked his dry lips. Shouto's eyes skirted around as if he was still trying to process everything.

"I honestly didn't know what to think at first," he continued. "I assumed maybe Toshinori was making me bring the files up to try to pull the information about your anonymous tip and keep it anonymous...but curiosity got the better of me when the file felt thicker than just a single page. When I looked inside that folder I was stunned. _Shocked_. Frightened even. But it flashed me back to when Touya assaulted me. Bakugou, he got a taste of Touya's anger—but he never was the subject of Touya's unhinged _rage_."

Shouto took a long pause and Izuku eyed the large burn on the other young man's face. The freckled burn victim wondered what it was like to have that type of reminder so plainly displayed for the world to see.

He looked down at his own hand and was oddly thankful he could cover up his scars.

"When I saw that photograph of your face beaten up while you were standing next to Touya, I could see the fear in your eyes...I recognized it," Shouto whispered while looking down at the snow-covered sidewalk. He made a pained face. "Fear and love are never a good combination. I can only imagine you making that bomb was the result of those two emotions clashing and giving birth to desperation.

"After seeing that, I didn't want to possibly expose you before sorting things out and finding out if there was more to the story," Shouto confessed. "I figured while I did feel sympathy for you, I should still take precautions. I assumed the person who knew you best would be Bakugou and thought maybe he knew more than I did—but…"

"...He didn't," Izuku supplied when Shouto grimaced and was unable to finish his sentence. "I'm _so_ sorry for not saying anything sooner. I should've said something—"

"—It's okay," Shouto hushed him. "I don't need you to relive your past and explain my own brother's destructive firestorm to me. Frankly, I just want to bury Touya as a whole at this point. I got the closure I needed, however disappointing it was to hear. You're not the only one that's ready to move forward and put this all behind them."

"Thank you for understanding, Shouto." Izuku tried to smile and was relieved when it was returned back to him.

"No problem at all, Izuku. I can imagine why you didn't want to bring _that_ up. Anything relating to Touya is always so..._messy_." Shouto sighed. "I already have to deal with the aftermath of him every New Year when my family gets together. By this time next week, I'll be in the middle of my father ignoring the fact Touya existed and witnessing my mother grieve in the backyard because she feels like she can't express her hurt in front of my father."

"I'm sorry," Izuku whispered with a frown. "That's not how the holidays should be spent."

Shouto only shrugged. "You can't choose family."

The taller detective gave a strained expression and patted Izuku on the back when the green-eyed man shot him a concerned look. Izuku pursed his lips at that last statement as he thought about how loving and lively his parents were during the holidays. It was always an enjoyable time of the year for him—but he supposed not everyone was lucky enough to have that luxury growing up.

"So, what's your favorite flavor doughnut? You seem like the chocolate type," Shouto laughed as he changed the subject.

"You hit the nail on the head," Izuku chuckled back. He took the small hint to drop the subject and move on. "Would you want to grab boba too? My treat!"

They continued to go purchase baked goods from the local market and while there, Izuku made sure to spend extra on purchasing a secret stash of Katsuki's favorites dessert as a treat for later. When Izuku presented him the bag full of namagashi to his boyfriend, the ash blond grinned at him gratefully and kissed him on the cheek.

A full week went by with the New Year closing in tight. Colorful decorations were put up all around the precinct and the air filled with everyone talking about their families.

Izuku learned Iida had an older brother who was a captain of another precinct in Shizuoka City. Police work ran deep in their blood and it made Izuku smile. The green eyed man also learned that Ochaco worked as hard as she did to provide for her parents because she was trying to put a new roof over their heads. Denki apparently had enough cousins to start a baseball team while Kirishima and Mina were trying to figure out how to invite both of their families to their first shared New Year's as a newlywed couple.

Everyone was talking and gushing about their families the closer it got to New Year's, but Katsuki stayed silent. His shoulders were stiff, and every mention of the nearing New Year seemed to make him uneasy in his own skin.

During this week, Katsuki was unnaturally quiet.

He wanted to walk the dog alone, bought dog food, a leash and a collar. He did all these kind things—but he did it almost without a word save a couple small, sweet exchanges.

One evening when Katsuki prompted that he was going to go walk the still nameless dog, Izuku offered to come with him. He could sense some stiffness in Katsuki, but the blond didn't brush him aside this time. They walked wordlessly around the neighborhood park before Izuku spoke up.

"You're being quieter than usual," Izuku prodded carefully. He eyed how Katsuki's gloved hand held on tightly to the red leash attached to the puppy as she walked around the sidewalk. Katsuki's crimson colored eyes stayed gazed downwards at the small animal lightly pacing in front of them.

"I'm a man of many things," Katsuki grumbled with a shrug. "I don't always yell."

Izuku pursed his lips before bumping his boyfriend's shoulder lightly with his own. "I know...but is everything alright? Nothing is bothering you, is it?"

Katsuki didn't answer except with a sigh as he stopped his pace completely.

Izuku worried as the blond looked everywhere _but_ him before slowly walking off to the side. The tall man took a seat on a small wooden bench with his back hunched. All of Izuku's thoughts started to spiral with his anxieties as he studied his boyfriend's deep frown lines. They were etched with a story of worry that Izuku couldn't pinpoint—except for it being one thing.

His heart twisted wondering if Katsuki was considering that burning his file had been a mistake.

Izuku felt his throat run dry at the thought. What if Katsuki was going to say something to everyone? He had every right to. Katsuki had a spotless reputation and he just tarnished it for Izuku.

"Katsuki…" he began slowly, his heart thudded loudly in his chest. Izuku took a seat next to his boyfriend whose eyes were still troubling distant. "A-Are you rethinking what you did because I understand—"

"—Kami, _no_," the elder man quickly hissed out. Katsuki looked over his shoulder quickly before turning back to Izuku with a soft look in his eye and lowered his voice. "Of course not. I will never fucking regret _that_ so don't talk about it out loud in public. I meant what I said: we protect each other because you're worth protecting, okay?"

Izuku's anxieties slowly diminished and he softly murmured a quiet "okay" under his breath, but it didn't stop the unease that was stirring inside of his chest. The more he looked upon the other male, whose thoughts seemed to be tied up elsewhere, he still could sense something was wrong.

Katsuki lifted a hand and awkwardly rubbed the nape of his neck before he continued on.

"That's not the reason I've been so..._off._ I just get in my own head this time of year, alright? Nothing to do with you."

"What's wrong with this time of year?" Izuku asked, puzzled. He glanced around at the beautiful trees that were lit up in bright white lights and coated in soft sparkling snow. "Do you not like fairy lights?"

Katsuki shook his head. "No, I have to deal with my goddamn parents."

_Oh_.

"Oh is right," Katsuki replied to the word Izuku didn't even realize he said out loud. "I have to head to Tokyo for New Year's soon and I guess I'm just never happy about going because it's always so fucking stupid."

Izuku stayed silently pensive as he thought about what Katsuki told him about his parents. More specifically, he thought about what Katsuki said about his mother hitting him frequently, the benches he would sleep on, and how his father stayed passive towards the clearly uneven power in the household.

He quickly decided he didn't want Katsuki to be near that.

"Do you have to go?" Izuku treaded lightly.

"Well, I've never _not_ gone," Katsuki said in a noncommittal voice. "It's the only thing that keeps them pacified and plus I like seeing my two older cousins above everything. It's always nice to catch up with them at the holiday party but dealing with verbal jabs from my parents all night is really…"

Katsuki stopped, unable to find the words. In the silence, Izuku listed a couple in his own words inside his mind based on the sparse stories he had been told.

Rough. Unwanted. _Painful_.

"...it's just not fun y'know?" Katsuki finally settled on. "No matter how much I mentally prepare for this, twelve months in between still doesn't feel like enough."

"I get it," Izuku nodded, hand lifting to rub the elder man on the back. He looked into the saddened red eyes that were conveying all the words Katsuki couldn't muster. "You don't have to explain anymore, okay? I completely get it. If you want I can watch the dog for you while you're gone. I'll even pick up an extra shift at the station to keep busy."

"Well...about that." At this Katsuki sucked in his lips and strummed his hands against his knee before averting his eyes down at the puppy at their feet. He reached down to scratch under her chin before tilting his head cautiously. "I was hoping you'd come with me to Tokyo...to spend New Year's together as a couple."

"W-What?" Izuku stuttered out, eyes widened. "Like you want me to come to _Tokyo_ to meet your _family_?

"Yeah," Katsuki muttered and picked up the dog to set in his lap. "I was debating on asking you after the undercover operation was finished, but things got out of hand and I never got around to thinking about it again."

"I see." Izuku nodded absently.

His mind wrapped around possibly meeting Katsuki's family. Specifically meeting the man's parents. His overactive imagination immediately supplied him the imagery of a bunch of loud blond haired people in the room arguing over desserts and spicy food.

Izuku took a deep breath in.

"I realized it would mean a lot to have you there with me during the New Year. I really want to do something special together," Katsuki confessed softly in a voice that Izuku never heard him use before. It was gentle, and almost afraid. The subtle shift in tone made Izuku pause and carefully assess all the hesitation inside of Katsuki's body language.

"But if you say no I understand. I'm still on the fence of letting you into that hurricane of dysfunction that clearly runs in my goddamn genes."

_Ah—there it is._

Katsuki was afraid his family would scare off Izuku. The mere thought made Izuku laugh lightly and shuffled in closer on the taller man. He wrapped his arms around the tense blond's waist tightly and rested his chin on Katsuki's shoulder.

"I would _never_ judge you based on your family," Izuku reassured, giving a small sweet smile that seemed to give some sort of comfort to the blond. "But I would _love_ to spend the New Year with you, Kacchan. I like the idea of us bringing in the New Year together. It would be a great symbolism for new beginnings."

Katsuki's head whirled around, eyes wide as if he was floored.

"_Really_?" he exclaimed, clearly taken aback. "Well, if that's the case, then I guess, cool."

"Yup, _cool_. Meeting the Kacchans." Izuku joked with a grin and Katsuki let out a deep chuckle. "Would we stay with your parents?"

"Absolutely fucking _not_." Katsuki 'tsk'd lightly and rolled his eyes. "I haven't slept at my parents' since I was nineteen after my mom kicked my ass out for good. We would stay with my cousin Miruko. She has a really nice private pool house she lets me come drop in every time I'm in the city."

"I like that idea. I can't wait to spend the holiday with you," Izuku said with joy in his voice as he gave a quick kiss to Katsuki's cheek. When he leaned back the small puppy in the blond's lap reached up while wagging its tail licking the spot Izuku had just kissed.

Katsuki smirked happily, all the earlier tension melting away. Izuku grinned as he reached forward and nuzzled his nose against the small nose of the Shiba Inu and received several loving licks in return.

"And we can bring the baby along!" Izuku exclaimed, giving several more cuddles and kisses in a high-pitched voice. "You are a baby, aren't you? The cutest in the world!"

"Stop talking to the damn dog like that," Katsuki laughed, pinching Izuku's cheek playfully. "You're gonna confuse the shit out of her when you start speaking in your normal grown ass man voice."

"If that's the case then stop referring to her as '_the damn dog_.' She's going to actually start thinking that _is_ her name," Izuku teased and coddled the tiny animal more. "Kacchan is going to confuse you, isn't he baby?"

"Well, speaking of, 'baby' needs a name. What should we name her?" Katsuki pointed out.

Izuku smiled at the topic finally being brought up after they skated around it for so long. "I like the name Mao!"

Katsuki shook his head immediately. "Naw. Too much like bao."

"How about Bao? That's kind of cute," Izuku tried but Katsuki scrunched his nose up at the name.

"I would rather not be misled when you call out for 'Bao' during dinner time only to find you are in fact, not announcing you're cooking baos."

"Well...Mei? I always liked that name."

"No, Mina has a cousin named Mei," Katsuki grumbled under his breath and made an exasperated expression. "A lot of fucking pink in that family."

"Um, what about Akita?"

"Akita is a type of dog you nerd. How would that look? We named our Shiba Inu another breed of dog? _Next_."

Izuku made a fed-up face and elbowed the elder man next to him. "Okay, what do you have in mind then, Kacchan? Since you don't seem to like my names."

There was a long pause as Katsuki assessed the creature in his arms. Izuku watched how the usually hard, sharp expression in his eyes melted into something affectionate before Katsuki's lips curled up like he had an idea.

"How about Akira," Katsuki suggested with an adoring gaze. "For bright. She has a really warm, bright personality like you."

"That's so sweet of you," Izuku said as his smile blossomed larger across his face. Katsuki shifted his gaze to meet him and the same adoring look stayed. Izuku felt his heart clench. "Okay. Akira it is."

"Perfect," Katsuki grinned excited. "It's me, you and Akira next weekend in Tokyo, dork."

"I'm kind of nervous," Izuku admitted with a flushed face.

He considered meeting all of the people who shaped Katsuki and hoped it wasn't as chaotic as he thought it would be. In the middle of this train of thought, his lover pulled him in tight and held his hand securely with a confident smirk.

"Don't worry. Just be yourself and I'm sure all the people who matter will like you. You have nothing to be nervous about."

. . .

He had everything to be nervous about. Why on earth would Kacchan say he didn't?

When they had gotten back to the apartment, Katsuki casually mentioned where his family lived. Toranomon. His family lived in goddamn _Toranomon_—one of the top wealthiest places in the already expensive city of Tokyo. Which only meant one thing: the Bakugous had money.

Izuku had looked around Katsuki's luxury apartment that night and felt stupid when he considered everything. The lavish furniture. A two-floor condo. He built an entire art studio in his home office. Of _course_ the man had a fall back of some mysterious amount of yen—it made so much sense now.

"You're overreacting," Katsuki had told Izuku as the greenette frantically searched through their closet to pick out an outfit. "Only some of my family members are uppity but the majority of them are not like that. Hey, _I'm_ not fucking like that. We're only well off because my family has been playing the stock market game since World War I. We're not famous or some shit."

"Kacchan, I cannot walk into Toranomon wearing my raggedy artist's clothes!" Izuku hissed back, throwing another one of his favorite cardigans over his shoulder as he sifted through his belongings before letting out a frustrated, defeated sigh. "Why does everything I own have some sort of paint stain on it?"

"Because you're an artist and you don't care about superficial shit. Which is something I love about you." Katsuki let out a deep chuckle before getting up to hug Izuku's waist from behind. "How about we go shopping tomorrow. Would that make you feel better?"

"Y-Yeah," Izuku nodded and Katsuki smirked before bending slightly to lay a sweet kiss against Izuku's cheek.

They went shopping and picked out new clothes to ease Izuku's anxieties and settled on an olive-green cowl neck sweater and black jeans with brown dress shoes. Katsuki claimed it was acceptable and tried to get Izuku to loosen up some, but it didn't stop the hospitality wired Midoriya from baking a plate of blue and pink uiro-mochi for everyone.

When they got on the train with food and Akira, Katsuki dressed in his usual sleek attire: a red shirt that was undone by a single button while still being neatly tucked into a black leather belt. His black matching dress shoes didn't have a single scruff on them and there was a large expensive silver and gold Rolex shining bright on his wrist that Izuku had never seen before.

On the ride over Katsuki talked about small rules and gave him little tidbits about the family.

His eldest cousin Rumi, who liked to be called Miruko, was one of Tokyo's top criminal prosecutor attorneys. She was thirty two and at the peak of her career but Katsuki was positive she was just getting warmed up.

His other cousin, Keigo was closer in age. He was a year older than him and currently was being considered for a captain's position at one of the downtown precincts in Tokyo. Katsuki raved about how in a couple given years he was sure the man would become Chief of Police of Tokyo.

The condo complex they arrived at was stunning. It was a tall glass building that had wealthy people coming in and out and it just screamed _wealth_.

Izuku nervously fiddled with the two plates full of food in his hand while he noted how Katsuki bent down to pick up Akira once they reached the clean lobby of the complex. Izuku smiled at the small animal whose big doe eyes were looking at Katsuki like he was the world._ Same, Akira. Same._

The doorman seemed to recognize Katsuki without needing ID and greeted him properly as 'Mr. Bakugou'. His boyfriend just gave a friendly small nod to the elder man sitting behind the sleek, white desk. Katsuki handed the man their overnight bags and requested they be sent over to Miruko's home because _apparently_ that was a thing.

They rode up the elevator and with each 'ding' of a new floor, Izuku could sense the tension in Katsuki's shoulders coming back. When they arrived at the door, Izuku wondered what it was like growing up in a large condo complex like this. It was so different from the small, modest house he grew up in.

But when the door answered after a single swift knock, Izuku didn't have to wonder too much longer.

The door swung open and immediately Izuku was greeted by a tall, blonde woman in a blue cashmere cardigan and red skirt. Her striking fire eyes were the same _exact_ shade as his lover's as was her hair. Standing directly next to her was a tall man who seemed tired. He had medium brown hair, glasses and a pink flush gently across his face that suggested he was already a couple of alcohol glasses into the evening.

"Katsuki. This is a surprise, you actually showed up on time," the blond woman commented, eyes raking Izuku up and down before making a point to ignore him. Izuku froze when it seemed like she assessed all that she needed to. "And you brought a guest that's not Takeyama?"

The smile on Izuku's face faltered momentarily before bouncing back. Yup. This had to be Mitsuki.

_Thank Kami I know how to fake a smile, _Izuku thought sarcastically to himself when Katsuki huffed from beside him.

"Well hello to you too," Katsuki grumbled before he stepped forward and pushed his way in. Izuku gave a polite smile that was only returned by the brunette man as he followed inside as well. There, he could hear a roar of laughter, joy and what sounded like a village of people inside.

It took all Izuku had to stop himself from gasping out loud at how gorgeous the interior of the condo was. Katsuki's parents' home was _huge_.

If he hadn't been informed, he wouldn't have guessed that _this_ was a family party. The condo looked like some casual fundraiser event with all the well-dressed guests and black & white suited caterers stationed around. The waiters served wine and hors d'oeuvres on silver platters with plastic smiles. Velvet red curtains were hung with white decorative lights on the wall and off in the corner of what Izuku presumed to be the dining area were three long tables.

The high-rise condo was far larger as his cozy childhood home, but it looked so _sterile_ of life in comparison.

While his parents' home was filled with art and signs of living—here, there was close to none. It was the classic minimalistic luxury set up and it felt like it was the perfect stage for hosting large, classy parties like the one happening. It appeared to look exactly like the condos Izuku always saw in magazines and it was picture perfect.

Almost a little too perfect. It felt...lifeless.

"Also, why the hell would I bring her? We've been broken up for four years," Katsuki muttered to the pair of adults standing at the door. Izuku presumed them to be his boyfriend's parents the longer he looked. Katsuki resembled the blonde woman down to the last strand of light blond hair on his head.

The fiery looking woman shifted in an irritated fashion before taking a sip of her white wine. She looked at Katsuki with a hint of resentment in her eyes at the short tone the young man took with her.

"I started to like her, and I figured you two might have worked things out like goddamn adults when she went to visit you in Shizuoka City not too long ago." She paused to drag her eyes to Izuku who smiled awkwardly. "But I guess clearly not."

Izuku felt himself grow steadily more and more uncomfortable the longer her knife-like gaze rested on him. What the hell was he supposed to say to that? Or do with that type of greeting for that matter? Should he apologize for not being some pushy, tall blonde woman—

—_oh_.

"Mom, dad, this is Midoriya Izuku and our dog Akira," Katsuki introduced finally as he set down the puppy. "We've been dating the past few months."

Both of their eyes widened and Izuku gave another taut friendly wave when he clicked the pieces together of why Katsuki might've fallen into dating someone like Takeyama. Someone who didn't listen to what he said, subtly pushed him around, and always insisted she knew better for his life.

Katsuki's father gave Izuku a sincere smile and tried to speak up but Mitsuki spoke over him. Her face scrunched in scrutiny.

"Since when the hell do you like men?" She questioned.

"Since when did you give a shit?"

The tension in the air prickled all four adults' skin as they stood awkwardly at the entrance way. Izuku cleared his throat before extending his hand as he tried to muster all the courage he had in his body.

"I-It's so nice to meet you both!" He greeted them quickly to change the subject. He was not about to be in the middle of _that_ conversation. "I've heard so much about you and I'm very grateful to be here for New Years with you all."

"Nice to meet you, Izuku. I'm glad to see Katsuki dating after so long," Katsuki's father spoke up over the flustered blonde haired woman. He gave a neutral smile and shook Izuku's hand with a loose grip. "I was beginning to think he just would never put himself back on the market again but it's nice to know he's actually dating a presentable young man. My name is Masaru and this is my wife Mitsuki."

"Lovely names to match such a lovely home. I really adore the decorations and everything," Izuku complimented. It seemed to make headway with Masaru who gave him a hearty fatherly laugh but Mitsuki still seemed to be fuming. Izuku idly fidgeted with the plate of uiro-mochi in his hands before extending it politely to Mitsuki in hopes of cordiality.

"I made desserts for everyone! Katsuki mentioned your favorites were uiro-mochi."

Mitsuki frowned at the saran wrapped blue plate and turned to Masaru who winced.

"Did he just hand me dishes?" She harshly whispered directly in front of Izuku to her husband. Izuku stiffened in place at his mistake when she turned back around to him with a false smile. "You can set them down in the kitchen and remember to take your shoes off before you go inside since people need to remind you of manners."

And with that she walked away, and Masaru gave an apologetic smile, but followed behind her loyally.

"Ignore her," Katsuki grumbled as they both took their shoes off. "She's always like this for new guests. Should've seen the way she acted when my cousin Keigo brought his first girlfriend to the holiday party. This is her being fucking _pleasant_."

Izuku felt himself frown. If _that_ was Mitsuki's pleasant side, he didn't want to fathom the idea of what it was like to actually piss her off—or what that really meant for Katsuki's childhood.

"And how did that girlfriend fair?" Izuku asked quietly as he watched the two Bakugous go back into the crowd to mingle with all the well dressed guests.

"She ran for the hills. Broke up with him the next day," Katsuki muttered with a wince and Izuku stiffened.

"Well that's reassuring," Izuku sarcastically laughed to cover up his discomfort. The kind red eyes of his boyfriend looked at him in a reassuring manner before reaching down to grab his hand.

"Thank you for coming again, I know she's not the most welcoming, but you being here makes this shit a little more palatable. I'm sorry if it puts you in any discomfort."

Izuku shook his head and squeezed the hand in his tightly. "It's fine. Anything for you."

"Here, follow me and I'll show you where the kitchen and everything else is. I have two little cousins, Mahoro and Katsuma, who will go ape shit to play with Akira."

. . .

Katsuki told him he'd be right back off after being dragged away by said little cousins. The tiny children were busting with energy at the sight of the dog and were far more than eager to play with Akira.

Izuku smiled and nodded at his boyfriend but when Katsuki walked away with the two kids, Izuku quickly stopped one of the caterers for a glass of red wine to cool down.

The large room somehow felt suffocating and tight. Blond people were everywhere—he was right. That recessive gene was somehow dominant in this family and it seemed like the assertive behavior was just as heredity.

As he walked around by himself Izuku grew hot beneath the collar under his stuffy sweater as he thought about the exchange.

He took a long swig of his drink because _holy shit_ Katsuki's demeanor made a lot of sense now if _this_ was his family. Everyone was loud, lively and they seemed to quietly carry the fact they had wealth versus bolstering it about like others Izuku had seen with others. Katsuki made sense. He _had_ to be assertive in this family if he wanted to get any word in.

As the freckled guest wandered through the crowd, he idly gazed upon at the pictures on the wall. Then suddenly a small hand tapped him on the shoulder. Izuku turned around slightly afraid it was his boyfriend's mother again, but instead kind red eyes awaited him versus judgmental ones.

Standing behind him was a woman who radiated the definition of _energy_. Her striking light-colored hair contrasted against her dark skin like the morning and night skies while her smirk was the same as Katsuki's. She was dressed in a crisp white dress that was almost the same color as her platinum blonde hair and her golden jewelry and makeup were flawlessly classy.

"Hey there, I'm Miruko, Katsuki's cousin and you must be _Izuku_," the assertive platinum blonde woman greeted. "So glad you could come out for our holiday party! I heard you met our beloved Mitsuki."

At the familiar name 'Miruko' Izuku brightened up. Relief flooded into his body as he laughed.

"Yeah, I sure did. It's so nice to meet you, Miruko. I heard a lot about you on the train ride here," Izuku said through a smile as he shook her hand. "Katsuki is your biggest fan with you being such a quote, unquote, 'badass prosecutor.'"

"Ignore that, he hypes me up way too much," Miruko laughed and waved her hand dismissively. "But Katsuki and I are pretty tight. It's always been that way growing up. He stayed with me a lot when he was in college off and on."

"I would love to hear those stories," Izuku joked but Miruko continued on to greet him like an old friend.

Izuku listened on as she conversed with him casually, painting vivid pictures in his head of stories about growing up with Katsuki. Izuku couldn't help but smile when he heard them because they one hundred percent sounded exactly like the workaholic lieutenant he knew: assertive, commanding, puzzle obsessed.

Izuku chatted back and forth with Miruko as they wandered around the large room but the more Izuku looked around at all the photos, he only saw pictures of other people. Sure, there were a lot of Masaru and Mitsuki together, but he could barely find one of Katsuki.

Then when he did—it was sitting alone above the mantle off to the side.

The frame was old and clearly looked as if it hadn't been changed in _years_. It shocked Izuku how the photograph was covered in dust like it was deliberately forgotten in comparison to the other pictures that didn't have a speck of dust anywhere on them.

Sitting inside the cracked frame was a small picture of Katsuki around the age of five, smiling brightly on the beach. In his tiny hands was an action figure from a comic book series Izuku knew himself to be obsessed with too at a young age.

As Izuku examined the dust gathered around it quietly, Miruko glanced between the greenette and the small photo.

"Something on your mind?" She asked quietly.

Izuku opened his mouth before finding himself unable to voice exactly what he wanted to say. How does someone ask why is the only photograph of Katsuki in his own parents' home the one covered in a visible blanket of dust?

"There's...not that many photos of Katsuki," he settled on. "I was expecting a bit more for someone who is an only child when I saw how many frames were hanging on the wall."

"Ah. Well, the simple answer to that is Mitsuki never wanted to have kids. Or at least that's what my mother says," Miruko whispered to him and something vulnerable bled into her red eyes. "My mom told me Mitsuki always claimed she was going to be that aunt who was childless and traveled and thrived in her career. But when she got pregnant in college and told everyone she was going to have an abortion, my grandparents wouldn't let her."

_She never wanted Katsuki. _

Izuku frowned and peeled his eyes away from the photo of Katsuki on the garnet mantle.

"If she really didn't want to raise a kid, why not just give Katsuki up for adoption?" Izuku whispered, but Miruko just shook her head.

"Also wasn't exactly an option." Miruko winced. "Katsuki and I's grandparents were _very_ wealthy to say the least. While we both make six figures, that inheritance is how Katsuki afforded that condo in Shizuoka City and how I have the really nice house that I own. Katsuki actually got a rather large chuck of their will to his name when he turned twenty one."

"I honestly never would have guessed; he stays very humble about it."

"Katsuki isn't the type to gloat about his bank account or buy ultra-lavish things. Our grandparents ironically served on the board of several adoption boards and charities for women's right to choose, but they believed those were options for people who were less fortunate than they were and didn't have any other choice _but_ to abort or couldn't afford to keep the child."

"And old money has endless resources at its disposal." Izuku clicked his tongue when it started to make sense. The truth was bitter, and it made Izuku feel queasy.

"Bingo," Miruko laughed sarcastically and sipped slowly on her own glass of rosé wine. "Mitsuki was _their_ daughter. She had the means to raise a child and they claimed they would help. So they pressured her into having Katsuki and getting married to Masaru. Y'know, make it _right _or whatever. Then they unfortunately passed away when Katsuki was around five leaving Mitsuki to just resent the choices she was pressured into it."

Green eyes flickered back to the forgotten photograph of Katsuki at around that same age.

"Does Katsuki know all of that?" Izuku asked because he sure as hell hoped Katsuki didn't. He thought more about the idea of someone growing up knowing their parents didn't want them and felt pained for his lover.

Miruko looked down at the small ripple in her wine as a wave of pensive silence enveloped them.

"I don't know," she admitted after a few short moments. "It's one of those taboo things families like ours don't talk about."

Izuku knitted his brows together at the answer. His heart started to ache the longer he stared at the dust riddled picture of young Katsuki. It translated how unwanted he seemed in the cold, large space. Izuku was about to pry for more information when suddenly a quick blur of red and blond rushed towards him and wrapped a strong arm around his waist from behind.

"Hey, sorry about that, I'm back," Katsuki rushed out, giving Izuku a delicate kiss to his temple. "The damn brats were holding me hostage and then I kept getting stopped by fucking _everyone_ on the way over here."

"It's alright, I had really nice company," Izuku reassured and lifted his free hand to wrap around Katsuki's waist from the back as well. He couldn't help but pull the tall blond in close after what he just heard. Katsuki smirked at Miruko with his signature handsome look and gave a chuckle.

"Miruko is the best company there is," Katsuki grinned and the platinum blonde woman gave Katsuki a loving smile. She threw Izuku a quick knowing glance when suddenly another blond man of slender build came up behind Izuku.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my favorite duo," the newcomer's deep raspy voice laughed as he took a spot standing between Miruko and Katsuki. Izuku turned around to see a man a couple inches short of Katsuki's height enter into their circle.

His casual outfit perfectly matched the relaxed and laid-back air he exuded. It stood out against all the upscale formal wear that the others were wearing. He was dressed in a simple short sleeved black shirt that was tucked into his dark colored dress pants with a golden bird necklace around his pale neck. This outfit heightened his sharp combination of gold and black winged eyeliner that accentuated his dark golden blond hair and eyes.

"You guys haven't started another brawl yet, have you?" The golden eyed man teased. "Because I would _pay_ for a repeat of last year. That shit was amazing to see Miruko try to fight that snobby hedge fund manager who tried to come for Katsuki's manners."

"Izuku, this is Keigo. Or otherwise known as 'Hawks' in the family for his weird ass obsession with birds. He's the other cousin I was telling you about, the one in law enforcement like we are," Katsuki filled in while rolling his eyes playfully.

The young detective's eyes lit up at meeting another policeman as he extended his hand out to Keigo. "Oh! So great to meet another officer. I heard a lot of great things about you."

"So nice to meet you too!" Keigo grinned mischievously as he shook Izuku's hand. Izuku took a sip of his wine when Keigo turned around to Katsuki with a glint in his eye. "I was wondering when I would get the chance to meet the 'beefy green eyed twunk' Mitsuki said you've been fucking."

Katsuki and Izuku both simultaneously choked on their drinks.

"She called him a _what_?"

"W-Were those her _exact_ words to describe me?"

"Fucking Kami!" Miruko exclaimed. She howled with rigorous laughter and tried to hide her contagious bright smile as she doubled over. "Where did she even learn the term _twunk_?"

"Oh, she's been on Urban Dictionary this past year. Better watch out." Keigo grinned at the couple. "She's been claiming that she's _all_ caught up on the terms of the newer generations. It's been a real hoot over there in our parents' corner."

Izuku paled and Katsuki let out a groan.

"This is going to be a mess isn't it?" Izuku whispered to his boyfriend and Katsuki nodded.

"The biggest."

. . .

When dinner time came, Izuku resisted to roll his eyes while Katsuki didn't hold back.

The waves of discomfort were emitting full force from the tall blond as his mother clinked a spoon against her wine glass. It called the attention of everyone nearby to head over to the tables that were now fully set up.

Izuku listened to the silence that followed the announcement for dinner because it said everything. It showed how much of a masquerade the party was as all the people stood up straight like an arrow and put on well-rehearsed smiles that Izuku recognized all too well.

He noted how Mitsuki straightened out her red skirt with her palms and reapplied her cherry colored lipstick. Masaru didn't say a word as he picked up a couple of crumpled white napkins to place in the trash. Katsuki's father straightened out his navy-blue dress shirt and followed behind his wife without question.

Suddenly it was painfully clear why Katsuki never mentioned where he was from.

What seemed to be the immediate family sat down at the long table while everyone else took a seat at the two tables set up across the room. Everyone that joined them at the table Katsuki ushered him to, Izuku guessed to be Mitsuki's siblings.

The greenette briefly wondered where Masaru's side of the family was. But it made sense. Mitsuki was overpowering in every sense of the word. Maybe Masaru's family didn't indulge in these kinds of things—hell, maybe they were the people at the other tables.

Or most likely, maybe Mitsuki's family didn't deem them good enough to attend.

Like him.

Izuku watched as Miruko sat next to an older white haired woman who resembled her along with several other platinum blond individuals while Keigo took place next to what seemed to be the eldest brother who was presumably his father. And Katsuki took a seat next to him, across the table from his parents.

The two tiny children named Mahoro and Katsuma played around with Keigo and chased Akira up and down the room until Mitsuki's loud voice boomed for them to stop and come eat.

Then like clockwork, she put on her perfect smile and grinned at everyone as they began to eat their food. The family exchanged stories, laughter and on the surface Izuku could tell it seemed fine but there was something bubbling underneath.

It was present with the words that weren't said.

It was present in the way Miruko's eyes flickered to Katsuki if Mitsuki took a subtle dig at him. It was clear as day to Izuku when Keigo would awkwardly clear his throat when his own father asked him about his dating life. It was basically written on the walls when they questioned Izuku on where he lived in Shizuoka City trying to gauge his social class—but when he admitted to both living _and_ working with Katsuki all of their eyes went wide.

There was judgment—_scrutiny_.

But Katsuki seemed to ignore it all.

"It's nice to see everyone and catch up during the New Year," Mitsuki hummed after a dip in conversation. Her eyes happily glanced at all the people at the table until they settled on Katsuki and her smile fell into quick sourness. "Even those of us who don't come back except every three hundred and sixty-four days."

Keigo snickered when Katsuki flexed his eyebrows sarcastically and lifted up his wine glass in a mocking fashion. "Cheers."

"So, how's it going at the precinct, son?" Masaru asked, ignoring the exchange like it was normal. "Are you finally a Captain? You hardly call us anymore."

"Not yet, I'm still a lieutenant's rank," Katsuki half answered, picking at his food slightly while he talked. "I need to start working on my secondary degree and then possibly discuss rankings with Yagi. There's a lot that goes into it."

"Well, what's the hold up?" Mitsuki interjected, looking at him expectantly. "In four months you're going to be two years shy of thirty and you need to start considering getting a more impressive position so you can finally settle down and start having a family. Can't live out of that bachelor pad you bought your whole life."

At the information of Katsuki possibly being a higher rank, Izuku turned around surprised with a smile on his face. "You want to be a Captain?"

"I do, it's my dream job I've been striving towards pretty much since college," Katsuki admitted and reached down to hold Izuku's hand under the table. "I really love the idea of running my own precinct like Yagi does. Maybe even take over U.A if Yagi decides one day to retire. I'm just a little stuck because I don't want to leave the team at U.A."

"You would be so good at that!" Izuku giggled. He turned to his boyfriend's parents, unable to stop the mild gush from spilling over. "Katsuki is a great Lieutenant down at U.A, I'm sure he'll get offered the Captain's position if Yagi ever decides to step down."

"Well, Keigo is already being considered for a Captain's position here in Tokyo and he's only one year older than you, Katsuki." Mitsuki chastised her son, ignoring Izuku completely.

Green eyes blinked rapidly at the not so subtle dismissal of his praise and Miruko took several large gulps of her wine.

"Er, there's no need to compare us, auntie," Keigo awkwardly laughed, putting his hands up. "It's a lot different between Shizuoka City and Tokyo in terms of available commander positions. So really there's no rush! Just enjoy your team, Katsuki. That's what's most important, you don't find a good squad every often."

"Which is _why_ I tried to tell this brat years ago Tokyo was the better option to build a police career in, but he doesn't fucking listen," Mitsuki hissed, silver fork stabbing the meat on her plate a little too hard for Izuku's liking.

"Shizuoka City is just _fine_," Katsuki groaned while he rolled his eyes.

"I agree, plus Katsuki is the most decorated man of his rank in the city," Izuku tried to support. "He's known as the Symbol of Victory and everything. The press loves him and how well he solves crimes. He does a great job at keeping everyone safe."

Mitsuki huffed and gave Izuku a sharp, pointed edged look that basically translated to 'you shouldn't even be here' as she whirled his eyes back to her own son.

"If you had stayed in Tokyo you could've been working alongside your cousins to bring down the Yakuza and maybe would already have been a Captain."

"Well shit just didn't work out like that, now did it?" Katsuki grumbled with a snarl on his face.

There was a long awkward silence at the table as all the older adults stared at Katsuki in a tired manner.

"So, you're taking on the Yakuza?" Izuku turned to Keigo with a desperate look. He silently pleaded for a topic change and the other man's gold eyes lit up. "I think that's really cool, how is that coming along if you don't mind me asking?"

"I don't mind you asking at all!" Keigo said with delight while he nodded rapidly, fully taking the olive branch. "To be truthful, Tokyo is overrun by the fuckers. We finally got the name of the newest Yakuza heir after so long. That's given us some headway instead of chasing the guy's dead dad. But even then, that took us forever to figure out."

"Honestly, I'm still stuck on the guy's name," Miruko said with a laugh as Izuku took a bite of his steak. "What type of Yakuza boss is named something as dainty as Chisaki Kai?"

The sound Izuku made was nearly inhuman as his shock caused him to gasp the large chunk of steak, that he hadn't even chewed, straight down his esophagus. The aggressive choking noise called the attention of all the guests nearby when he began to pound on his rib cage to either dislodge the dry piece of meat or force it down.

"Shit, Izuku are you okay?" Katsuki rushed out as he grabbed for the glass of water the redder the freckled man's face became.

"I-I'm fine!" Izuku gasped out through his large coughing fit ensuing. He forcefully swallowed and blinked away the small gathering of tears in his eyes. "I-I'm so sorry about that! I think I swallowed part of my steak whole by accident."

Miruko's and Keigo's snickers and could be heard while Mitsuki's judgmental gaze could be felt burning into his core. But he couldn't even bother to care how he looked in the moment because _Kai_? Was a _Yakuza boss_?

_Shit. I had sex with the fucking Yakuza heir—_

"Drink some water," Katsuki insisted as he pushed the glass into Izuku's hand and rubbed his back for him. "Damn, your face is completely red, Izuku. How the hell did that happen?"

Izuku shook his head furiously, still trying to grasp the idea that Kai was not only in the notorious gang—but ran it. He was the _heir_ to it. It made an alarming amount of sense in Izuku's head from Kai's limited availability due to his 'family business' and his knowledge of the Shigarakis. Then finally it all came together when Izuku realized why he never judged him for making the bomb.

The jumbled detective took a deep breath in as he swallowed once more and found himself able to breathe again. Everyone's eyes were on him and all the Bakugous' expressions were either confused, amused, or flat out disgusted. Well, only Mitsuki seemed disgusted.

Izuku turned to the worried Katsuki next to him and gave his boyfriend an apologetic smile. "Heh, nervous habit?"

"Swallowing meat _whole_ is a nervous habit of yours?" Mitsuki asked, her face twisted in judgement.

Izuku nearly choked a second time at the unintentional sexual innuendo. It wasn't too far off from his_ actual_ coping mechanism. Katsuki cleared his throat and turned his face away from the table so he could contain the near burst of laughter that almost erupted from him.

"I mean to each their own!" Miruko swooped in with a large diplomatic smile. "I hardcore cuddle my rabbit whenever I'm stressed and Keigo here has full on conversations with his birds like they're real people."

Keigo lifted his hand up at Miruko and quietly mouthed _'why?'_ when his own father shot him a strange look at the information.

"Keigo, you talk to birds? I thought you told me I was just hearing things all those years," the large dirty blond man Izuku presumed to be Keigo's father questioned.

"We...We can talk about that later," Keigo whispered and glared at Miruko.

"So, Midoriya," Mitsuki started up, finally addressing him for the first time all night when his coughing fit finally settled down. "You said earlier you work at the same precinct as Katsuki. Are you a sergeant?"

"Oh, no. I'm only a detective. I don't have enough experience to be a sergeant just yet," Izuku answered naturally and all the different sets of eyes looked at him confused. _Oh. They probably think I'm not motivated, _he thought to himself, so he clarified his age in regard to his experience. "I turned twenty-three six months ago so I still have a couple years before I would even be considered for a higher position."

Masaru and Mitsuko both quickly turned their eyes to Katsuki who looked away in a millisecond and took a sip of his water.

Keigo snickered from beside Miruko. "Oh no, now he's a _baby_ green eyed twunk—"

"—Shut up Keigo," Miruko hissed and she elbowed him swiftly in the side.

"Twenty three. _Wow_. You're just starting out," Masaru said in a tight tone and Izuku couldn't tell if it was a good or bad thing. "I couldn't help but notice you have a bit of a countryside accent. Where are you from originally?"

"I'm from Yaizu," Izuku answered with a smile fanning his face. "It's a small coastal town two hours south of Shizuoka City. It's not very well-known."

"Those are always the best kinds of towns," Masaru gave a small grin like he was inside of a fond memory. "I grew up in one like that before I met Mitsuki in college. It was beautiful. Great trees, farmland, and thick forest. Is Yaizu pretty too?"

"Ah, yes, it's gorgeous!" Izuku smiled as he thought back to his home. He always missed it a little extra time of year. "It has the best sunsets and there's a beach I lived by growing up that always had such a lively bunch of people who would visit it. There's a lot of special hometown events that go on during the summer which makes it feel like a little slice of heaven."

"Sounds homely. But I guess that fits the bill based on your appearance," Mitsuki muttered and Izuku could sense Katsuki frown from beside him when his smile slowly faded away at the comment. "I'm sure the big cities like Shizouka and Tokyo must be overwhelming for a small-town boy such as yourself like Masaru then. It's a lot to handle."

Izuku felt his anger simmer under his collar at the snarky remark. When all eyes turned to him, waiting for his answer, Izuku took a deep breath in.

"Not really. I can handle a lot." He smiled through cutting his steak again in sharp motions. "I actually really enjoy them and it's nice to see different scenery. Plus, I met Katsuki so I can never consider it a negative."

"Well, if Yaizu is so nice why aren't you there now then?" Mitsuki said, putting her silver utensils down. The clattering of the metallic surfaces echoed at the table making everyone fall into silence. "I presume you have a family _there_ that's celebrating the New Year. Why come all the way to Tokyo to celebrate the New Year with us and not your own parents?"

The tightened feeling in Izuku's chest weighed him down and immediately Katsuki spoke up.

"Leave him the fuck alone already—"

"—It's okay," Izuku quickly spoke, placing his hand on Katsuki's thigh to calm him down. It felt as if this big condo was suddenly as small as the closet in Makinohara as he stared at Katsuki's family in front of him. They were so vastly different from his own.

He felt sad for them.

"My parents passed away three years ago," Izuku answered quietly. "I don't really have any other family, so I usually work the New Year. I've been on my own for a while now."

Mitsuki's eyes widened by just a fraction as everyone else at the table started murmuring softly. Different shades of red colored eyes directed unwanted expressions of pity towards him.

"Well I think it's time for dessert, don't you?" Keigo spoke up, clasping his hands together awkwardly. "I heard Izuku was lovely enough to bake us something."

Miruko raised her hand and nodded furiously. "Yes! _Dessert_. Dessert would be great."

. . .

Izuku watched the happy downtown Tokyo celebrations on the big screen television feeling empty. He listened to all the superficial conversations of the strangers around who didn't seem interested in getting to know him.

He heard them whisper about his and Katsuki's living situation and his dead parents. They all gave him the same sympathy he recognized at his parents' funeral. A lot of the Bakugous were too polite to dig as far as Mitsuki, but that didn't stop them from still assessing him up and down. Izuku didn't like the negative feelings bubbling in his chest.

Katsuki subjected himself to this _every_ year?

No wonder the man was so apprehensive about coming here. Frankly, Izuku was flabbergasted as to why someone as thick headed at Katsuki would even entertain this mess.

But as he laughed and talked more with Keigo and Miruko he seemed to understand why. There were people who were delightful, like warm sunspots in a dark room. He watched Akira play around with all the children happily with a soft smile when they put a small toddler sized party hat on the Shiba Inu's head.

As it drew closer to midnight, Izuku peered around for his boyfriend that was seemingly missing in action. The greenette excused himself from the conversation with Miruko and Keigo to wander around trying to find where exactly the fuming blond could be but stopped in his tracks when he reached ear shot of two loud voices bickering around the corner.

"I cannot believe you're letting some random stranger stay with you. You barely know him!" Mitsuki's voice harshly whispered. "Did you see how weird he was at dinner? Why would you want to date someone that _odd_?"

"His place was one of the apartments burned down by the arson issues we're having in Shizuoka," Katsuki's voice retorted back. "I'm letting him stay with me until he gets back on his feet. It's not a big deal—"

"—It's not a big deal!?" She cut off. "Katsuki, he's an _orphan_. A dirt _poor_ orphan who is happily living off his wealthy boyfriend this early in the relationship. That's _clearly_ a red flag! This is so fucking stupid—you need to break up with him after this. But don't do it here—I don't want you to make more of a fool yourself in front of everyone than you've already done."

"You're overstepping. I'm not going to break up with him so mind your fucking business—"

"—You are my business in case you forgot. I've dedicated all my good years to you and yet you're always making decisions that push yourself further and further away from this family like I haven't given you everything!"

"How is living with Izuku pushing me further out of this family!?"

"Because it shows you don't deserve to be in it. _You never have!_" Mitsuki all but screamed and Izuku felt his breath hitch as he restrained himself from barging in the conversation. "You're always throwing a stone in my side or doing something rebellious to give me a middle finger after I sacrificed my life to raise you! Then you _wonder_ why I told you never to come back here when you were nineteen."

Izuku let out a tiny yelp of surprise when a large hand clasped down on his shoulder unexpectedly. He threw his hands over his mouth to keep quiet as his wide green eyes glanced upward. There he found Masaru giving him a look of pity before walking further around the corner to his wife and son.

"Katsuki. Mitsuki. The countdown is starting in an hour. Stop arguing and come join the party please."

"Happy fucking New Year to the same shit, I guess," Katsuki hissed out before storming out of the conversation.

Too busy being flustered with his head down, the blond strutted straight past his boyfriend who was off to the side. Izuku watched sadly as the seemingly tired blond-haired man blended into the sea of others that he clearly didn't fit in with. Masaru followed suit with a glass in his hand and his other fist clenched tightly in his pocket passively.

"Let me guess, you were eavesdropping? Did your parents not teach you that was rude?" Mitsuki's voice spoke up beside him. "You really do have no manners."

"You don't have to be so harsh on him," Izuku whispered softly without looking at his boyfriend's mother. Soft emerald colored eyes stayed trained on Katsuki who was now clearly searching around for him after he reached Keigo and Miruko. "He always does good for himself and others."

"And who are you to come into my house and tell me what to do with my son that you're leeching off of?"

"I'm someone who loves him," Izuku hissed, whirling around when Katsuki's eyes finally landed on him. The blond man cursed out loud before quickly marching over to the other side of the room before something could happen—but it was too late.

Izuku had enough.

"You've been nothing but rude to him all night. Don't you think maybe he would come home more frequently if you didn't constantly undermine him every opportunity you got?" The greenette pointed out with anger. He boiled over more when he thought about this woman hitting Katsuki when he was younger. "No one wants to be around someone who treats them so poorly all the time."

This time it was Mitsuki's turn to turn as red as her dagger like eyes. The grip she had on the expensive wine glass in her hand tightened to the point Izuku could hear the shatter that never happened. She stayed tethered on the edge of her rage by an extremely thin string of patience while Izuku glared at her right back.

By the time Katsuki reached them, his mother's nostrils flared the longer she stared at Izuku.

"You need to leave," she spat, lip curling in disgust. "Take your filthy mutt and get out of my house."

At this Izuku huffed and shook his head. He waved his hand dismissively and pushed himself off the wall with force.

"I'll be _happy_ to. But I'm not just taking the dog—I'm taking your son with me too," the young detective declared and Katsuki's eyes widened. Furious deep forest color eyes blazed with fierce protection as he whirled around, setting his sights on Katsuki.

"C'mon, Kacchan. _We're_ leaving," Izuku hissed, marching forward to grab Katsuki's elbow and leading him away. "You deserve to have a nice New Years for once."

. . .

The couple walked out into the streets of Tokyo in silence with Katsuki snickering on and off and Izuku still pink in the face holding onto Akira's red leash tighter than he needed to.

"I cannot believe that's what she's like!" Izuku exclaimed absolutely floored. "No wonder you stayed busy with baseball cards all the time—dear Kami, that was a _disaster_."

Katsuki chuckled as he guided Izuku by his hand through the dense New Year's Eve crowd.

The look on the handsome man's face was refreshed, and as if the cold December air was the freshest thing he'd ever experienced. Izuku felt his heart clench at the happy expression. Katsuki had decided they could watch the fireworks from Hamarikyu Garden and he would text Miruko when they were on their way back to her place.

"You didn't have to stand up for me like that in there," Katsuki declared when they made their way aimlessly towards the coastline. His words said one thing, but the sly smirk on his face and the way he gripped Izuku's hand said another.

"Nonsense. She was being too hard on you and I've never been one to just stand back and watch someone I care about take a beating. Verbal or physical," Izuku announced proudly as they made their way into the park. He looked up at the other from beneath his eyelashes with a smile and pulled Katsuki in close.

"Plus, you said we protect each other...right?" Izuku said. Quickly he felt his heart pull at the soft look in Katsuki's eyes.

"Right." Katsuki laughed before scratching the back of his head. "But you see why I was hesitant to bring you here: my family is a mess. My mom still actively dislikes me after all these years, and I guess I have to accept that's not changing."

"Do you want her to like you?" Izuku asked carefully, eyeing the man he loved.

"Absolutely fucking _not_." Katsuki quickly shook his head but there was a brief clash of conflict across his tanned features as he puffed out his cheeks. "Or—_fuck_. I don't know. It's hard to say at this point. Like she so _graciously_ pointed out I'm damn near twenty eight years old...what's the point anymore?

"I just...I don't know why it hurts so much to know the person who birthed you regrets it," Katsuki hissed and his hold on Izuku in the thick crowd tightened. "You know when I was eleven, she told me she hated me. Flat out proclaimed how much she hated me because she thought I lost a piece of her damn jewelry then proceeded to—"

It became silent.

This silence was filled with words Izuku already knew. It didn't have an ominous or eerie feeling inside of it. It was heavy with what was implied by the past actions of a memory that plagued his lover's mind. Izuku reached his hand up to caress Katsuki's warm cheek as he studied the light cloud of frozen air that escaped past Katsuki's lips mouth when he spoke.

"...It shouldn't be that much to ask your parents to like you," the blond finally spoke under his breath. He bent down again to pick Akira up to prevent people from stepping on her and cuddled her in closer than usual.

"I like you," Izuku reassured and Katsuki cracked a small smile and glanced down at the short man.

"I know you do, but that's different."

Izuku gave a soft hum as he reached for Katsuki's free hand. He looked down at the leather gloved item thoughtfully before speaking.

"...My parents would have loved you."

This seemed to make Katsuki freeze.

"Really?" He asked, unsure of himself. "I find that hard to believe. Did you not register what type of shit storm birthed me?"

"I can guarantee you they would've _adored_ you, Kacchan," Izuku grinned, and gestured wide to the sky with hope. "Imagine how much I love you then multiply it by _ten_."

"Okay, now you're just over exaggerating, nerd."

"I'm not, really!" Izuku insisted and poked at the small happy blush that worked its way across Katsuki's cheeks. He held his hand up to pet Akira and smiled down at her as he pulled out sound-proof dog earmuffs for her tiny eardrums. The dense crowd around them made the cold winter melt away and wrapped them into a sheet of warmth that felt so much better than the coldness of the Bakugou household.

"I can already see it," Izuku whispered, lost in his own imagination. "You would've met them during the holidays, my mom would proclaim you needed more chub on your bones, and she would've fixed you whatever you wanted. My dad would be _super_ impressed by the headway you've made in your career at such a young age. Then they probably would ask you to come back every weekend."

Katsuki assessed him carefully at the words but indulged with a sugar sweet gaze. "That sounds nice, Izuku...Your parents sound like they were great people. I wish I had family like that...maybe then I would've turned out better."

"You came out _fine_. You've literally worked so hard to be as great as you are, and you completely broke out of that chain! That's something to be proud of. Not everyone has the strength to remove themselves from those types of toxic situations like you did."

"I guess," Katsuki said with a shrug. "It just sucks how you can't choose family."

"Sure you can," Izuku said with a hopeful expression painted across "You know, Shouto said that to me earlier too. But I think who cares what your parents think when you literally have a whole awesome squad who knows you're amazing_, _Kacchan. Kirishima, Iida, Mina, Momo—Denki. Ochaco, Sero..._Yagi_. Even Shouto at this point. The list goes on. U.A is your family."

Izuku opened his mouth as one last sentence teetered on the tip of his tongue. He looked between the honest, dutiful man he knew and the small puppy he was holding that was wagging her tail thoughtfully. The orphan questioned briefly if he should even say what was on his mind and cross that line.

But the more he thought about it—it felt right. So, he let out all the beautiful feelings that always overpowered his heart and caused him to be drawn in closer to Katsuki's gravity.

He gripped his lover's hand tightly.

"I'm your family now."

Red eyes widened at the confession and Izuku felt his heart thump against his chest at how intensely Katsuki was staring at him.

The park vibrated with loud music as the entire crowd began counting down. The shocked expression on Katsuki's handsome face melted like the snow around them into something warm. It wasn't long before a bright, large grin spread across Katsuki's sharp features that Izuku had never witnessed. It was genuine and full of hope as the crowd around them counted down from ten.

"Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six!"

"The fireworks are starting!" One woman exclaimed and the crowd burst with excitement when the loud upbeat music played louder.

"Five! Four! Three! Two—"

"Happy New Year, 'zuku," Katsuki smiled with a rosy blush across his face as he learned down slowly to his boyfriend's height. He landed one the most heartfelt kiss Izuku had ever known.

"One! _Happy New Year_!"

The crowd erupted in cheers and the bright fireworks filled the night sky. Passionate red, vibrant blue, and purple hues sparked to life against a navy-blue sky filled with stars. Izuku smiled directly into the kiss as Katsuki deepened it with all his soul. A gentle gloved hand caressed Izuku's freckled cheek as their lips worked against each other thoughtfully.

When they pulled back, both lovers were flushed a radiant hue of pink.

"Happy New Year, Kacchan," Izuku giggled, eyes heavy with admiration for the man in front of him.

Katsuki's eyes darted around the constellation of tiny freckles in front of him as if he was trying to memorize them all. His mouth hung open, ready to say words he had been sitting on for what felt like an eternity.

"Stay with me," Katsuki rasped with raw emotion dripping in the words. His eyes were full of both love and need. "You don't have to move out."

The lonely orphan let out a shaky, yet happy laugh as tears pricked at the corner of his eyes. Izuku nodded rapidly full of joy as Katsuki rested their foreheads against each other.

"I'll stay as long as you want me to," Izuku replied and Katsuki gave a deep chuckle.

"Don't tempt me, nerd. That might be forever."

. . .

When they arrived at Miruko's home Izuku could sense the tell-tale flirtatious nature of Katsuki kicking in the closer they got to where they were spending the night. It felt heightened with the newly official proclamation of them permanently living together. For the first time in so long, Izuku was excited for the future.

Once inside the lavish home, Katsuki began whispering vividly detailed things in Izuku's ear and gently kneading his strong fingers into his soft sides whenever Miruko had her back turned. The attorney pointed to the small house-like structure out in the backyard behind the pool with a knowing glint in her eye.

"You two have a good night! I put in extra sheet sheets and more pillows for comfort. Happy New Year," she giggled. She gave her cousin a wink that made Izuku blush furiously.

Her long silver like hair swayed as she walked up her marble staircase holding Akira, leaving the two men alone. Izuku didn't miss the excited smirk that crept into his boyfriend's face as he nodded to the backdoor.

Izuku walked outside carrying his small backpack, trailing behind Katsuki who brought a slightly larger duffle bag than he did. Izuku curiously tilted his head at this until they were fully inside the small living quarters.

It was simple and decorated in all white with matching curtains giving way to the night sky outside that still showed distant flashes of colorful fireworks in the background. The bed was queen sized covered in expensive luxury olive green dusted sheets and a romantic snow colored mosquito canopy hung above it.

Wide, doe like emerald eyes blinked hard, wondering what he just stepped into as he noted the gentle white fairy lights entangled in the canopy like a fairytale scene. Carefully laid on the nightstand was a full bottle of Izuku's favorite red wine and white rose petals were sprayed across the bed.

"Katsuki, you _didn't_," Izuku laughed and the blond just smiled with a shrug before ushering him over to the side of the bed.

"I totally did," Katsuki grinned slyly, eyes mixed with both love and lust. "We have to bring in the New Year correctly. I meant what I said when I wanted to make sure this night was something to remember."

"This is incredibly special," Izuku replied through his enormous smile. The gentle hands of his lover cradled his face as Katsuki leaned down to take him into a gentle kiss that grew into something heated steadily. Their lips locked and Izuku immediately felt the flickering flame in his abdomen grow with heat only Katsuki knew how to make him feel.

Like a gentle wave on the sea, Katsuki pushed him in a wordless exchange towards the soft bed until Izuku felt the edge hit the back of his knees. More careful than anything Izuku had ever known, the large blond sat him down on the edge of the bed before reaching under the bed to grab a silver bag with a white bow on it.

"I...I bought you something to wear tonight if you want to." Katsuki confessed. Izuku looked at the bag strangely confused. "I got it while we were out shopping earlier. I saw it and I couldn't help but think you would look fuckin' _fantastic_ in it."

Red eyes were dilated fully and at this height, sitting on the bed, Izuku could clearly see the quickly growing hard-on inside of Katsuki's dress pants. Izuku grabbed the silver bag from the man in front of him slowly and pressed his thighs together when excitement coiled in his lower belly.

When he peeked inside, Izuku felt his face lit on fire.

The first thing Izuku saw was lace—_a lot of it_. White lace and Katsuki's favorite flavor of lube: strawberry. The second thing Izuku saw inside was a small white, cotton tailed attached to a very large orange vibrator and a silver cock ring.

Izuku's face flushed a deep pink because he had never, _per se_, used enhancements during sex. He curiously peaked up at Katsuki who was biting his lip like he was unsure how Izuku would take it.

With his bandaged hand, Izuku reached inside the bag to pull out the frilly lace item. He couldn't stop the heat that rose like a burning flame inside of him when he got an eyeful of the delicate item. It was a matching set of boy-short panties and a small lace bralette. The bottoms of the set had an orange ribbon stringing it together in back corset style which gave enough gaps for Katsuki to have full access to all of Izuku's sensitive areas without the need to take them off.

"Oh," Izuku said, eyebrows raised high as he assessed it carefully. "Wow. I knew you were kinky but _wow_."

Katsuki kneeled down to his knees and the younger man felt himself grow aroused with warmth at how downright hungry Katsuki's face appeared to be. Izuku could tell Katsuki was holding himself back because his pupils were completely dilated out to pitch black and there was a wolfish smirk graced upon his lips.

"Admittedly, the bachelor party and the garter incident gave me a _pretty_ irreversible image of you in something white and lacey afterwards," Katsuki deeply chuckled, finger lightly tracing circles near Izuku's crotch. "It looked so perfect against your skin."

"Kami, you're hornier than me," Izuku laughed in a breathy manner, the heat between them swelled as Izuku assessed the lingerie and the toys inside. Green eyes looked around at the romantic atmosphere and saw how deep in Katsuki's ruby eyes how much the elder man wanted to make this something to remember.

"Okay, let's do it," Izuku giggled, blushing and looking away as he held the white lace in his hand. He studied the intricate texture underneath his finger pads. "This is so sweet I feel like I'm dreaming."

"Yeah?" Katsuki smirked wider and slowly pushed his hand against Izuku's crotch. The greenette's breath hitched instantly at the sensitive touch as Katsuki palmed his growing hard-on with more purpose. "You'll wear it for me, _bunny_?"

_Oh_.

The blushing freckled man bit his lip hard to suppress the near desperate whine that spilled from his lips at the unfair combination of the new nickname and Katsuki's large hand rubbing his cock through his tight pants.

Izuku nodded when he tried to speak but failed miserably. All that slipped past his pink lips was a short gasp that egged Katsuki on. Red eyes darkened as the elder man quickly moved his hands to rest on Izuku's knee and sensually opened the greenette's clothed, plush thighs.

"Let me put them on you," Katsuki asked in a gravely low, velvet voice that reached deeply inside of Izuku and stroked his core. Fever birthed into Izuku core when Katsuki teasingly bit his thighs and Izuku noted how _perfect_ the blond looked between his legs.

"Do whatever you want to me," Izuku replied in a needy tone as he surrendered his control to Katsuki to take.

The searing feeling of anticipation crept up his spine like a cold shiver as Izuku let himself be gently pushed back on the cloud-like bed. His lover's rough hands worked with hasty need yet somehow it still managed to feel too slow for the painfully aroused green eyed man.

The warm air caressed his skin when he was completely nude. His legs were spread wide open by Katsuki's warm, large hands applying pressure to make them go as wide as possible. Izuku let out tiny moans when Katsuki's head dipped in between his bare thighs and nipped the inside of his legs. Katsuki pushed his legs upwards for better access and left a heated trail of love bites all the way up Izuku's soft legs.

The hungry blond hummed softly with each bite as he closed his eyes, inhaling the sweet scent of Izuku that was always present on the man's freckled skin. He kissed every scar and burn he could find as he slowly worked the lube onto three of his fingers out of sight.

Izuku's green eyes were eclipsed like a green moon as they raked up and down his boyfriend's clothed body. He studied the way he could see Katsuki's strong figure through the red dress shirt and how the thin shirt wrapped tightly around his large chest and arm muscles. Izuku wanted to see it. He wanted to see everything about Katsuki and gaze at the perfectly molded body of his lover.

The smaller man reached out to fix that problem, but like lightning, Katsuki's rough hand wrapped around his wrist and pinned him to the bed.

"First orgasm tonight is going to be without me," Katsuki asserted with a lust filled gaze. Izuku couldn't help but groan in objection but he'd be lying if he ever said that the aggressive side of the blond didn't make his dick jump. "I want to make you cream in those cute little panties—and you _better_fucking soak them straight through for me." The blond nearly growled down at the greenette as he forcefully slid a slick finger inside Izuku's tight body.

"K-Katsuki—" the freckled man gasped in a breathless whisper. "I'll make sure they're nice and wet for you."

Izuku's whole body shuddered with addictive pleasure and he moaned loudly when Katsuki went straight for reaching deep inside of him to make him see intense white. The slick finger was joined with two more and they pumped directly against his sweet spot. Izuku's whole body shuddered and shook against Katsuki's tight hold on his wrist but the large man just leaned in, trapping the smaller man on the bed underneath him.

Izuku moaned out for the man above him when four more unrelenting thrusts of Katsuki's fingers landed against his pleasure button and subsequent shocks of sweet adrenaline swelled inside of Izuku's small frame.

"After your panties are nice and wet for me, I'm going to put that cock ring on you since you cum so easily, bunny. Then when you're drooling, I'm going to fuck you through another orgasm." Izuku's eyes rolled back when Katsuki's fingers retreated from his body with a slick 'pop.'

"I don't cum easily," Izuku retorted with a small, teasing smirk on his blushing face as he caught his breath. "You just make me cum easily. I can't help it with you."

"That's exactly what I like to hear." Red eyes shined with pride as Katsuki reached for the lingerie set and slowly began to slide the frilly lace panties on his boyfriend in a thoughtful motion.

The material was soft against Izuku's skin and made him blush furiously when Katsuki hooked the tiny bralette around his chest. It sat nearly empty but cupped to his muscular pecs just enough to fill it in and it made Izuku feel _soft_ for the first time in a long time.

Green eyes glanced down at the contrast of his scars and burns against such precious material. He worried briefly how the gentle lace must look on his rough, damaged body, but the way Katsuki's eyes were drinking in the sight of him like he was the only oasis in a barren land made Izuku remember he didn't have to worry—he never had to worry when he was with Katsuki.

"You're so fucking _gorgeous_," Katsuki whispered from above him.

Izuku held his breath as his lover's fingers slid down his chest, then to his stomach and finally all the way down to caress his legs. The touch was feather light and attentive, but it left behind tiny fireworks of need all over Izuku's figure. Ruby colored eyes darted all around his freckled skin like he was worth more than the stars in the sky.

"Are you ready?" Katsuki asked carefully and Izuku nodded. "Remember your colors if it gets too much."

Red eyes switched from admiration to fully lust driven as Katsuki sunk fully into his animalistic mode. His hand reached beside them for the orange vibrator and as if Izuku weighed as light as a feather, slid them carefully into the white rose petals in the center of the bed.

Izuku felt his mouth water because he wanted so _badly_ to just tear off the handsome man's clothes, but he stayed patient. The calloused hands of his boyfriend grabbed him by his waist and guided him backwards fully onto the bed, and Izuku felt as if he was almost made of glass with the way Katsuki propped his head up with the decorative green pillow.

With their eyes locked, Izuku winced slightly when gradually the head of a light intrusion could be felt against his loosened backside through the lingerie. Izuku whimpered as Katsuki's eyes stayed intensely focused on his face as he pushed the blunt head of the large orange vibrator into his boyfriend.

The blond man felt like he was _obsessed_ with the way Izuku's hole clenched and fluttered around the vibrator. Red eyes swallowed the sight of Izuku's cute cock twitching inside of the white lace and at the sight of precum already dripping out of Izuku stirred deep, pleasurable excitement into the elder man.

"That's it. Take this cock just like you always do, bunny—fuck _yes_." Katsuki praised Izuku endlessly as he watched Izuku's hole stretch wider and wider around the orange vibrator.

He gave it one last push making Izuku moan loudly as it pushed directly against his pleasure spot.

Katsuki's grin spread wickedly when he saw the item was fully seated inside of Izuku, showing only the small cotton tail. Red eyes looked up and—fuck. It was a sight to remember. Izuku was sprinkled in the prettiest pink blush from the tip of his ears all the way down to his curled toes. His chest was heaving as he adjusted to the toy inside of him, cute mouth hanging open let out small gasps as he twitched. The tall blond wouldn't help but stare down wolfishly at the way his lover already seemed fucked out.

"You look like you're about to eat me," Izuku panted out, fully leaning into teasing the other man.

"Oh, I'm going to do more than just eat you tonight."

Izuku's lust stricken green eyes lifted to gaze up at the blond man hovering over him with deep want. Taking the cue, Katsuki's rough hand snuck its way under the bralette to pinch and teased one of Izuku's rose colored sensitive nipples with several gracious twists and pulls, drawing out a sinful litany of noises that Katsuki swore he wanted to just drown in.

"Remember, be as loud as you need to," Katsuki grinned. "I want some poor stranger to walk by and wonder what the fuck I'm doing to you in here."

Izuku was about to question what that even meant until his boyfriend gave the fluffy cotton tail of the orange vibrator three quick squeezes. Izuku moaned out loudly as unannounced rapture shot all over his body like tiny firecrackers.

The euphoria that spilled into his core was quick, hot, and more intense than Izuku was anticipating. He cried out loud as the large toy filled him up and abused his prostate directly head on.

"K-K-K—_F-Fuck_!" Izuku tried to call out for his lover but Katsuki barely gave him time to speak.

The blond was hungrily using both his hands to massage and knead into Izuku's chest as he rutted vigorously against the toy, giving it motion to jolt even harder against Izuku's sweet spot. The greenette cried out as his boyfriend flicked the tiny pink buds in his hands and pinched them without mercy.

Red eyes flickered down to Izuku's straining cock in the lace panties and how there was already a small wet spot from the precum dripping from Izuku's cock. The head of the thick member peaked out ever so lightly from the white lace, and the thick fluid pool lightly against Izuku's fair skin making Katsuki bite his lip.

The blond shifted his position quickly, and he dipped his head towards Izuku's weeping member. He kept his warm hands underneath the lace bralette to play the sensitive nubs of his partner while using his teeth to slowly pull down the underwear just enough to slide his wet, ready tongue up Izuku's thick cock until he stopped at the sensitive tip. Katsuki closed his eyes as his tongue darted out to steadily lick away the light amount of precum gathering at the head of Izuku's cock.

"Ah! Katsuki—" The greenette's whole body spasmed at the added sensation and Izuku felt his stomach muscles tighten when a deep tantalizing feeling flooded all over his appendages. The blond retreated one back to reach down and soon Izuku's voice climbed higher with the power of vibrator inside of him.

Right when the greenette felt like he was about to explode with rapture, Katsuki took Izuku's whole cock in his wet mouth in one swift swallow.

"_K-Kacchan_!" Izuku keened with a warning strained deep in his throat. Several reedy whines and pleas fell from his lips to land in Katsuki's ear as the man pinched his chest harder and squeezed the tail twice more, overstimulating him to the maximum amount.

Izuku's whole body vibrated with an intensity he's never felt before and he tried to sit up, but Katsuki's concentrated strength kept him held down on the bed. The blond applied more pressure to his sensitive chest, red eyes glancing upwards, watching Izuku twitch and thrash as the waves of pleasure took over his quivering body.

Izuku screwed his eyes shut as his hands dug desperately into the blond hair of his lover. He pulled tightly on Katsuki's hair while screaming out his name and it just made Katsuki suck on his cock harder. Izuku's chest convulsed when feverish pleasure built all too quickly in his stomach—coiling and simmering at an already dangerous high.

"T-That's too much—!" Izuku cried out when Katsuki hallowed his cheeks and gave a long hard suck as his response. "Kacchan, stop, I—I'm gonna cum early—_ah_!"

The tension inside of Izuku's belly snapped quickly and without warning as he gave a loud shout of Katsuki's name blended with a curse. His legs snapped shut with a forceful jolt as he was overcome with pleasure and for a moment, Izuku was sure he nearly injured his boyfriend, but the blond only groaned in deep satisfaction the longer Izuku's legs stayed hooked around his neck and shoulders.

Katsuki gripped his hands tightly around Izuku's creamy thighs and drew out more helpless cries from his lover. The hungry blond nuzzled his face further into Izuku's sex, inhaling the thick musk as his tongue wrapped around the length in his mouth.

Izuku cried out in a voice so high pitched it came out wordless as the man between his legs milked out all the seed inside of him and swallowed every drop down eagerly. Lightheaded, Izuku felt his vision fade slowly in and out from the highly simulated orgasm that kept going because Katsuki didn't turn back down the vibrator.

Oh no, _of course not_.

Instead, the blond turned it up two more clicks making Izuku's entire being quake as colorful small dots entered his vision that reminded him of fireworks. The hot, warm mouth swallowing his length pulled back and caused Izuku let out a trembling breath as he arched off the bed, chasing the feeling.

"Don't come easy _my ass,_" Katsuki's deep voice rumbled as he came up for air.

He wiped his cum covered smirk clean with the back of his hand and a look that Izuku could only describe as starved. The dark, sated look in his ember colored eyes was ravenous as he pulled out the simple cock ring and teasingly slid it on Izuku's already hardening cock.

"Such a greedy little thing," Katsuki taunted as he pulled back to sit on his haunches.

Izuku watched, eyes fully dilated as his lover began to strip himself of his clothes. Green eyes tried to focus past the rise and fall of pleasure in his body as he was brought back to the brink by the intense vibration stimulating his sweet spot. When he finally steadied his vision, Izuku was met with Katsuki tossing his red dress shirt to the side leaving only the bare visual of his large, sculpted chest.

The flushed curly haired man moaned at both the sight and the second wave of pleasure that enveloped him when Katsuki rid himself of his pants and boxers. Izuku reached down and began pumping the toy in and out of his slick hole to try to quench the fire that sparked to life at Katsuki's nude figure.

He bit his lip and gave several hard thrusts of the toy against his prostate as he drank in display of Katsuki's near ten-inch cock, fully hard and ready. Izuku whined with need and spread his legs further as Katsuki slicked his length up with lube while studying the small show Izuku was putting on.

"T-This is unfair," Izuku whined half-heartedly as he pushed back against the large vibrator, he was pounding inside of himself. Green eyes looked up, half lidded from the weight of pleasure as Izuku reached his other hand under his bralette to pinch and tease his erect pink buds.

He maintained eye contact with his lover while he licked his lips. "I need you inside me, Kacchan_—please_."

Izuku couldn't pinpoint exactly whatever voice he said that plea in, his brain too full of pleasure to know. But however he must've sounded and looked, dressed up in all white lace, it snapped Katsuki's patience in half as easy as a twig.

His hand was slapped to the side and the large vibrator was slid out of him, leaving him wet and open. Before he could miss the fullness, within the second something familiar and bigger replaced it and it began to push in swiftly. Katsuki's warm hands rested on his hips, pinning him down as the blond used his fingertips playing lightly with the lace.

Izuku let out a scream as Katsuki went straight for it, pounding against that spot inside of him that he knew so well.

"Fuck you're always so tight for me," Katsuki groaned over the sound of their slapping skin as Izuku hooked his thighs around his slim waist, locking him in tightly. "You love this little hole of your filled up, don't you, bunny?"

"I-I do!" Izuku moaned out in between thrusts. "Fill me up, I need more—fill me up, _please_."

Izuku raised his shaky arms and reached out to grab Katsuki's shoulders, nails gripping deep into the muscular tanned flesh. The action promised to leave behind tiny crescent moons birthed of their euphoria as Katsuki bent his head to kiss Izuku passionately.

"Are you feeling good?_ Nice and full_?" Katsuki rasped out with a smirk. His hot breath brushed against Izuku's wet lips as he began to roll his hips slowly, pulling out deep throaty groans from the greenette as he hit the right spot with a concentrated blow each time.

"So, good—so full, Kacchan," Izuku sighed happily. "_So big_! I-I think I'm cumming again—_shit_—"

Green eyes rolled back into his head as he gave a loud moan when the heat inside his stomach combusted a second time. But instead of the overpowering wave drowning his senses, this orgasm hit inside his body and stayed tightly contained by the metal toy around his aching cock.

"_Kacchan_—" Izuku whined as he felt himself twitch venously as he curled his toes. "I-I need to cum again, _please_—"

"—I told you that your pretty ass cums easily," Katsuki chuckled as he switched to a new brutal speed.

Izuku cursed repeatedly as his body rocked with the sheer power of the pace Katsuki set. Each new thrust translated all the want and need between them as they exchanged soft, tiny kisses. Katsuki leaned down to capture his lips and reached between their bodies to palm Izuku's aching member through the lacy fabric. He squeezed the head and Izuku damn near saw white.

The trembling greenette let out a high-pitched cry of surprise when he felt something slick slip past the tip of his cock and it caused his whole body to feel like he had an orgasm. But then it happened again—and again—and again with each vigorous thrust Katsuki gave. The larger man fucked into him without mercy, bouncing Izuku against the mattress until creeks of the wooden frame could be heard and Izuku had no control over his shaking body that was spasming.

"K-Katsuki, I'm leaking!" Izuku heaved breathlessly. "K-Kacchan—fuck I feel like I keep c-cumming—"

"_Good_. Cum for me—over and fucking over," Katsuki whispered harshly and rolled his hips headily, slamming straight against Izuku's prostate. He pulled out all the sounds that were boiling incomparable heat over into his core as his large hand wrapped all the way around Izuku's member through the lace and _squeezed_.

"_Katsuki_!" Izuku cried out as the most powerful tidal wave crashed against his soul. He screamed out in a hoarse voice as his eyes screwed shut from it all being too much. Hot tears spilling over from his eyes as he was overcome by an electrifying force that shocked his body to tremors.

The blond gave several loud groans as Izuku's tight body clamped down on him, causing the wet hole he was deep inside to milk him as Katsuki's came deep inside of Izuku. The blond let out a deep curse as Izuku clung desperately to him, still riding out the tiny ripples of pleasure.

Izuku whined loudly when several aftershocks filled his body making his shake in his lover's arms. He clung desperately to the man above him, rambling his name as his toe curls.

"Shit, that was intense," Katsuki whispered as he clung desperately back to the smaller man still muttering and spraying light spurts of cum inside of the now soaked lace.

"K-Kacchan—I-I-_aaah,_" Izuku's voice cracked high, trying to force out words but the tidal waves of pleasure kept weighing down on his mind into a haze state. He nearly swore the edges of his vision blurred as he felt small shocks of euphoria tingling in his body.

"Shh, ride it out, baby," Katsuki's deep voice cooed as he stroked his hand through Izuku's silky curls.

The flushed freckled man closed his eyes and listened to the calming, soothing voice of his lover as he rode out what felt like the last couple pseudo orgasms. His heart slammed repeatedly against his ribcage over and over because he had never felt anything like this before.

Several long moments passed before his heart rate slowed down. Then when it finally came to a rest, Katsuki carefully pulled back and removed the metal item from off of his cum covered cock.

"T-That was amazing," Izuku whispered when Katsuki grinned down at him. Red eyes were still blown wide as Katsuki wiped his face of the steam of tears on his freckled cheeks.

"That's just round one," Katsuki chuckled as he pulled out fully, looking hungrily down at the mix of fluids and his cum that creamed out of Izuku's body and onto the lace fabric. The blond laid down next to the greenette and slowly traced circles onto Izuku's abdomen.

"So," Izuku began with a sly smirk, green eyes shifting to the man next to him. "Lingerie kink?"

"Naw. I just have a _you_ kink." Katsuki shrugged with a grin on his face and pulled Izuku in close. "I should buy you one of every New Year from now on. You're so damn cute in this."

"Heh, every New Year?" Izuku parroted with a smile. He was surprised at how far ahead Katsuki was thinking and at first Izuku thought Katsuki had misspoke. But when passionate eyes just gazed back at him without a hint of hesitation inside of him.

"Yeah, every New Year." Katsuki said the words clearly and with a promising smirk.

Izuku's heart swelled as his lover leaned forward to capture his soft lips with his own. They laid in bed side by side, basking in sweet caresses and body warmth and the tired freckled man wished he could press pause on the moment.

He felt himself try to fight off sleep, as he blinked once, and then blinked again, trying to stay afloat but struggled.

"It's okay," Katsuki whispered as he tucked a green curl behind his ear. "Go to sleep. I'll take care of you."

Green eyes that were heavy with sleep looked up at the blond who was studying him directly back. Izuku heard the popping of more distant fireworks in the distance and decided to let go. He placed his head against Katsuki's broad chest, soaking in the warmth and slowly drifted off to sleep while listening to his lover steadily breathing in and out.

Silence encased them as Katsuki laid a small kiss to his forehead and Izuku decided it was a good type of silence.

"Happy New Year, Izuku," Katsuki's voice whispered as Izuku was calmly taken by the darkness.

"Happy New Year to you too, Kacchan."

. . .

Six weeks later, both lovers laid on the couch comfortably smitten with each other. Izuku leaned against Katsuki's sturdy chest as he snuggled into his fixed position in between the larger man's legs. The blond lazily draped his arm around Izuku's waist while Akira laid in her plush new bed at the foot of the couch.

Both lovers lazily watched the news together, about the Hero Killer case.

Izuku expressed his concerns but quickly Katsuki proclaimed that Monoma's claims would go nowhere. He expressed to Izuku that it had been a common issue between them for four years and there was no evidence against him.

"He's just throwing a hissy fit, don't worry," Katsuki reassured as he turned the television to another station. "It's been six weeks—he literally has _nothing_. Plus, I'm sure if he does dig up something, it'll pertain to anything _but_ me."

The freckled detective pursed his lips, but ultimately trusted the elder detective and brushed it off as well. Instead, Izuku focused on all the new photographs on the wall.

It had officially been six, calm weeks since the New Year, bringing them into the middle of subtly warmer month of February. January was peaceful with no new leads on Dabi or Nine. All police suspected the new gang leaders took a step back to establish their new empire and lay low after such a large showcase of their power.

But Izuku didn't pay that much attention at the moment. He was too busy admiring how on the walls there were pictures Izuku actively decided to take himself.

He told Katsuki he would fill up the walls with photos that would make it feel like a real home. Some were candid of Katsuki, and some were of them together, smiling hand in hand with Akira.

There were several others of various people at U.A because Izuku insisted that they all do something nice once a week together and it resulted in everyone growing closer within the last six weeks. Photos of Shouto and Izuku smiling together could be found alongside one of Katsuki at his desk on the phone winking at Izuku and playfully unbuttoning his white Lieutenant's shirt.

Each picture had a hand painted frame that Izuku decided to personally decorate. Sometimes he painted them with Katsuki in his art studio, sometimes without. He used the same vibrant colors of the fireworks the new year birthed during their time in Tokyo together as inspiration.

The blond would smile as they painted the various frames together, engraving the dates into the back. They would laugh playfully while splashing paint droplets around that ended with various full on paint wars in the studio. More often than not, it ended with Katsuki's blue painted hands mixing with the red covering Izuku's sensitive chest as they vigorously made purple on the floor of the studio.

All the memories hung on the wall and Izuku felt like he finally had a home after so long.

"This is nice," Katsuki spoke softly between them. He slid down into the plush cushions and pulled up the green fluffy blanket surrounding them.

Izuku snuggled into Katsuki's arms that offered security and intertwined their fingers together. Green eyes idly studied their puzzle piece charms dangling off their twin bracelets but the longer he stared at them, he noticed something he never noticed before.

"Kacchan, look," Izuku exclaimed. He lifted his other hand to gently connect the silver charms together and grinned largely when they snapped into place perfectly. "This is so cute; how did we not notice that before?"

The blond laughed and pulled Izuku in close before smiling down at their bracelets.

"Well, I'll be damned," Katsuki said with a hint of amusement. "I guess you really are my missing puzzle piece."

The silence between them in that moment was soft. It was gentle, comforting and it was a silence Izuku could stay forever inside of with Katsuki. It was a silence that made his restless soul relax and stop stirring for timeless moments to appreciate what he had.

It was a stretch of quiet Izuku wished could last forever. Tender green eyes turned to gaze inside the ember eyes Izuku adored. He felt himself almost lost while looking at the endless sparks and flames inside of them before he leaned in to give a soft kiss against Katsuki's awaiting lips.

"Love you."

Katsuki smiled into the kiss.

"I love you too, 'zuku."

* * *

Thank you so much for reading! I will see you guys tomorrow!


	24. Flammable

**A/N:** You walk into this fic with your food, blanket and tissues ready to go. You think you've been through all the ups and down and there isn't a steeper fall on this rollercoaster than the drop that you experienced in the earlier chapters. However, you feel uneasy this time as you look at the chapter's name. Kyuuka smiles brightly as she thanks Luna once again for betaing. She steps to the side, revealing an even larger fall off an even bigger cliff—but this time there were no stops.

_Song: Icarus - Bastille_

* * *

**Chapter 24 - Flammable**

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When Izuku opened his eyes, he was met with an empty bed and the rattling wind banging against the windows. He only briefly noted the strangely strong winds that pushed against the glass as he woke himself up in the early dawn.

The freckled man sat up slowly and he stretched in hopes of waking his sleep riddled body. He could smell the heavenly aroma of breakfast downstairs and hear Katsuki blasting his morning playlist loudly.

Green eyes peered at the clock and sheepishly smiled when he realized his boyfriend let him sleep in—but only slightly.

The love making session from the night before had thrown his already wild curls into even more chaotic disarray. Katsuki hadn't been satisfied until he had taken Izuku apart over and over, even insisting during one round that Izuku stand up, bend over and grab his own ankles as he was taken from behind.

Izuku got out of bed and walked down the stairs. He followed the sound of the music as he admired all the photographs of them on the wall. When he fully stepped all the way into the luminated kitchen, there he saw his perfect vision of happiness and his heart swooned.

Katsuki was already dressed in his uniform while he sang out loud to himself. The stove was ignited, and a black skillet laid on top of one of the iron grates full of mixed vegetables. The blond didn't register his boyfriend behind him as he secretly fed a piece of chopped carrot to Akira who was in a begging position at his feet.

"I saw that," Izuku snickered as Akira happily ran off with the healthy treat. "She's going to start to get the hint you're a pushover if you keep feeding her every time she gives you those big puppy eyes."

Katsuki turned around with an expression that Izuku could only describe as bright as the morning sun. His signature smirk and sharp ember eyes were already wide awake.

"I guess I'm a sucker for big, bright puppy eyes, huh?" Katsuki smirked wider. "Morning, bunny."

"Good morning, Kacchan," Izuku hummed as he approached the taller man. He leaned up on his tippy toes from behind Katsuki's broad shoulders to gently rest his chin on the other's shoulder. In a teasing manner, he wrapped his arms around Katsuki's waist and lifted his hands to give Katsuki's chest muscles an affectionate squeeze. "And good morning to you guys too!"

Katsuki shook his head and Izuku could feel the warm vibrations of the elder man's deep chuckle in his chest.

"Ha ha. Very funny," the blond said with a dry laugh. He focused his attention back on the skillet and flipped a couple of the white cauliflowers.

"Hey, I'm a man of equal opportunity love," Izuku grinned as he stepped back and leaned on the counter next to the other officer. A bright grin spread across his face, shining up at Katsuki. "I would hate for your pecs to know I don't love them with all the effort you put into chest day."

"Trust me,they know. You give them plenty of praise every time I workout and get to the bench presses. You getting in my lap as a way to spot me is a dead give away."

"It's clearly the safest position for every party involved," Izuku retorted with a playful air. He poked at Katsuki's side and received an empty glare in return. "Plus, I _know_ you like it. It feeds your ego to lift that barbell while I'm straddling you."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say," Katsuki said through his half smirk but he didn't deny Izuku's statement. He shooed Izuku back with his hand to refocus on cooking. "Now, what did you want as a side for your plate?"

"An egg will be fine. I'm not that hungry," Izuku replied with a smile that was returned.

"One egg coming right up," Katsuki parroted. "Now go take your cute ass upstairs and shower so we can eat and leave. I let you sleep in a bit since I kept you up until 2:00AM but we need to hurry to the station today."

"Yes sir. I'm on it, lieutenant!"

Izuku winked at his lover and began to walk away but not before the elder man gave a swift slap to his backside.

. . .

The two lovers put on their coats to head outside, Izuku dressed freshly in a new jacket that Katsuki had bought him. It was a simple navy peacoat with golden buttons. His rose-embroidered bomber jacket was officially given away to charity when Shouto asked him about it one day.

The greenette had awkwardly explained how it came to be in his possession during their new found 'family dinners' together. Without hesitation Shouto told him he should give it away—rid himself of the jacket to bring about better energy. Katsuki quietly agreed and offered to buy a replacement.

After that Izuku decided to give the beautiful jacket to charity, feeling bittersweet about it. But parting ways with the article of clothing did free up a part of him that still felt tangled with Touya.

And now wearing a jacket that Katsuki bought him, Izuku was happy that Shouto spoke up. This was better—it _felt_ better.

On their walk over to the precinct, Katsuki explained how the final post-Ground Alpha murder was being wrapped up after six long weeks. All the officers at U.A had been tied up in trying to track down any leads that way but Dabi and Nine had covered their tracks flawlessly.

The news articles started referring to the incident as _'The Red Dawn'_ because of the staggering number of murders that had been reported during sunrise.

But now, six weeks later, it was finally all coming to a close.

Izuku declined to attend the capital punishment of the Shigarakis during this time. He couldn't find it in himself to be a person who enjoyed the loss of life in others, no matter who they were. But it did give him back a tiny fragment of peace knowing the dangerous men could no longer inflict pain on others.

Now it was time to get Dabi.

During the six weeks, the team had exhausted each murder case until it only left them with one more option: attempt to snuff out where Dabi planted his home base.

"I've decided to go straight for finding his headquarters," Katsuki explained in a serious manner into the chilled air. "Yagi advised a less aggressive approach but Dabi is too dangerous and he's been sitting peacefully too long. His arson attacks are taking longer in between them because they get bigger each strike. Whatever he's planning on next is sure to be close to hellfire and we need to prevent it."

Izuku nodded, thinking about the man in the gas mask. His skin crept with a distinct, uncanny chills that only Dabi could evoke. It was cold, strangely familiar and as terrifying as The Red Dawn. The young detective's mind wouldn't allow him to forget the vivid image of the masked man slowly bringing his finger up to his lips as if covering up a blood-stained secret.

The couple arrived inside the precinct and Katsuki's first order of the morning was to call everyone assigned to the arson case into the debrief room. All the colorful U.A officers filed in one by one, Kirishima and Mina gave him a quick hello and Momo gave him one of her soft smiles.

Shouto came in, dressed fully in his patrol outfit for the rest of the day and sat directly next to the youngest detective. They conversed casually as Katsuki fully slipped into his commander's role. Izuku sat quietly as the blond officer pinned a large map of the entire Shizuoka City province to the board with Shizuoka City and Yaizu already crossed off with red 'X's.

"Alright, let's get started," Katsuki's assertive voice called as he backed away from the map. Off to the side were photographs of three arson incidents thus far pinned up.

The bank on Kaze Ave. The three houses on Ichirizuka Street. Then finally, the entire block on Uchi Street.

Izuku felt a darkness spill into his core as he stared upon the petrifying destruction in the photos. Every building had been seared all the way down to the ground and left behind a mark as black as Dabi's heart. A strange painful pull was stirred inside his chest as he gazed upon the Uchi Street photographs. He knew somewhere in the grey ashes were all the last remains of his parents that Dabi had ripped away from him.

In that moment, Izuku decided Katsuki was right to go straight for Dabi's head before he could do any more damage. He imagined it as if Katsuki was cutting off a King Cobra's head before it could have the chance to sink its fangs in a victim and release deadly poison.

"We're going to try to snuff out where this bastard is hiding," Katsuki said with a stone like expression. "All the leads and witnesses say his base isn't in Shizuoka City or Yaizu and after exhausting all the murder cases for clues, doing this is our best bet."

The blond walked up to the map with a red marker and boxed off the large land mass in between Shizuoka City and Yaizu.

"After giving it some thought, I think the most logical explanation is that Dabi set up his headquarters somewhere in between Yaizu and Shizuoka City," Katsuki said as he pointed to the marked off area. "He needs quick access to both of his territories, so I doubt he's too far since he likes to do the dirty work himself."

"That's a lot of places, Bakugou," Iida mumbled as he walked up to the board. "What if he's not even in this area? He could've set up his headquarters on the outskirts of either Shizuoka City or Yaizu."

"Well then, after we examine the cities within this red box we can start to look elsewhere. But I have a hunch a man who needs to get around quickly is going to be closer than we think."

"I think the Lieutenant is right," Izuku said this time, cutting into the talk. "If we try to pinpoint where he could be, it would be most logical he chose a place of equal distance. I know the distance between Shizouka and Yaizu is about twenty four kilometers, but you have to take into account all the forest reserve areas since they can't build a headquarters there."

The longer he looked at the map, his mind started making vivid interconnections of the two cities and he could picture some of the different places in between he had been. It wasn't before long that he was lost in his own mind, staring at the map and muttering to himself more than the other detectives.

"So...that means it _won't_ be whichever town is exactly twelve kilometers from Yaizu and Shizouka," Izuku said thoughtfully with his hand over his mouth and eyebrows creased deeply. "We have to find a place that's not twelve kilometers, per se, but a place that still maintains equal distance. But we have to think about the railroads blocking pathways. Then there's the curve of the shore line and also what would be less conspicuous and what place would be easy to hide in plain sight after The Red Dawn so probably not larger cities—"

Denki's low whistle snapped Izuku out of his thought process.

The green eyed detective blinked a couple of times when he pulled himself back and tore his focus off the map. He glanced around and everyone was staring at him in both a surprised and impressed manner.

A proud smirk was pinned on Katsuki's lips.

Izuku gave an apologetic smile and leaned backwards. "Ah, sorry for rambling. I tend to do that a lot."

"Get up here, Midoriya," Katsuki called. The commanding officer gestured to him to come to the front of the room with a knowing smirk. Izuku raised his eyebrows, surprised.

"Me?" The flustered greenette pointed to himself just to be sure.

"Yeah, you." Katsuki nodded and gestured with his hand again for Izuku to stand up. "Use that big brain of yours and find me what the dead center could be with all those variables in mind. That's the first place we'll start looking."

Izuku bubbled with new nerves. He had never been called up during a debriefing before but he nodded and muttered a soft "okay." Katsuki's encouraging gaze kept him from feeling too queasy about making a possible mistake in front of his squad as he grabbed the red marker from the elder man.

The freckled detective took a deep breath in as he looked at the board in front of him and all the different towns and cities. He took into account again all the variables he listed, crossing off towns that were either too close to Yaizu or Shizuoka city and crossing off the forest preserve areas. His hand worked fast as his brow creased deeply in concentration when he started quickly jotting down calculations on the surface.

Too busy running all the numbers in his mind, the young detective missed the impressed looks from everyone in the room and the wide, proud grin that fanned across Katsuki's face.

Izuku mumbled one last number to himself and dragged his hand north. His pen landed on a singular black dot.

"—Here," he said finally, and everyone quickly stood up to see.

But when Izuku pulled back his hand and revealed the name his heart stopped. All the air in the room stopped moving and his throat became tight at the traffic jam of words as he gazed upon the location.

"Kuromata," Katsuki said the name for him as he looked at the lines and numbers Izuku scribbled on the map. "It's exactly thirty kilometers north from both Yaizu and Shizuoka City. Good job, Midoriya. I had a feeling you'd be the best to figure it out."

But instead of replying, Izuku stayed overcome by silence.

The young detective stepped away from the map and capped the pen. His gut twisted painfully as he failed to conjure up words on his tongue. All the memories of him and Touya flooded in without proper warning and all he saw was himself and Touya, sitting side by side in the dense forest. He saw those turquoise eyes staring sadly at him.

"_When all this All For One business is all said and done and when we figure this out—which we will—let's make good memories here."_

"_Like what?"_

"_If we ever get engaged, let's take our engagement photos here. I-It would be nice to have a more forestry theme to them, right? Something fresh out of a fairytale." _

Too lost in his own head, the youngest detective didn't sense Shouto shift to stand beside him. The tall sergeant tilted his head curious as he assessed the marked up map as well.

"It seems like there's two other cities in the vicinity," Shouto commented while pointing to the other close names on the map. "Fujieda and Kozeto both come in close second if he wasn't able to exactly get dead center."

"I'll fucking take it," Katsuki said with a shrug. "We'll investigate Kuromata, Fujieda _and_ Kozeto tomorrow. I'm dispatching teams of three and I want you all in these cities before the crack of dawn to begin investigations."

Everyone nodded and Izuku glanced down at the ground trying to shake himself of Touya's ghost. It felt like the weight of his dead lover always seemed to haunt him.

"I want you all to try to pick up on anything suspicious. I mean _anything_," Katsuki continued, staring at all his subordinates earnestly. "If there's something that doesn't feel right to you, trust your gut and write that shit down. You hear me?"

Izuku mulled over Katsuki's words, picking them apart in his head the longer as his eyes locked onto the tiny black dot on the map. He studied the characters that spelled out Kuromata in bold, black ink and his stomach felt nauseated.

"Clear as day," Kirishima said with a grin and gave a thumbs up. Mina smiled and gave one as well.

"If nothing comes back up in these three towns we're going to keep going until we do find something in other towns before he can strike again," Katsuki explained. Izuku watched as the fire in Katsuki's eyes danced and flickered as the commander looked at the photographs of the damage done by Dabi. "We're putting an end to this shit."

"Got it, Lieutenant," Momo spoke up. "What are the teams?"

"Yaoyorozu, Iida, Sero. You're on Fujieda," Katsuki said while pointing to each person with his pointer finger. "Kirishima, Kaminari and Ashido, you're on Kozeto." Then finally Katsuki turned to Shouto and Izuku. "Todoroki and Midoriya, you're both with me. We're going to Kuromata."

Shouto and Izuku both nodded, and quickly Katsuki caught the pensive mood flowing off Izuku because of the lack of words.

Green eyes darted off to the side in a contemplative manner, wondering if he should even bring up Touya of all people. He danced around the notion of confessing that Kuromata was supposed to be his and Touya's special place—then he fathomed how that would sound to both Katsuki and Shouto.

He bit his tongue on it despite the small nagging feeling in his head. He had to draw the line of professionalism and personal matters like Katsuki and Shouto did so effortlessly. Mentioning that Kuromata was where he and Touya were supposed to be _engaged_ didn't feel professional. It felt disrespectful to both Katsuki and Shouto and even went beyond blurring the line of work and personal issues.

So Izuku stayed quiet.

The meeting continued with Katsuki leading and giving specifics on how to approach gauging the cities and then Izuku compiled a list of other possible cities in case the three they chose turned out to be dead ends. He listed them from most likely to least and they realized they could possibly cover more ground by teaming up with Monoma's squad—but Katsuki said that was for another day.

One by one all the officers shuffled out of the room with their notepads leaving behind a pensive Izuku staring at the map. Shouto was beside him taking down his last notes and Katsuki on Izuku's other side, studying the side of Izuku's freckled face.

The youngest detective shook his head before turning to the sergeant in the room with a kind smile. "Are you okay with third-wheeling with us, Shouto?" Izuku asked, trying to distract his mind.

Shouto turned to him with a kind, close lipped smile. "Of course I mind third-wheeling. I am clearly a _fourth_ wheel."

Silence dropped between the three of them.

Izuku's face scrunched up in confusion and Katsuki did a double take and frowned deeply. Shouto blinked, perplexed by the lack of laughing.

"What? That was a joke. It's supposed to be funny," Shouto explained and Izuku found himself snickering lightly as he replayed the bad joke in his head and found himself unable to understand it.

Katsuki opened his mouth and raised his hand at the youngest Todoroki in exhaustion. "How the hell was that supposed to be funny, half and half?"

"Because it's ironic," Shouto said and looked between the two others as if it was plain as day what he was trying to say.

"What...what was the ironic part?" Izuku asked slowly, trying to hide his smile over how awkward Shouto really was. He found it amusing to know one of Shizuoka City's 'top bachelors' was always rather oblivious in everyday life.

"The irony is you both know I don't mind spending time with you two as I couple, I wouldn't have started coming over for dinner once a week if that was the case. And I am the fourth born of my family, hence I am the _fourth_ wheel."

Izuku busted into a fit of laughter and Katsuki gave a deep sigh while he pinched the bridge of his nose. The lieutenant closed his eyes, crossed his arms and grumbled a curse under his breath.

"_Shouto_," Katsuki said in a tired manner. "I say this as a comrade in the nicest way I know how: you have a lot of talents, but humor sure as hell isn't one of them."

"What are you talking about? I have a great sense of humor," Shouto proclaimed. Izuku watched the youngest Todoroki huff and cross his arms like he was offended before gesturing to the green eyed man. "Izuku laughs at my jokes all the time."

"What fucking jokes are you talking about? I've known you since I was _nineteen_. I've never heard you say a single damn joke in my life."

"I said a joke last week," Shouto said. "When I compared you and Akira's hair to being similar in texture. Izuku laughed at it." Red eyes turned to Izuku confused and the greenette grimaced. Izuku rubbed the back of his neck and gave a small shrug.

"Uh, I truthfully thought you were just making an observation," Izuku said in a shy voice as Shouto's face started to look like a kicked puppy. "B-But it was sort of funny! I was going to test if Akira's dog shampoo would work on Katsuki one day out of curiosity."

"The fuck?" Now it was Katsuki's turn to look at Izuku unamused. "When the hell were you going to do this—"

"—So you _don't_ think I'm funny?" Shouto cut Katsuki off, looking at Izuku very seriously.

"Of course he doesn't, you weirdo," Katsuki barked as he gathered up his papers. He folded the map up tightly and took down all the photographs. "Izuku is just too nice to tell you otherwise—but I ain't. You're not fucking funny."

"Izuku, is this true?" Shouto asked in a voice that made Izuku's flight activate. There was _no_ _way_ he was going to be the one to tell him.

"...Um, I think I hear Ochaco calling for me." Izuku turned his face away, sucking in his lips to strain his laughter as he shuffled out of the room quicker than Shouto could stop him.

"_Midoriya_! Wait! I would like an answer—"

. . .

The rest of the work day was spent with all the officers going about their routines. Everyone helped citizens that came into the precinct and were dispatched on calls. The curly haired detective took two extra dispatch calls to avoid answering Shouto's pestering about if Izuku found him humorous or not. Izuku didn't have the heart to tell him when his friend made a face that was too close to Akira's begging expression.

When the day's end finally came, Izuku and Katsuki found themselves sitting on their couch preparing themselves for their investigation in the morning.

The blond had his glasses on looking over all the photos of Kuromata on his laptop while Izuku was making detailed sketches of both Dabi and Nine from his memory and witness testimonials. The artist read over each witness' description of the deadly duo until he felt like he had somewhat pieced together images of both men in his head.

As he was drawing Dabi's portrait, Izuku found himself drawn into it like a near black hole. He tried to stay focused but all he could see were the gruesome burns on the man's neck that matched the stranger from the bar in Yaizu. Then he felt the way the Dabi grabbed his wrist and touched his earring. And finally, he recalled the black painted wolf mask that obscured his face.

As he was breathing to life the image of a man he'd never fully seen, Izuku felt his hand begin to make strangely familiar strokes the second he began to draw Dabi's eyes.

Izuku paused.

The young artist studied Dabi's sharp eyes that he had drawn and glanced towards the witness description to double check himself.

"Are you okay?" Katsuki's voice called to him, drawing him back to reality. "You keep spacing out."

"Y-Yeah," Izuku whispered and put down his pencil slowly. He shook his head and buried the small impossible comparison deep inside of his mind. "I'm fine. Just focused on making sure I get these portraits of Dabi and Nine correct. There's a couple of misalignments in a few of the witnesses, like where Dabi's burn lines begin and end exactly."

Katsuki nodded, seeming like he accepted the information until he slowly closed his laptop. Izuku made a confused hum when Katsuki pursed his lips and turned to him with a concerned look.

"What was that quietness earlier in the debriefing room after you circled Kuromata?" The blond man asked directly, not beating around the bush. "Did I make you uncomfortable by putting you on the spot? I had just wanted to give you a chance to shine and get comfortable with talking more in debriefings, sorry if it was too forward."

"Oh, no! Not that at all," Izuku quickly clarified. "I'm actually really happy you pushed me to do that. It felt good to be useful to the team when I'm one of the lower ranks. You're the first superior I've had that actually pushes me to be better and I really love that about you." Izuku hoped that was enough to satiate his lover, but of course Katsuki had his sixth sense already honed in.

"So nothing was wrong then? You kept staring at the map as if there was some invisible writing waiting to appear."

Izuku glanced down at the portrait of Dabi in his lap and toyed with the gears inside his brain. "To be truthful, I was just thrown off by something personal. It has nothing to do with the case...but it made me feel weird."

"Like what?"

"Remember how I said before I came up with the bomb plans, Touya had taken me to a large forest to relax and try to calm down?"

Katsuki hummed thoughtfully. "Briefly. There was a lot to take in but I remember the gist of it, yes."

"It was in Kuromata," Izuku whispered, finally saying the name of the town after avoiding it for so long. The word felt strange to say after nearly four years. Katsuki's eyes went wide at the connection and winced when a crestfallen expression landed inside of Izuku's viridian eyes.

"Shit, I'm sorry, 'zuku. I didn't realize."

"It's okay, it was a minor detail and easily forgettable," Izuku said with a shrug. He leaned his head back against the couch and stared up at the tall ceiling above their heads. "I guess that's why I was off put. I hadn't thought about Kuromata in years. Touya always referred to it as 'the forest he called home' because he spent so much time there when he was homeless."

Katsuki didn't say anything as he took off his glasses and placed the item on the wooden living room table in front of the couch. Izuku watched the blond turn his whole body towards him but didn't mutter a word.

Crimson eyes studied him closely as if Katsuki knew he wasn't finished.

"It was where we were supposed to be engaged," Izuku confessed, treading carefully. He saw a flash of trepidation in Katsuki's eyes that quickly was buried. "W-We never actually got engaged, F.Y.I. We had only discussed it a couple of times and planned out a small timeline."

"That makes this really bittersweet then," Katsuki whispered, eyes skirting off to the side. "Is that the landscape I saw in your old college sketchbook then? The one where you...had the bruises," his lover's voice trailed off at the end.

"Yeah, actually. That's the one," Izuku whispered as something clicked in his mind.

The artist rose from the couch to walk into the small art studio around the corner and pull said sketchbook from his bookshelf. He walked back into the living room and flipped through the pages. He quickly passed by a half-completed portrait of Touya and his own grim self portraits of himself with dark bruises covering his freckles.

He stopped when his hand turned to the very last page in the book. The old pencil drawing looked just like the last time he saw it. It was scratchy, sporadic and rendered to the best of his abilities four years ago. Both sets of eyes studied the massive entangled foliage on the page and how vines wrapped around the abandoned bridge.

"Can I say something freely?" Katsuki said slowly.

"Of course, Kacchan," Izuku nodded with a smile. His lover reached over, delicately took the sketchbook out of his hands, closed it as he set it on the table in front of them.

"I think it's always good to look back on memories. To feel fond of what you've experienced, but it becomes dangerous when you dwell too much." Katsuki started his speech as he spoke slowly. "I know what you went through was fucking _awful_, and I will never tell you how to grieve. But I do want you to be able to live happily one day where the mention of something related to Touya doesn't bother you this much. I think..I think you are still holding on to parts of him and not letting go fully."

Izuku averted his gaze because Katsuki wasn't wrong. He felt the weight of Touya's golden hoop earring against his lobe more clearly.

He thought about what he saw in Touya's file and how happy his ex looked next to the dead body of a police officer. The freckled detective was still coming to terms with the tainted image of Touya in his mind after he held the redhead on top of a pedestal for saving his life.

But Katsuki was right.

Maybe Touya kept reappearing in his mind again and again because there was still a part of him that couldn't let go all the way.

"You're right," Izuku said as his eyes averted downwards. He reached out for Katsuki's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry. I know this is weird for you, being my boyfriend to hear me talk about my dead ex. I was just caught off guard by the fact I'm going back to someplace I never thought I was going to go to again."

"It's okay, I get it," Katsuki said with a smile. "How does that make you feel to be going back there with me and Shouto instead of Touya?"

Izuku prodded his tongue against his cheek as he thought about it.

"I don't think there's any word for it," he settled on, brows creasing deeply. "It feels like I'm stepping through some time loop that shouldn't be open. Like an accidental glitch in the system and I can't help but feel weary about it. A large part of me wants to close whatever glitch this is and never step foot there again—but the other half of me almost wants to go back. See if it's the same.

"But there's another part of me that is _angry,_" Izuku hissed through his clenched teeth. A feeling in his chest tightened as he gripped Katsuki's hand more. "I think I'm angry with myself because after all of these years I'm upset I still feel like this over something so _simple_. Shizuoka province has so many forests in it. Why should it matter that I'm going to the _one_ Touya was attached to?"

"It matters. Don't undermine your emotions like that."

Izuku felt his discomfort put at ease the longer ember colored eyes stared into his. There Izuku found trust, understanding and patience. He calmed down before muttering a soft apology.

"I-I shouldn't be saying this to you. I'm sorry," Izuku whispered. "I should've saved this one for my therapy session on Wednesday."

"You can talk to me about anything. Even the past chapters of your life while we're building the new one."

"It has been a pretty good chapter so far," Izuku laughed at the metaphor. "You always make me feel so calm and balanced."

"Missing puzzle pieces remember?" Katsuki smirked widely as he playfully flicked the silver charm hanging from Izuku's wrist. "You complete my puzzle as much as I complete yours."

Izuku smiled and felt all his unease gently put away as he focused on Katsuki.

Katsuki was the present. Katsuki was kind, understanding, and loved him. Katsuki was someone who soared above the crowds and fiercely protected those who needed him with invisible wings that spanned as large as his personality and fierceness.

He was more than a good person; his heart was as golden as his hair.

And Katsuki was alive—Touya wasn't. Touya was the past.

In that moment while studying Katsuki and Akira in their newfound home, the green eyed man decided to take his lover's advice. He was going to actively take that final step to put Touya behind him once and for all. No matter how bitter the feeling.

Later that evening, the blinds in their warm home were shut and Katsuki passed out around 9:00pm on the couch. Izuku found himself awake and alone watching a movie in the dark. He opened his college sketchbook that had been placed on the table next to his new one and flipped the small book to a very specific page.

Sitting on the white page was the half finished pencil portrait of Touya. Green eyes glanced at his newly rendered portrait of Dabi and it felt like an invisible entity moved his hands for him. He aligned the two portraits next to each other and noted how similar the eyes were in shape.

Witnesses even said Dabi had blue eyes.

The only difference was Touya's eyes were full of love and Dabi's were cold and blank. Izuku exhaled roughly because he felt like maybe he was going crazy seeing similarities between the two drawings—it was a long shot. But the similarities were there, however small they may be. He could see them with the shape of the faces being the same and how despite having entirely different hair colors, they both had messy spiked locks.

However, the differences between the portraits were louder and stood out more.

Dabi's burns and piercing were so intense—_menacing. _They covered the majority of his face and the stoic expression felt as though the arsonist was staring at him like a deadly wolf. His pitch-black hair was cut shorter on the sides and he had an air about him that was deeply disturbing.

When Izuku studied Dabi's portrait it evoked nothing but disgust.

But when Izuku glanced at Touya's smiling portrait, void of piercings and burns, he felt a mix of emotions. Hurt. Confusion. Residue fondness.

Green eyes drifted into another, unnamed yet familiar emotion the longer he thought about Touya and what he saw in the redhead's file. What was inside the red folder was the truth. It was the harsh, cold truth that was screaming in Izuku's ear to face reality: he had cared for Touya, but Touya was never a good person. The redhead didn't care for others.

His heart panged emptily.

"Why does it always keep coming back to you?" He murmured softly.

. . .

When the morning came, Katsuki and Izuku dressed in plain clothing and put their badges in the wallets for a casual clothes appearance. Katsuki wore a black sweater and jeans, while Izuku dressed in a dark blue turtleneck and black jeans. They laced up their winter boots while putting on matching red hats. Each officer's gun was concealed under their winter jackets as they headed out of the apartment towards Shouto's car.

The sun had yet to rise, and the sky was a desaturated blue. The birds chirped as the smell of crisp morning dew filled the air that Izuku always loved.

Katsuki opened the door for the passenger seat as Izuku climbed into the back. Once comfortable, the green haired man closed his eyes to relax and lean his head back on the leather interior of Shouto's car. The entire ride to Kuromata was peaceful as he listened to the sound of the car's engine and other vehicles passing them by.

Katsuki and Shouto discussed the early morning, and how the weather was slowly creeping back up to a higher temperature. Izuku smiled gently listening to Shouto poke fun at the fact Katsuki didn't own a car.

"I'm just saying, a motorcycle is a little impractical if you don't even drive it during winter," Shouto commented. "I have both a bike and a car, why haven't you invested yet?"

"Get off my case," Katsuki grumbled. "Spring will be here in about a month and my baby Ground Zero will be back in commission in no time. I'll buy a car whenever I see fit, otherwise I prefer walking places."

Izuku could hear the cocky smirk on his lover's face.

The greenette leaned against the window, the glass was slightly chilled against his skin as he watched how the cityscapes they passed by slowly progressed into the countryside. Large skyscrapers were replaced with thick trees and mountains covered lightly in half melted snow the higher into the mountains they drove. Izuku's ears popped with the change in altitude as they came closer to the town that was wedged into a mountain's valley.

When they arrived at the entrance of Kuromata, it was somehow exactly the same as he left it nearly four years ago.

Shouto parked the car to the side of the dirt road when the pathway ended on a cliff, indicating it was all on foot from here on out. All three detectives slowly got out of the car with their bags to stare at the vibrant visual in front of them.

"Wow," Shouto whispered, his eyes taking in the breathtaking sight. "This is beautiful."

"Yeah...it is." Katsuki agreed while he stared down at the large land of forest beneath them. Izuku said nothing as they all three walked to the edge of the cliff to gaze downwards at the small town of Kuromata. Inside the nook of the valley, Izuku could see the town area. The people below their feet were as small as ants and there was endless forest stretching beyond the horizon.

Each detective studied the lush land in front of them noticing different details as the golden sun rose.

Katsuki first saw the large river that was in the distance. He could see it from above the cliff ledge and he saw how the water ran smoothly through the town and disappeared into the distance, melting into the greenery.

Izuku noticed the small buds on the trees near them. He saw how they struggled to grow in the frigid cold and he briefly wondered what type of flower they were.

Shouto noticed the changing winds. The air in the mountains was heavier and it blew fiercely. The trees shook with the fierce breeze that brought in a warm temperature from the south and a cooler zephyr from the north.

But all three detectives noticed the rising sun that slowly pulled itself up from the blue horizon. Evocative warm colors of bright orange, red, and yellow poured over Kuromata and the trio standing above its grounds.

When the hot sun was shining down on all their faces, Izuku felt a shift in the air.

Katsuki was the first to make a move. "Let's get the ball rolling."

Both Shouto and Izuku nodded and followed the blond leader down into the valley towards the town. The steps down were made of old stone and spoke to the preserved cultural aspects of the smaller town. They walked over the river on a tiny stone bridge that had painted red railing until they passed straight into what seemed to be the bustling marketplace.

Men, women and children were already up and about in the small town, completing trades, chores and shuffling goods between each other. Izuku caught a small breeze of a mouthwatering aroma of food from the yet-to-open restaurants prepping their stock for the day.

They strolled into the marketplace and immediately Izuku's eyes went wide at how full of life the townspeople were.

"Where should we start?" Shouto asked. "This is a rather larger place that I anticipated."

"Let's just start asking some of the sellers questions. Purchase food or whatever to come off as friendly," Katsuki answered as they blended into the dense crowd.

The trio went stand to stand asking the various people if they had seen any suspicious activities around town recently or a flooding of newcomers. Izuku watched how some people answered truthfully.

"No, I don't think I have, sorry."

"Haven't seen anything suspicious to be honest. Too busy with trying to sell my fish."

"Nothing out of the usual, here. May I offer you some freshly imported roses?"

But then Izuku noticed the unusual skittish behavior of others. Their eyes would skate to the side or scrutinize the three men in front of them. Even asked what their names were. One restaurant owner closed his doors when he saw them approach after word had gotten around about the trio asking very specific questions.

Katsuki sighed when they came to the end of the marketplace with no new leads. "There's something wrong in the way some of these people are acting guarded. The other half seem like they really don't know—but something is off here."

"I agree," Shouto muttered, putting his hand on his chin. Izuku glanced over his shoulder to see a young man stare suspiciously at him. "They probably know we're cops by now. Maybe we should split up? Seems more approachable and less suspicious that way."

"That's actually not a bad idea," Katsuki murmured while pulling out his phone. "Let's meet up back here in three hours, okay? Tread lightly and don't show anyone the sketches Izuku did of Dabi and Nine unless you think they can give you a lead. We don't want to trip an alarm. Izuku, you go around to the residential area, Shouto you wait for the restaurants to open and question the owners. I'll go look in the business district."

"Got it," both Shouto and Izuku said in unison, then the trio split their separate ways.

. . .

Izuku walked in the cold air alone towards the residential area that was lined with tiny houses. They were made of wood and sometimes stone with various plants and statues in the front. He went door to door knocking with a polite smile, sometimes getting turned away but overall people seemed more open to answering questions when he was by himself.

About an hour into the questioning, he arrived at one particular red door. It was a small cozy house on the outskirts of the residential area and sat closely to the thick forest. Izuku knocked and waited, but his eyes wandered behind him to stare into the forest that seemed to swallow the light and casted dark shadows.

When the door answered, he was met with an elderly woman several inches shorter than him. He smiled sweetly at her before he introduced himself.

"Good morning, ma'am. I'm Detective Midoriya from Shizuoka City and if you have a moment to answer some questions, I would be greatly appreciative," he said while showing his badge.

"Oh, a young police officer!" Her voice encompassed a delightful smile. "Please, come inside to ask your questions. It's too cold outside."

Her hair was long and silver, pulled back into a tight bun. Delicate crow's feet sprayed from her eyes and melted into the creases in her face when she gestured for him to come into her home. She clutched her purple cardigan closely to her small body as Izuku walked inside.

The freckled detective sat down in the small home in the wooden chair and looked at all the different green plants hanging around. He noted the three cats sleeping in the windowsill that were soaking up the warm sun beams. On the walls were photographs of what seemed to be her in her youth and photos of a girl guessed to be the woman's daughter. She had warm brown hair and large brown eyes as big as the moon.

"This is a lovely home you have," Izuku bright smiled as she sat down with tea. "Everyone here is up very early."

"We're a town that rises with the sun," she laughed, filling Izuku's cup. "Please call me Chiyo, Detective Midoriya. Now, what questions did you have?"

"My partners and I have reason to believe there might be some suspicious activity happening here relating to a very dangerous man we're trying to find," Izuku explained softly. "He's known for deadly arson and was responsible for the Red Dawn event that happened six weeks ago."

"Ah, that day. What a tragedy, I heard about that from my daughter, Luna. She works in Shizuoka City," she whispered. Her brown eyes glanced at the photos on the wall of the family. "If we're being honest, after that day I did notice an influx of new people coming in and out. Never seen them before. Felt like they blew in with the winds of the changing season."

"What were these people like?" Izuku pushed, his attention perked at the first person to mention something out of the ordinary.

"They don't speak to anyone. They kept their heads down and they had an odd air about them. I see them come in and out and they've been working on something inside of the woods," she whispered like it was a secret. "I found it peculiar because they dressed rich but they seemed heavily interested in doing whatever they were doing in the back of the woods."

Izuku shuffled in his seat and pulled out his sketchbook, turning to the two pages that held Dabi and Nine's sketched faces.

"Would one of these men happen to be familiar to you?" Izuku asked. The elderly woman reached down in her cardigan's pockets to pull out her glasses and hummed. She nodded and lifted to a finger to point to Nine's face.

"This fella. He comes by the market a lot and he's the one that always takes those people in the back of the woods," she confirmed. "I haven't seen this one. I would remember a face that burned."

Izuku felt happy with the lead but a pang of disappointment filled his chest by the fact Nine was identified and not Dabi. But at least this meant they had a confirmation of the two criminals being in town.

"Thank you so much!" Izuku perked. "This was incredibly helpful. Did you happen to hear about what they could possibly be doing inside the forest?"

"No, but I'm as suspicious as you are," she hummed while sipping her tea. "Every time I ask one of my neighbors they don't know anything. This is why I don't like city folk bringing in their city folk ways."

Izuku gave her a gentle kind smile as she continued talking, going off topic.

He listened to her and jotted down notes that he felt like might be helpful for later. As he drank down the warm spiced tea, his green eyes couldn't help but keep glancing out the window to the dark, dense forest.

. . .

Katsuki had told him to stay within the residential area for questioning but when Izuku left the woman's house, he couldn't help but keep glancing backwards at the dense forest. The canopy of the trees were tightly packed together, casting a deep, black shadow and it nearly felt endless as no light could get in.

Izuku looked over his shoulder and made a mental note to apologize to Katsuki later as he started to walk towards the forest. He allowed himself to be engulfed into the shadows as he stepped foot into the frozen soil of the dark forest.

His heart hammered in his chest because deep down part of him was being called to the forest due to his past with Touya—but another half wanted to know what exactly the woman was referring to.

Izuku carefully ducked under branches and treaded lightly the deeper he went into the forest until he reached a familiar clearing. It was the ledge where he and Touya had sat down the night before Izuku hatched the plan that spiraled his life out of control.

There he stood, alone. He glanced around at the dead plants on the ground that were frozen with the frigid winter. The snow blanketed the ground, covering the train tracks Izuku knew were underneath.

The young detective's ear twitched at the sound of the running river beneath him as he peered downwards over the edge. There he saw the rushing tides working their way downstream, unforgiving in their rapid currents. The fall off the edge was as steep as he remembered.

He looked down at the snow covered train tracks and kicked the ground lightly to push aside the snow just to see if they were the same as he remembered. But when the snow was shuffled to the side, it revealed a strange silver wire embedded in the ground.

Izuku's face scrunched up in confusion and he slowly bent down to examine it further.

He used his gloved hand to clear the area and saw the small metal wire go further and further towards the bridge that led deeper into the dark woods. He made a mental note how it looked new. Unlike the metallic surface of the train tracks, it was void of any wear and tear or reddish rust.

Eyes the same color as the trees trailed up to stare at the abandoned train-tracks spanning across the large river. He stared intensely at the other side of the forest and squinted to see if he could see anything in the condensed darkness but only blackness stared back at him.

Curiosity prickled at his nape and Izuku made a move to walk across the tracks, but the second he took a step on the bridge, the wind howled in his ear like a warning.

Izuku clenched his teeth and shivered unwillingly when the cold air struck hard against his ears. He quickly snapped his hands up to his ears to protect them from the unforgiving winter winds.

But his body truly froze when he touched the small golden hoop earring in his ear.

"_You are still holding on to parts of him and not letting go fully."_

Katsuki's words echoed clearly and Izuku felt his body fall slack as he lightly toyed with the small metal item he had grown attached to.

_Let go._

With a shaky hand Izuku reached up and unhooked the golden hoop from his ear and stared down at it in his gloved palm. It felt heavier than it seemed, weighed down with all the fond rose colored memories it encompassed.

"_Angels have green eyes, who would've guessed?" _

"_I love you, Izuku. You mean the world to me."_

"_...Would you marry me at that point?" _

"_We'll figure this out. Then when we do, I'm going to propose to you and we're going to have our happy ending." _

The winds howled louder and Izuku clutched the golden hoop earring in his hand to prevent it from being lost to the wind.

The freckled young adult squeezed his eyes shut when a sudden pain struck like lightning in his ribcage. His chest heaved when the waves of grief crashed against his heart once again and he choked back a sob. The tides of his sorrow broke against the shoreline of his core when he reopened his fist and eyes.

This time he was able to clearly see past the rose-tinted veil he always viewed Touya through.

"_Why the hell did you make me do that in front of people, Izuku? Just fucking listen to me next time."_

"—_Because you fucking deserved it this time!"_

"_You're so goddamn weak that I have to take charge because you can't do it for yourself."_

"_Good. Maybe it needs to hurt for you to finally fucking listen me."_

Izuku clenched his teeth when a repressed emotion sitting deep inside of him fought its way up to the surface.

It had been laying dormant for years, forced down over and over by all the false, loving ideals he wrapped Touya inside of all the time. The feeling grew as he thought about the reality of Touya. The _real_ Touya he saw in that folder. He thought about all the things he was promised but never was given—all the lies and destruction that was brought into his life.

All the broken promises were like shattered glass. They were sharp, dangerously fractured shards that Izuku bled his palms every time he tried to pick one up. He tried with all his might to force all the pieces back together because he always wanted to believe Touya.

He _always_ believed in Touya.

He believed when Touya promised he wouldn't hit him again. He believed Touya when the redhead promised he wasn't involved in drugs a second time. He believed Touya when the redhead said he knew what was best. He believed Touya when the other told him he was overthinking his isolation. He _always_ put his faith in Touya but the only thing he received in return were dark secrets. None of what he was promised was ever going to be true.

Touya _knew_ he was lying but promised him empty ideals to keep him caged.

The emotion boiled hotter until Izuku allowed himself to feel it fully for the first time. It was a fierce emotion that Izuku always felt too guilty to feel. He told himself he _couldn't_ feel it over and over because of how things ended.

But the longer he stared at the tiny reminder in his palm, Izuku's nostrils flared. He balled his hand into a tight fist until he felt his fingers dig painfully into his skin. The orphan reeled his arm back, harnessing all his hurt, anger and frustration and threw the last of Touya's memory as far away from him as he could.

The tiny item caught the light as it dropped down into the river and was carried away with the tide. A single tear slipped out from Izuku's eyes while he watched the river far below his feet take away the last of Touya.

Three words Izuku wanted to say to his past lover years ago stung against his tongue when he spoke next.

"I hate you."

. . .

Izuku walked out of the forest feeling both lighter due to finally allowing himself to feel all of emotions freely and somewhat disgruntled by what could've been on the other side of the bridge.

He dried his tears and refocused on the main reason he found himself back in Kuromata. The young detective searched carefully around the woods for any more odd metal wires, but the only one was the one leading deeper into the forest across the bridge.

He stared at the other side of the suspended railroad, unsure if he should venture inside. But when he heard a loud shuffle come from the other side of the bridge, goosebumps rose under his clothes. Izuku backed away without a question.

He deemed it unsafe to go alone and quickly he made his way out. The freckled man worked his way out of the woods, following the pathway of sunlight to the other side and resumed his questioning while keeping in mind what he saw. He talked to several other witnesses who said the same thing as Chiyo did. They reported a wave of men coming in and out of Kuromata and they doing something inside of the forest that no one knew of.

Izuku toyed with the idea of Dabi's gang making The Incinerator deep inside of the woods, discreet and out of sight. It made sense and it was plausible.

When the three hour mark hit, Izuku made his way back to the marketplace. Waiting for him in the sun was Shouto and Katsuki talking casually but looking very serious.

"Did you guys find anything?" Izuku asked out loud as he walked up to his squad members, but he was quickly hushed by Katsuki.

"We'll talk in the car," the lieutenant said in a low voice. "I don't think it's safe to discuss it publicly." Izuku nodded in understanding when he could feel eyes on the back of his head.

The trio walked slowly back up the valley to the parked car until they were safely inside, out of ear shot. Izuku watched Katsuki snap his seat belt in the passenger seat and how Shouto quickly turned the key in the engine and hastily drove the car back down the mountain side.

"Well, I have to give it to you, Izuku," Shouto said with a fond smile on his face. He looked back in the rearview to the youngest detective. "I think you nailed the location correctly on the first swing. It's impressive."

"Yeah, he did. Those bastards are definitely here," Katsuki hissed, resting his chin on his fist as he looked out the window. "Several people I talked to said that about three years ago a shady looking guy with burns came into town and bought out one of the old buildings in the business district—and get this, fully in _cash_. Then that pyro bought an old, forgotten train station that's inside of the woods that someone's grandfather owned a long, long time ago. He's been building his roots here for a while."

At the mention of the old forgotten train station, Izuku leaned forward thoughtfully.

"I talked to a couple people in the residential area and one woman identified Nine and confirmed something odd is going on in the woods and I found this weirdly new looking metal wire. So that aligns with what you found," the green eyed detective spoke. "What did you find, Shouto?"

"I talked up a couple of the sellers in the marketplace. One restaurant owner said that he's been seeing shady looking men come around to his establishment and talking with his grandson," Shouto said. "They offered his grandson an internship, but when the grandfather asked the details, his grandson was vague about it."

"This almost feels like a smoking gun," Izuku whispered, astonished. "Well, all we need now is to come back with a warrant and search that building in the business district and that train station in the woods right? Then we got our guy?"

"More or less, but yes," Katsuki grinned. "If we can time it correctly and manage to get a search warrant while ensuring both Dabi and Nine are in Kuromata, then we have ourselves a possible clear shot for taking Dabi clean out of the game."

"Then let's do it," Izuku said sternly. He could only pray that they would figure out a plan to corner Dabi and Nine before they maneuvered out of their clutches like AFO used to do for years. "When we get back to the precinct let's devise out a way to zero in on them carefully."

"Go team," Shouto said with a smile while his eyes stayed trained on the road. "I have to say, I think this calls for a celebration involving some Midoriya style homemade cooking," he hummed happily at the end. "Izuku, can you make the teriyaki salmon again? I still think about it a lot."

"You really want to eat up all our groceries, don't you?" Katsuki grumbled while he studied the mountains. "Plus, it's my week to cook anyways. I'll fix the damn salmon after work."

Shouto frowned and cut his eye at Katsuki as if the blond was lying. "Izuku, you're still letting this man cook?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Katsuki said with a frown and whirled around to the other officer driving. Izuku suppressed a tiny chuckle.

"It means I'm pointing out the obvious," Shouto said with a sly smile. "Izuku is clearly the chef between the two of you. You never packed a lunch for _four_ years. Plus, you call throwing unreasonable levels of spice on food 'cooking'."

"Spicy food is amazing and just for that comment, I'm making spicy salmon. Fuck you. You're just a coward with weak genetics."

"No, I'm a normal human being with a balanced amount of taste buds. I watched poor Izuku's eyes well up with tears two weeks ago last time you cooked."

"He was crying because he loves me so much, dipshit. It happens frequently."

Izuku felt himself smile as he leaned back into his seat's headrest. He allowed himself to bask in the successful headway they made as the other two officers went back and forth over Katsuki's preferred level of spice.

The wind blew outside and Izuku watched the trees bend to the will of the changing winds. He sat quietly listening to the song Shouto put on and smiled when the sergeant badgered the lieutenant into singing along to the song in good spirits of a successful day.

Katsuki begrudgingly hummed along to the song with his arms crossed. Izuku giggled softly while watching the two exchange playful banter. In that moment, while it was only the three of them laughing, Izuku's creative mind compared Shouto to the strong changing winds that kept reappearing.

The heterochromatin detective was always swiftly adapting to his environment and he was both quiet like a gentle breeze or forceful like a tornado when he needed to be. Izuku shifted his attention to Katsuki and the visual of water appeared in his head.

He thought about how well wind and water worked together to create a hurricane—an unstoppable force of nature almost.

Jade tinted eyes then looked out of the car window thoughtfully, staring down into the valley at the town of Kuromata disappearing in the distance.

. . .

When they arrived at the precinct, Shouto made a comment about how windy the week had been when a strong breeze came in and knocked Izuku's red beanie off his head. Katsuki had caught the hat with ease before it could fly away and pulled it back over the shorter man's thick head of curls.

They walked into the building and Katsuki went to call everyone to come back while he started planning out a debriefing on what was gathered. Izuku and Shouto sat in Katsuki's office with the lieutenant casually as the day bled into night until Katsuki caught sight of the lack of the golden hoop in Izuku's ear.

"You lost your earring," Katsuki said slowly while his red eyes assessed the freckled detective's face carefully. At this Shouto's attention was piqued as well and he turned curiously to see Izuku's pierced ear barren.

"It fell in the river," Izuku answered with a soft gaze. "Drifted away with the changing tides. But it's okay, I'll just buy a new one."

Shouto shrugged and took the answer at face value and gave him recommendations for jewelry shops but Katsuki's eyes were trained intensely on his face. Slowly a knowing, tender, understanding half expression blossomed into the blond's handsome features like the upcoming spring.

"You let it go?" Katsuki asked with the double meaning behind his words clear. Izuku nodded while maintaining eye contact.

"I let it go."

Katsuki smiled.

The rest of the evening the three of them spent it in the precinct with Ochaco, trying to devise a plan to narrow in on Dabi and Nine. It wasn't until several hours later when the other two teams of three came back, but when they did all their faces were muddled with confusion.

When Kirishima came onto the floor, he headed straight for Katsuki's office where the trio was located.

"Hey guys. Do any of you know why there's a hoard of paparazzi outside the precinct?" Kirishima whispered wearily.

Shouto, Izuku and Katsuki all exchanged confused stares and shook their heads. Izuku slowly stood up from Katsuki's couch to walk over to the office window to peer outside and, just like Kirishima had described, a swarm of reporters and news vans were gathered at the entrance of the precinct.

"That's odd," the green eyed detective commented. "They weren't outside when we came back a couple hours ago. Did something happen?"

"Not that I know of," Kirishima shrugged but the look of concern never left his face.

Izuku examined all the reporters' heads from their position on the seventh floor, completely oblivious to the dark figure that lurked in the shadows elsewhere pulling invisible strings.

The man with cyan eyes as cold as ice hummed as he lifted his right hand that was decorated with a blue, red, and green ring respectively. He flicked a single domino that triggered the fall of an intricate pattern he had carefully set up. Each domino fell exactly into its rightful place and began the start of a chain of events that would inevitably leave a single man to drown alive in his regrets.

Izuku opened his mouth to express concern when several more news vans pulled up, but the booming voice of Toshinori interrupted him.

"_Monoma_? What is the meaning of this?" Toshinori yelled over the rattling of metallic chains and keys. "Why would you get this type of warrant—"

All the figures standing inside of Katsuki's office whirled around when what felt like a stampede of footsteps suddenly stormed the floor and headed straight for them. Unfamiliar officers with cold expressions etched into their frown lines swarmed Katsuki's office and everything spiraled out of control when Monoma came into the office.

His blue eyes were ignited with palatable hatred, disgust and blame.

"What is going on here?" Katsuki hissed as he threw a challenging glare to the other lieutenant who returned the heated stare tenfold.

Then as quickly as a hurricane, everything was uprooted by the storm that overwhelmed the inside of the office. Officers in navy blue from the 1B precinct roughly manhandled Katsuki upwards and slammed him over the top of his desk. The sheer force of the action knocked the photograph of the whole squad together clean off Katsuki's desk with a shattering sound as the frame broke into tiny pieces.

Izuku's breath hitched and Shouto's eyes went wide as Katsuki's head was forced downwards onto the wooden surface and his arms were snapped behind his back.

"What are you doing?!" Izuku demanded. He ran up to the other officers, his green eyes frantically looked upon the scene—but suddenly Monoma's hand swiftly landed on his chest blocking him from coming any closer.

"You can't do this!" Kirishima yelled. "He's never done anything wrong—"

"—Bakugou Katsuki, you're under arrest for ten accounts of first degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder with the criminal Akaguro Chizome and tampering with evidence. You have the right to remain silent and the right to have an attorney at trial," the officer binding Katsuki's arms said as he expertly tightened a pair of silver cuffs around Katsuki's wrists.

The rattling of the handcuffs and words mixed together as the world bled into slow motion. Every officer in U.A fell into a suffocating silence as Katsuki was dragged out of his office in what felt like heavy shackles.

The moment blurred together with Katsuki gritting his teeth together, Izuku shoving Monoma away from him to chase desperately after his lover and Shouto quickly wrapping his arm around Izuku's waist to stop the unraveling freckled man. The tall sergeant ignored Izuku's protests and tried his best to calm down the struggling green eyed detective and keep him from running after the men leading the lieutenant out of the precinct.

Izuku's heart sank sharply as he watched the unfamiliar men in blue force Katsuki on the elevator unkindly. For a split second, red eyes met green as the elevator doors began shutting and Izuku saw distress leak into Katsuki's usually confident expression for the first time.

With a powerful start, Izuku broke away from Shouto and ran towards the stairs, ignoring all the calls of his name as he rushed down the stairwell. The Todoroki sergeant followed in hot pursuit. He called out Izuku's name and begged him to stop—but Izuku couldn't.

The freckled detective flew all the way down the seven flights of stairs quickly, ignoring the feeling of his eyes stinging with salty tears. When he reached the bottom, he flung open the door furiously only to see Katsuki being forced down the stone stairs of the precinct like a twisted walk of shame.

The blond winced and squeezed his eyes shut as blinding white lights flashed in his face and the swarm of reporters buzzed around him, invading his space. They drowned him in their sea of conspiracy theories and indistinguishable loud clatter of noise like a witch hunt. The crowd was roaring like they were ravenous for a sacrifice and Izuku didn't know what to do.

When Shouto reached the bottom he slowly stood beside Izuku wordlessly. He was stupefied at the chaotic visual in front of him as Katsuki was led to the back of a police car.

Acidic bile creeped onto the back of Izuku's tongue as he watched Katsuki's reputation catch fire like flammable, flimsy paper. Katsuki's golden wings were beginning to be swallowed by flames and there was no turning back.

The two lovers made eye contact again and ember eyes tried their best to be comforting.

"It'll be okay, Izuku," Katsuki called out over the loud voice swarming him. His expression hardened as the back of the police door opened. "Everything will be fine. Get home, okay?"

"Katsuki—"

But before Izuku could formulate a solid thought, the lieutenant was shoved all the way into the backseat and the door slammed shut.

Wide, dazed viridian eyes stared at the humiliated and angry look on Katsuki's face through the glass window of the squad car. Katsuki's eyes kept translating_ 'It'll be okay'_ to Izuku noiselessly when hot tears started to stream down the freckled man's face.

Then, all too quickly for Izuku, the men in blue got in the front of the car and drove off in possession of his singular staple of life. Izuku cried softly and muttered 'no' repeatedly in disbelief as he watched the car disappear into the distance until it was no longer visible.

His chest tightened, pulled, but above all it _hurt_.

Several footsteps walked up behind Izuku to join him and Shouto on the top of the stairs. The crying man slowly turned around to see every officer at U.A standing behind him. They all gathered around, stunned, at the turn in events. Everyone's expressions were riddled with mortification that translated how they all were utterly overwhelmed by what had occurred.

Then slowly out walked Monoma and several other officers of the 1B precinct.

At the sight of the all too apathetic glint in blue eyes, Izuku's anger flared uncontrollably. His feet moved on their own with the howling wind as he marched right up to the man he _knew_ was responsible for the mayhem.

They came directly face to face, mere inches apart and green eyes were ablaze.

"What the hell did you _do_?"

* * *

**End A/N:** -pops bottle of champagne- Welcome to the chaos.

That's all for the catching up to speed updates! Thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing for those of you still out here! Next chapter is underworks and should be posted within a 1-2 week timeline. I will make sure to post directly after writing like I used to. ^^ So sorry again for posting on AO3 and then forgetting!

See you soon!


	25. Incendiary

Hello all! Welcome back to another chapter! Before going into this chapter I want it to known that I did about 2 weeks worth of research on how the court process and investigations processes work in Japan specially and what the difference are from where I live (USA) so I can make sure I stay accurate in the setting of this fic.

That being said, first, _holy shit_ between the US and Japan the court processes need **reform**. Last, according to everything I've read, In Japan, it is NOT a given for the defense to know what evidence has been compiled against them until they arrive in court in. This fully allows things to be sprung in the moment by surprise. The defense may file a petition for a summary statement of what evidence has been found before hand and build their defense around that, but even then, the summary document's requirements are extremely vague. (I.E What Media is it, what crime does it support and when it was retrieved.)

This is extremely terrible for human rights in real life since it gives the prosecution a leg up over the defense versus going in equal footed and allowing for both side to have proper preparation. However, this in turn makes juicy fiction. So enjoy the drama unfolding!

Buckle in!

_Song: Paramore - Conspiracy _

* * *

**Chapter 25 - Incendiary**

.

.

.

"Name?"

"Bakugou Katsuki."

"Age?"

"Twenty seven."

"Height and weight for me please."

"One hundred and ninety centimeters and eighty six kilograms."

"How do you plead?"

"Not fucking guilty."

Izuku watched the scene unfolding in front of him as if it was one of his darkest nightmares. Katsuki was standing behind a glass wall against the black and white line up in the downtown Shizuoka City precinct. He was given a sign to hold up that listed his name, inmate number and the date. The camera clicked, and snapped a shot of Katsuki's tired, pissed off face in his black sweater.

"Turn to the side for me," the woman asked through the glass screen. "Hold up the information as well please."

Katsuki huffed as he did as he was instructed. Painful humiliation washed over the ash blond's face when the shutter of the camera went off. The blinding white light snapped and the camera captured Katsuki's mugshot. Without warning, the lieutenant was dragged out to be fingerprinted and his anger was palpable.

. . .

**NHK Japan: Shizuoka City**

**Breaking Story: Hero Killer becomes Hero Killers.**

In a stunning twist of events, Shizuoka City's shining Symbol of Victory has been accused of working with the Hero Killer himself. An interview with the Hero Killer this past summer triggered the case to be reopened. He disclosed he was indeed working with a police officer on the Shizuoka City force, despite not naming who. But new evidence has come to light that this officer was giving sensitive information out to him as a hitman to help elevate his status in the ranks.

Investigations and all available evidence seems to point towards Lieutenant Bakugou Katsuki being the culprit and the motive appears to explain his quick rise in the rankings. This appears to fit exactly how quickly he soared through the rankings post-Hero Killer tragedy. The Symbol of Victory's name might've been gained by trading in comrades' blood however it is not confirmed…

**...Read more **

Izuku sourly looked at the article on his phone in the midst of all the chaos. Several hours had passed; the news of Katsuki's arrest undoubtedly must've reached everyone by now.

Shouto, Yagi, and several other U.A officers followed after the squad car holding Katsuki all the way downtown to the holding cells. Now they were all sitting outside the downtown precinct office area in dusted chairs after watching Katsuki be stripped of his personal belongings and isolated in an investigation room until further notice.

"This isn't right," Kirishima hissed underneath his breath, leaning against the wall. "I'm going to strangle that fucking Monoma."

"Not if I do it first," Izuku mumbled under his breath. The irritated green eyed man flicked through several other articles that contained photographs of Katsuki in silver handcuffs. The journalists were eating up the potential story of the golden Symbol of Victory being tainted with blood. It was one of the biggest scandals ever to rock the city.

"That's fair," Kirishima chuckled. "I think Katsuki might be rubbing off on you a bit, green bean. I've never in my life seen anyone berate Monoma like that. I honestly didn't think you had a mouth like that—but _damn_."

"He had it coming," Izuku mumbled, tired.

After the arrest of Katsuki, the green eyed man had a very _long_ list of choice words for Monoma. It caused a scene as Shouto physically had to pull Izuku away from the blond man when things ended up becoming too heated the second Izuku called Monoma a 'filthy fucking liar.'

"I'm worried about how long they've been keeping him in there," Shouto commented from beside Izuku, hands neatly folded, staying level headed. "What if they're trying to pressure him into confessing?"

"Katsuki knows to keep quiet until he has a lawyer present," Toshinori said with a stern face. "He's not going to incriminate himself any further."

They all sat in silence, waiting and making calls. Toshinori excused himself to make a private phone call around the corner. The second the blond captain was out of view, the next thing Izuku heard was the loud clicking of powerful heels coming straight their way down the hall.

All heads turned in the vicinity to see Miruko looking as fierce as a raging hurricane.

Her nostrils were flared and her hand was clutching her brown briefcase as if any second she was ready to swing it on someone. She was dressed in a crisp white power suit and her long hair was pulled up neatly in a long, high pony tail.

Her blazing red eyes scanned the bodies in the room until she settled on Izuku's hunched over figure.

"Izuku. I came as soon as I heard," she said quickly without stopping her powerful stride. "Now excuse me for a moment, I'll be right back with Katsuki." She turned the corner and gave a quick wave to the stunned sitting U.A officers.

The platinum blond woman walked straight up to the front desk of the precinct and slammed down her briefcase with a snarl on her face. The brown haired officer sitting down jumped slightly at the loud bang and even Izuku admittedly was taken aback by the sheer force that was Miruko.

But then again, she _was_ Katsuki's cousin.

"Who the _hell_ do I speak to in this dusty precinct about posting bail for Bakugou Katsuki?" Miruko spat out unkindly. She looked down at the shocked man with darkened ruby eyes.

The nervous officer shuffled in his seat, looking at Miruko wearily. "His bail was posted not too long ago but—"

"—but _nothing_," Miruko cut him off fiercely. She leaned in over the desk and her intense eyes bored straight through the man's soul. "Get me whoever is in charge immediately. If someone isn't there within the next two minutes, you don't even want to know what type of absolute shit storm I will stir up here."

Izuku watched, amazed, when the officer quickly muttered out an apology and sat up. He shuffled away and bent to the immovable aura of Miruko. In the blink of an eye, he returned with several other officers. One elder officer around Toshinori's age returned with the young man. His salt and pepper hair was neatly combed to the side and he approached the fierce prosecutor like he was stepping on needles.

"Hi, ma'am," the officer in charge answered. "Bakugou Katsuki's bail came out as 53,825,000 yen—"

"—Done," Miruko said while she threw up her hand. All the eyes in the precinct went wide at the lack of hesitation for such a large amount of money. Izuku felt relief quickly rush into his body as he let out a shaky breath.

"Now, somebody move your ass and get my cousin out of holding."

. . .

Katsuki was escorted out of the small room in the back, rubbing his wrist where the all too tight handcuffs had bruised him. There was a deeply demeaned expression across the lieutenant's face as he walked towards the large group waiting for him.

Green eyes connected with red and Izuku felt himself overwhelmed by a tidal wave of emotions. He whispered the blond's name as he quickly stepped towards his tired lover who welcomed the embrace. Katsuki gripped Izuku tightly and whispered 'sorrys' over and over into green curls.

"It'll be fine. Just a rough patch," Katsuki hoarsely whispered, even though his voice was unsure. The two lovers pulled back and Izuku wiped his face quickly of tears pouring over while Katsuki kept his arm slung around his shoulders. "Once this passes over I'm fucking suing Monoma the second I get the chance."

"Good," Miruko interjected, coming up beside the two embracing lovers. Her arms were crossed and she sported a matching frown as deep as Katsuki's. "I'll be happy to help sue whatever bastard is responsible because this is _outrageous_."

"Thanks for coming to get me," Katsuki said as he turned to her. "I'll pay you back as soon as possible for the bail money."

"No need. Keigo and I already decided to go halfies, we'll discuss monetary issues later," Miruko said, waving him off. "But first you need to start getting you ready for your trial."

"Are you going to represent Katsuki, Miruko?" Izuku asked.

The red-eyed woman gave Izuku a sad look and shot Katsuki a grimace.

"Unfortunately, I can't," Miruko whispered reluctantly. "I really wish I could but I specialize in criminal prosecution. Not defense. I wouldn't exactly be the best bet for this especially considering what's on the line. Conspiring with a serial killer is an extreme accusation."

"Does anyone know a good lawyer then?" Katsuki asked the rest of the group who were all wincing. "I never exactly took up getting to know someone because I don't do dirty shit."

Everyone looked awkwardly between each other, waiting for another to speak up but no one did. It wasn't until Toshinori rounded back from making his call did they get a lifeline.

But it wasn't what Izuku was expecting.

"I actually called Mirio a while ago and he agreed to represent you. He'll be in town tomorrow," the blond captain informed and simultaneously both Izuku and Katsuki's stomachs knotted. "I don't trust anyone outside of our circle to handle this. Ten accounts of murder and tampering with evidence is too serious to hire someone we don't know—especially since this is probably a case of falsified evidence."

Izuku and Katsuki cut their eyes towards each other at the mention of the freckled detective's childhood friend. The same childhood friend that refused to talk to either Izuku or Katsuki after the wedding because of their, er, _consummation_.

Izuku hung his head when a situation he didn't think could possibly get more complicated suddenly did.

"No offense Toshinori, but I don't think your son is exactly fond of me at the moment," Katsuki grumbled and crossed his arms. "He's been fairly pissed off at both Izuku and I for the last few months and actively ignores Izuku's texts and calls."

Green eyes glanced downwards when all the U.A officers looked at him. Their gazes were confused and it made an embarrassed heat rise underneath Izuku's collar because it was true.

Ever since the wedding, Mirio had been avoiding him after Izuku had been honest when the lawyer asked if he was sleeping with Katsuki. Izuku remembers how harshly that phone conversation went due to the piercing silence when the information dropped. Mirio had hung up the phone with a soft 'I hope he makes you happy' and that was the last the two friends had spoken in months.

"I'm well aware," Toshinori sighed with a hardened expression. "But he's a professional who can separate between work and personal feelings and if he doesn't I'll make him. This is far more important than a little love triangle spat and Mirio has never lost a case in his life."

Izuku and Katsuki looked at each other hesitantly before the blond resigned. Truly, what else could be done? Izuku knew Katsuki didn't know any lawyers and with the current witch hunt happening right now, trusting any random person to represent Katsuki wasn't a good call—like Toshinori said.

The ash blond made a sour face but quickly buried his emotions.

"Alright. Mirio it is, I guess."

. . .

Shouto dropped Izuku and Katsuki off at the blond's apartment as everyone started to leave back out. Toshinori stayed behind with Miruko to advise Katsuki on what to do next. Until further notice, due to the nature of his charges, the lieutenant couldn't go back to work and would have to remain at the apartment.

Izuku watched Katsuki's shoulders sag at the information. The workaholic flexed his hands unhappily but nodded regardless. Katsuki's jaw stayed clenched tightly as Toshinori reassigned the arson case to Momo who, unfortunately, already had a full plate with several other investigations. The dark haired woman tried her best to reassure everyone that she would try to keep up on planning a way to narrow in on Nine and Dabi but they all knew what was going to happen.

The investigation was going to be slowed.

Momo had other pressing missing persons' investigations she was in charge of, but out of every one she was the next most senior and capable of handling everything.

That night when Katsuki unlocked their apartment, the quietness sitting inside felt different.

The atmosphere was all too still and there was too much hanging in the air after what had happened. The pressure of what was to come hung heavy on both men's hearts when they realized what it meant for the future. Katsuki was going to trial for conspiracy to commit murder which was the equivalent of being just as guilty as the Hero Killer himself.

Izuku watched how the blond ignored Akira, threw his keys carelessly across the small table by the door and aggressively kicked off his shoes. He didn't bother to neatly place them in row with the rest, and Izuku quietly bent down to fix it as his lover went up the stairs. The green eyed detective fed their dog quietly, and went to quickly take her for a walk. When he returned the apartment was as still as when he left.

When the greenette reached the top of the stairs of the bedroom he watched how Katsuki began to strip himself of his clothes, but half way through it seemed like he lost energy. The blond man sat on the edge of the bed, staring wordlessly at the ground.

The aura around the frustrated blond was potent yet stale. Izuku didn't know where to even begin or how to approach his boyfriend who had just been accused of _murder_. Ten accounts of it.

The same ten deaths he blamed himself for already.

"That was fucking _humiliating_," Katsuki rasped out. "I've never been that down right humiliated in my whole goddamn _life_." His voice quaked as if he was holding back a sea of tears.

Slowly, the hardened exterior of Katsuki became unraveled as he clenched his teeth and his fists tightly, trying to hold back a strained sob. When the first audible weep was released from the tense man, Izuku quickly sat down and tried his best to hold the other who clung back.

"It'll be okay, like you said," Izuku hushed, and held the gently sobbing man more. Izuku's green eyes darted around unsure of what to say, trying to think on the brightside because there was no way Katsuki could be found guilty. It was an absurd thought.

"Try to think of this as a mini-vacation of sorts like the one we had before," Izuku supplied. He reached out to hold Katsuki's hand, but his lover loosely held it back, too lost in his own thoughts. "A long vacation but maybe you can get some relaxing time in?"

"It's not the same," Katsuki hissed, red eyes growing more dejected and distant. "Last time I knew when I was going back. This—this is _indefinite_."

They fell into a silence as Katsuki squeezed his hand.

"I don't know what to do without work, Izuku. It's been my whole life."

Green eyes looked down to the floor as well, unsure of what to say.

"We'll figure it out," Izuku whispered.

. . .

The next day Izuku stayed back from work to help settle Katsuki who had fallen victim to his busy body ways. By the time the green eyed man woke up, Katsuki was already awake, cooking, trying to busy himself with _something_. He showered, cleaned, walked Akira and even did an at home workout. All _before_ sunrise.

Izuku worried immensely because he could tell Katsuki was trying his best to remain confident and strong like he always did. But anyone would be nervous when up for the chopping block like this and anxiety was clearly manifesting within the blond lover in its own Bakugou Katsuki way.

Later that evening when the sky was dusk colored, Mirio arrived at their door. The attorney greeted them with a professional air, blue eyes bitterly absorbed in the sight of Katsuki and Izuku together side by side. Toshinori and Shouto came as well, both expressing how they wanted to help with straightening everything out after they finished their shift.

Izuku remembered how he froze for a brief moment after answering the door. The sight of Mirio after so long almost felt surreal, especially considering how their last several conversations went. In the quietness, the two childhood friends regarded each other as everyone else said hello between each other. Mirio's sky colored eyes raked Izuku's appearance up and down with an unspoken litany of words still between them.

"Hi, Izu. Nice to see you after so long," Mirio greeted with a distant yet soft look in his eye. "You look like you're doing well."

"Nice to see you too, Miri," Izuku replied with a small smile. "Er, thank you again for everything and helping Katsuki out on such short notice."

"It's no problem at all. We're all still on the same side at the end of the day." Mirio gave an understanding smile and Izuku stepped to the side and gestured for the three men to come into the apartment.

Izuku greeted the other two officers like he always did. Shouto gave him a small hug and asked how Katsuki was when the blond in question walked ahead towards the dining room table. Izuku shot him a wordless expression that said more than he could ever that made the youngest Todoroki wince.

As they all filed into the apartment, he watched how both Toshinori and Mirio looked at the different colorful frames on the wall and noted the photographs inside. Toshinori seemed radiantly joyful at the sight of all his officers pinned on the wall while something distant grew in Mirio's eyes at one particular photo of Izuku kissing Katsuki's cheek.

They all gathered around the dining room table and Mirio sighed as if he was carrying a ton of bad news in his black briefcase. He placed it on top of the wooden surface and immediately pulled out a thick stack of files from inside before clearing his throat.

"I'm going to dive straight into this," Mirio started with an air of strict professionalism. He shuffled through several papers with visible tension in his brow. "I filed a motion to obtain a summary on what evidence they have. Unfortunately, the summary documentation I received back a couple of hours ago is both vague and _concerning_ to say the least."

A lump swelled in Izuku's throat as he took a seat next to Katsuki.

"What did you find?" Toshinori asked, looking deeply troubled.

"As you know they can't disclose the exact evidence to me, but, with the petition I found they have evidence files from the Hero Killer on him exchanging emails between a secret account by some Shizuoka City Officer. Only issue is the account didn't have a name on it. It was under an alias."

"So why the hell do they think it's me if it's anonymous?" Katsuki grumbled, leaning back in his chair.

"Apparently they also have several incriminating photographs of you tampering with evidence and a video of you abusing your power," Mirio said and everyone's eyes went wide. The blond lawyer looked at Katsuki who was sitting across from him with a serious expression. "Do you have any clue what that could be before this goes to trial? We need to best prepare our defense."

"No, I have no damn clue," Katsuki exasperated, fed up. "I don't understand what this could even fucking be about. I didn't email that serial killer, abuse my fucking power and I didn't tamper with any evidence—"

Katsuki stopped mid sentence and Izuku felt himself run cold. Red eyes quickly glanced to Izuku and the realization sunk in slowly to both lovers. Katsuki _had_ tampered with evidence—evidence that Izuku was a criminal.

The green eyed detective felt his stomach do a leap that was sickening when Katsuki looked downwards and he wanted to scream.

"What?" Mirio eyed them both suspiciously, not understanding the sudden wave of silence to wash over the table when Katsuki didn't finish his sentence. Izuku's eyes darted between everyone at the table, wondering if he should speak but before he could, Katsuki discreetly placed his hand on Izuku's jittering leg as a warning to stay silent.

_This is wrong. This is so wrong-_

"Bakugou, if there is _anything_ I need to know now," Mirio gently pushed and leaned across the wooden table to give the lieutenant a soft understanding look. "I'm not going to judge you. It's my job to get you off scot free and I think that the one thing we all can agree on at this table is that you don't deserve to go to jail. I know we've haven't talked in a while, but I would _never_ want to see you incriminated. You're a good cop but these types of charges will sentence you to life without parole."

"Nothing," Katsuki whispered with his head down. Izuku watched as his face hardened expertly to hide his emotions. "I didn't tamper with anything."

Mirio made a disapproving face before taking in a deep breath and leaning back. He picked up the sheet of paper that had the summary of the evidence against Katsuki and slid it across the table for the accused man to see.

"Okay, well, I can tell you now what this trial is going to be like," Mirio said in a hard tone. "It's going to be a smear campaign since the emails were anonymous. If they can convince the jury that you're a crooked cop to the extent that you would work with a serial killer, then the jury _will_ convict you."

"I feel like that can't be enough to convict him," Shouto muttered. "What else is their angle? They can't only go on speculation."

This time Mirio gave a saddened look when he pulled out another sheet of paper and slid it across to Katsuki.

"They're going to use Bakugou fumbling those coordinates as a smoking gun because it aligns too well," Mirio mumbled in a regretful tone. "The prosecution is going to say that because the emails were sent that same day in the morning, Katsuki supplied coordinates that didn't even exist on purpose. They're going to frame it and say he sent other officers on a detour to allow a window for the murders. It unfortunately is highly plausible in the eyes of a jury that is convinced he's crooked."

"So what's the defense?" Shouto asked. "Katsuki isn't a dirty cop and we all know that, but how do we convince people who don't know him personally?"

"The defense is character witnesses and debunking the evidence to the best of our abilities," Mirio said. "We need someone from Katsuki's past to attest to how he was always a bright, clean cop. Someone who has seen him progress in his career. Then a long-term colleague and maybe someone who hasn't worked that closely with him."

"I'll testify. I've known Bakugou since he interned with Enji," Toshinori spoke up, a dutiful expression fanned across his face. "I'll ask Kirishima and Iida as well to testify because they fit that bill. We could also get Enji to attest for Katsuki in the past. Katsuki did work an internship with the man—"

"—No," Mirio put his hand up to cease his father from going further and shook his head. "Absolutely _not_. We're not trying to align Katsuki with someone like Enji. The Chief of Police has enough speculation and problematic themes surrounding him. We want to keep that away from Katsuki as much as we can for this trial. Er, no offense, Shouto."

Mirio gave the Todoroki at the table an apologetic face.

"None taken," Shouto murmured under his breath and awkwardly looked away to rub the back of his neck. Izuku could tell the comment on his father bothered the youngest Todoroki but Shouto kept his level head, as always.

"I'm sorry. I'm just trying my best to make sure Katsuki is proven innocent," Mirio explained with a saddened smile. "Because of that I will ask, as a safety net, for someone to be working on figuring out who was actually the officer to send those emails with the hit list in them. It's going to be a neck and neck trial and we don't know what's in those photos or in the video. If we can uproot the real person responsible before the end of the trial, Katsuki is free to go."

"I'll do it," Izuku voiced, leaning forward. His chest ached with need to help Katsuki out after everything, especially with the fact the blond had covered up for him yet again. Determined green eyes turned towards his officer friend with a pleading gaze. "Shouto? Will you help me figure this out? Together?"

Mix-matched eyes glanced up slowly to look at Izuku and the green eyed man could see a sense of duty trickle into them.

"Together," Shouto spoke, straightening out his back. "We'll track down how all this started and figure out what's going on before there's a conviction."

"Thanks," Katsuki said, looking at everyone. The lieutenant looked at Izuku lovingly, then turned his eyes gratefully to the three men but settled on Mirio a little longer. "Really. Thank you. I know this is a mess you don't have to get involved in but...thank you."

"It's no problem," Mirio said and returned the smile with unspoken words. "I'll always make sure to have my friends' well being in mind."

. . .

When the next day came Izuku could feel Father Time start his stopwatch counting down to an unknown deadline. The court had set the trial to begin in two weeks to give time for a jury to be selected and time for Katsuki to prepare and think about what the video and photos could possibly be.

Izuku put on his plain pink button up and dress pants for the day to start investigating who was behind the emails. As he did this, Katsuki gave him a sweet hug and a light kiss, red eyes looking at him thankfully. The elder man squeezed him extra tight that morning before he left out and adjusted the collar on Izuku's peacoat protectively.

While there was nothing but affection in his eyes, Izuku could sense a sadness radiating from his lover as he headed out to go work while Katsuki was stuck at home.

The morning was bright and the temperature was mild as a light breeze followed his pace through the busy streets. Izuku could feel the winter winds starting to dissipate slowly as he and Shouto sought off to get to the bottom of who was the real person behind the Hero Killer case.

"Let's start at the source," Shouto said with a serious expression. "I suggest we head over to the 1B precinct."

Izuku nodded in full agreement and the two detectives were on their way with determination filling their cores. Izuku noted all the busy businessmen and women bustling about in their suits and professional clothes. Plain black heels with briefcases flooded the downtown streets more frequently the further into the dense sky rises of Shizuoka City area the two U.A officers walked.

They arrived at an older stone building that had '1B district Precinct' engraved into it. It was several stories high and caged in between two taller glass buildings. On the glass front doors of the building, the Shizuoka City Police signal was printed on the front, showcased proudly for the world to see.

Izuku's green eyes glanced around, taking in the part of the city he had never seen. The first thing his fresh eyes noticed was a small ice cream shop lit up by neon colors across the street that had several officers stationed outside laughing with a relaxed air surrounding them. He smiled a bit to himself thinking that it must've been a normal lunch break stop for the people in the area.

When the duo walked through the doors, officers were bustling around on the first floor of their office space taking calls and chatting with each other. Men and women in plain detective clothes and decorated fully in blue were stationed all around while the sounds of a busy office space filled the atmosphere.

One particular officer with dark, shaggy hair and deep brown eyes caught sight of them while walking past. Izuku's eyes glanced down to his badge and caught the sight of a golden name tag with 'Kaibara Sen' printed neatly on it.

"Hey! Excuse me," Izuku quickly rushed out as he stopped the slim built man. "May we talk to one of you for a second?"

The brown eyed man quickly cut his eyes down to Izuku's and Shouto's shining Uchimizu Ave Department Police badges dangling from their necks. A flip was switched, and he gave a tired, unimpressed look to the two officers.

"We have nothing to say to U.A officers," Sen spat in an accusing tone that surprised both Izuku and Shouto. "Your whole squad is probably as dirty as that grimy lieutenant of yours. You guys have been covering up for him for years."

The harsh words caught both Shouto and Izuku off guard and without warning Izuku felt his anger boil again at the slander of Katsuki. He wasn't like that so why was everyone so damn convinced he was? What the hell was in that evidence pile?

The freckled detective calmed himself down as he reminded himself this was for Katsuki. Dutiful, protective, Katsuki who had stuck his neck out for him on _several_ occasions.

"Bakugou didn't do anything and we're not dirty," Izuku reasoned with a pleading look in his eye. "Please, we only want to understand what is going on. We're all shocked."

"Yes, like my partner said, we all just want to know where this came from," Shouto emphasized but the brown haired man didn't seem like he was budging.

Izuku could feel several other 1B officers catch a glimpse at the badges around their necks and the reaction was instantaneous: their noses turned up, lips curled with repulsion and quickly turned away as if both Izuku and Shouto were diseased. It didn't take too long for Izuku to make the connection of course that's how they would feel. Monoma _was_ the Lieutenant in this precinct and he probably let his distaste for Katsuki fester deep in his subordinates' minds unchecked for years.

"Oh, _please_," Sen spat, crossing his arms unimpressed by the defense. "You're starting to sound like Shinsou."

At this both U.A officers made a confused face.

"Hitoshi?" Shouto questioned to be sure. "The fireman? He was here?"

"Yeah, he was visiting when we received all the evidence," the brown-eyed cop muttered. "He said the same thing you're saying about Bakugou being innocent. Even though the evidence all points to him being a fucking sleaze."

"Why would you say that?" Izuku defended, hurt and baffled by the crude language. "He's not a sleaze."

"Not from what I saw on that tape." The dark eye man's gaze settled on Izuku a little longer than needed before studying him up and down. Quickly a flash of recognition flashed across the man's face when he assessed Izuku a little longer and he shook his head in pity. "Can you two please leave our precinct? I would rather not be caught talking to two dirty U.A officers."

Shouto and Izuku exchanged a silent stare between each other before backing out from where they came. The heaviness of the unwelcoming room nearly suffocated them both and all the glares practically pushed them out the door.

As his back was turned, Izuku felt small goosebumps rise on the nape of his neck. The intensities of what felt like a hundred eyes crawled over him causing him to glance over his shoulder. As they were exiting through the glass doors, there he saw several officers' prying eyes glued to him whispering.

But they were only looking at him. Not Shouto.

"I guess we should go pay Hitoshi a visit," Shouto spoke up tiredly. "He might be more receptive to us asking questions. Everyone inside there seems convinced Bakugou is guilty and they're not going to help try to prove he's innocent."

Izuku eyed the closing glass doors behind him, unsure of the way most of the officers had stared after him. His skin crawled with odd premonition.

"Y-Yeah," he whispered unease. He quickly stood his thick head of curls before refocusing. "Alright, next stop is the downtown fire station."

. . .

They arrived at the fire station by mid day. The blue sky was full of fluffy white clouds and falsely alluded to a calm relaxing day, but Izuku knew better. He could feel each second pass by painfully quick and he wanted to scream out for it to stop.

When they arrived at the red and grey fire station it was nearly all smiles, completely opposite to the 1B precinct. All the firefighters seemed to be relaxing, watching out for any calls and keeping up with the news on the large flatscreens overhead as they welcomed the pair of detectives without an issue. The duo walked into the main office area and the first thing they saw were indigo hair and eyes. Shinsou smiled and waved them over.

"Hey there, you two," Hitoshi called out as he walked towards the two detectives heading his way. Izuku and Shouto greeted him back before the uniformed fireman crossed his arm tiredly and offered up a sympathetic expression. "I had a feeling someone from U.A might stop by. Sorry to hear about Bakugou by the way, that was a true mess."

"So I assume you don't need us to explain why we're here then?" Shouto sighed, shifting on his feet.

"I can make a pretty good guess."

"We heard from one of the 1B officers that you were there when the evidence against Katsuki surfaced," Izuku asked, fidgeting slightly. "We were wondering if you could tell us what's in the emails, photos and the video by any chance? Or if anything in the emails stood out to you to hint towards it being someone else?"

"Not going to lie, Bakugou's in deep shit," Hitoshi deadpanned, and it only made Izuku feel worse. "I didn't get to see everything, but I saw the emails when they went through them. They seemed harmless at first, but when the encryption was unlocked it became really grim. Every single person the Hero Killer murdered was inside of those files."

At the drop of the more detailed information Izuku's gut sank. It was worse than a couple emails exchanged—it was a hit list.

"Is it possible that was falsified?" Izuku pushed because it didn't make sense why it was coming up _now_ after so long.

"No," Hitoshi said in a hushed tone. "Someone came by on Monday last week and dropped off the Hero Killer's laptop that has been missing for ages on the doorstep. I don't know how, but someone dug it up and then delivered it straight to the 1B precinct along with a drive containing photos of Bakugou. It had a message on it that read: 'Anonymous tip per your investigation. Start looking in the right place'."

"Do you happen to know what the video and photos are?" Shouto asked. "It would help us a lot to know because Katsuki doesn't even know what it could be."

"Well, no. There wasn't a video in the package, which makes me assume Monoma had it before all of this," Hitoshi said with a small shrug. "I didn't get to see the photos because Monoma asked me to leave when we got in a small spat about him proclaiming that it must be Bakugou immediately after going through the emails."

"He had a video of Katsuki? Why is he so hell bent on thinking it's him who worked with the Hero Killer?" Izuku huffed, fed up. "He has no other suspicions on _anyone_ else?"

"You two have to understand Monoma is hurt," Hitoshi reasoned with his dark purple eyes fixed downwards. His voice grew soft in tone as he ran his hand through his hair. "He's been hurting _deeply_ for four years after that day. I know Bakugou doesn't know this entirely, but Monoma was planning on proposing to his patrol partner, Yanagi Reiko. She was one of the people murdered that day when the coordinates got fumbled."

Izuku stopped thinking for a moment at the information.

Monoma had lost more than his team. He lost someone he thought he was going to spend his future with as well. The green eyed detective glanced at Shouto who seemed to soften with the new knowledge as well.

"I didn't know that," Shouto whispered. "That's really tragic. I'm sorry to hear."

At this Hitoshi only casted his eyes away.

"It's okay. But just understand, hurt people sometimes won't rest until they get their version of justice to fill that void of hurt. Even if it's not Katsuki, Monoma needs someone to blame."

. . .

"Well, what now?" Izuku asked as they exited the fire station. The two detectives looked at each other and a scratch of suspicion raked its way across at what Hitoshi had said. "Who could've dropped off the evidence? It seems rather odd the actual evidence was coupled with whatever photos they have of Katsuki. Like the person wanted Katsuki to be framed."

Shouto nodded in agreement as they made their way down the street, passing by all the various city people.

"Someone must've known that Monoma was investigating the case and also knew of his distaste for Katsuki..._but_ then again, Monoma doesn't exactly keep it hidden," the sergeant grumbled. "Anyone who does some light digging could find out how the 1B precinct officers are not Katsuki's biggest fans. It's not that hard."

"Maybe we can ask for security footage from the 1B precinct? See who dropped it off?"

"That'll take a week to file a motion for," Shouto huffed. "They're not going to be cooperative with us."

Izuku felt himself grow distant at the thought. Of course they would make it more difficult for them to prove Katsuki's innocence, especially when they thought he was responsible for a _hit list_ of officers. The green eyed detective kept mulling over what to do next when he looked up and saw a small child eating ice cream.

A visual of the ice cream shop appeared in his head and an idea clicked into place.

"I think...I think I remember seeing a small ice cream shop across the street from the 1B station," Izuku whispered, turning to Shouto with hopeful eyes. "Maybe they have a clear shot in security footage and filmed who dropped off the evidence?"

Shouto stopped walking when he realized it too.

"I guess to go get ice cream we go."

. . .

The ice cream parlor was painted in welcoming pastel colors of pink, lavender and baby blue all along the walls. Everyone inside seemed to be ordering the frozen treat despite the weather, and Izuku could smell the thick scent of warm fudge filling into his nostrils.

They greeted the jolly looking man who had naturally reddened cheeks and was wearing a sunny yellow apron. Izuku recognized several 1B precinct officers inside on break, talking happily with each other as if there wasn't a trial about to ruin Katsuki's whole life.

After showing their badges, they politely asked the store owner if they could see the security footage and when they were led to the back, it was a surveillance gold mine. There was an entire back room dedicated to several televisions watching the front and back along with the police precinct across the street.

Shouto gave a low whistle and Izuku made a mental note that ice cream was taken _very_ seriously by this man.

"Thank you so much for letting us see the footage," Izuku smiled sweetly at the store owner. "This is a huge help, you have no idea."

"It's no problem at all! Always happy to help," the kind man responded with a loving look on his face. "What can I show you two young men?"

"Could you please show us the footage of Monday evening?" Shouto politely asked.

"Of course, no problem at all!"

The ice cream shop owner logged on his computer and pulled up footage from the entirety of Monday. Part of Izuku wished that they had gotten a specific time from Shinsou but left it as they scrubbed through the footage.

Green eyes watched as the busy people in the film float in and out of the film like ghosts. Countless people walked past the precinct, inside of it and out of until the day bled into the night. It wasn't until the footage showed 11:30pm did they see anything dropped off at the front door by an easily missable shadowy figure.

"—There," Shouto quickly said as he pressed the slow button.

On screen was a dark silhouette bent over, leaving behind a note and a brown box on the doorsteps. The person was tall and wrapped in a black hoodie. The anonymous person kept their face down, concealing their face from the precinct's security cameras but when they began to walk across the empty street, the suspect lifted their head ever so slightly to look down the street.

"Zoom in," Izuku whispered as Shouto paused the video on the three-quarter view of the person's face. When the camera became closer and closer the first and only thing Izuku saw were burns.

Disfiguring purple colored burns underneath blue eyes and burns wrapped tightly around the man's neck. Both Shouto and Izuku froze at the grainy image they saw on screen as if they had seen a ghost.

Izuku opened his mouth, a loss for words until Shouto hushly said the man's name out loud.

"It's Dabi."

. . .

"It was fucking _Dabi_?" Katsuki yelled into the apartment furiously. His voice boomed off the walls unforgivingly as his temper boiled over. "That god forsaken _pyromaniac_ is responsible for all of this!?"

They were all currently sitting in Izuku's and Katsuki's shared apartment with Toshinori, Mirio and Shouto. The five men were absorbing the new, but disturbing information that Izuku and Shouto reported. The news of a legitimate encrypted hit list and that it was Dabi to expose the new evidence was both useful and dreadful all at once.

Shouto looked wearily at the standing blond man who was shooting off a line of colorful curse words from his mouth. "Katsuki, calm down—"

"—Don't fucking tell me to calm down right now, Shouto," Katsuki cut him off. The Lieutenant whirled around, fire eyes fully ignited with irritation. "Not a goddamn person in this room better tell me to _calm down_ when that psychopath is setting me up! He knew we were closing in on him so he fucking removes me from the picture and tries to send me to jail. That's so goddamn _typical_!"

"He must've pulled some strings and got the Hero Killer's laptop specifically for this," Shouto sighed. "I guess that makes sense with the intense amount of connections he now has at his disposal."

The quiet green eyed man didn't know what to do as he examined his frustrated boyfriend that was deeply affected by the news. The weight of a hitlist coupled with the fact that Dabi, now the most powerful drug lord in their region, was the one to unearth the buried information was disquieting for a multitude of reasons.

One being that it was clearly a set up for Katsuki to be imprisoned.

"Doesn't this make the evidence less legit?" Izuku asked softly, turning to Mirio. Green eyes were wide and pleading for a solution. "Surely, evidence dropped off by a drug lord we _know_ has it out for Katsuki can't be taken seriously?"

"It doesn't matter who dropped it off, unfortunately," Mirio said carefully with remorse thick in his tone. "What matters is what's on those files. But the fact that we did find out Dabi dropped it off means we can undermine whatever they present to the jury. It gives us a leg up."

This explanation seemed to calm Katsuki, who stopped his pacing to take a deep breath. His temper slowly climbed away from plunging over the ledge and he looked at the other four men in the room. Izuku could see the stress riddled over his lover's body. Dark circles under his eyes were already starting to accumulate and his brow was as tense as his scowl.

"A leg up is good I guess," Katsuki whispered, red eyes looking out the living room window.

"Izuku and I will keep looking in the meantime and try to dig further into who the officer to send the emails could be," Shouto supplied and Izuku nodded in agreeance.

Katsuki gave them both a grateful expression.

. . .

The next two weeks passed by and Shouto and Izuku found out more about the possible list of officers and why they were targeted. With more questioning around the various Shizuoka City Police branches, they found that the officers taken out by the Hero Killer were all officers that were rapidly moving up in their positions and seen as golden gems of the city.

Izuku felt his heart pang when he learned that Monoma's almost-fiancé was a volunteer at a homeless shelter and was advocating for better housing for those in need. But when they asked who would have wanted them all put down it was always the same dead end.

"It had to be someone with motive to either want to protect their position or someone who wanted to clear a pathway for their rise to the top. Eliminate the competition," one officer said with a sympathetic smile. "I don't know Lieutenant Bakugou very well but I do know everyone in the force was always so amazed by how quickly he went from ranking Detective to Lieutenant in four years."

The motive fit.

It fit too well for someone like Katsuki who flew through the ranks quickly but Izuku knew that wasn't the case. Katsuki had just had tunnel vision for four years—like he said so himself: his work was his life. He hadn't cheated, lied or bribed anyone—much less asked for people to be _killed_ so he could look better.

During the two weeks that had passed, time pushed the city into early March and the beginning of spring. The birds were chirping happily and the small flower buds on the trees gave way to a happy atmosphere, however inside their apartment it felt like anything but happy new beginnings.

Without a doubt, Izuku could feel Katsuki's confidence gradually chip away like old paint. Every time the couple turned on the news, Katsuki's mugshot was plastered as the headlining story and the rumors were running rampant like irreversible wildfire.

The blond would hug Akira closer to himself sometimes as he sat on the couch and helplessly watched his reputation be torched to the ground.

Izuku felt his heart nervously ache when the first day of the trial finally arrived and they had no new leads.

Jade colored eyes stared at the dejected, distant expression enveloping Katsuki's face as he prepared himself for the courtroom. His silent lover dressed in an ash grey suit with a blue tie to come off as more neutralizing for the jury per the suggestion of Mirio. Izuku pulled out Katsuki's reading glasses and carefully placed them on Katsuki's face and smiled at him, despite it not being fully returned.

Izuku noted the way Katsuki nervously fiddled with his golden cuff-links as if they were shackles. Red eyes stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror as if trying to identify the woeful man starting back at him. It almost felt morbid that Katsuki was dressed so well for his own witch hunt.

"Don't worry, we both know the truth. You're innocent," Izuku said with a smile. He walked up behind his boyfriend and rubbed his shoulders to ease the tension. "Mirio is going to prove it to everyone else and this will be in the past."

Katsuki stayed silent as he finished tightening his tie. Red eyes met green through the mirror.

"What if this gets dragged out?" Katsuki whispered. "Some trials go for months. Several long months."

"The average trial only lasts for a week. In a week you'll be allowed to go back to normal."

"Or I'll be in jail," Katsuki quipped.

Izuku frowned and squeezed Katsuki's shoulders reassuringly. "Kacchan. Don't talk like that. Today will go fine."

Or at least that was all they could hope for.

When they arrived at the downtoward courthouse with Toshinori, Mirio and the select U.A officers it was a chaotic swarm. Story hungry reporters formed what felt like a sea around them the second they all stepped out of the white car. Izuku winced when one reporter flashed a bright flash directly in his face while intrusive questions were shoved down Katsuki's throat.

"Bakugou! Is it true you cheated your way into your Lieutenant's position?"

"Did you really get to where you are through the blood of your fellow officers?"

"Do you think you deserve the title of Symbol of Victory after this has come to light? Are you responsible for the officers' deaths?"

Pain struck like lightning across Katsuki's face and Izuku practically felt the gut punching effect the questions had on Katsuki's image of himself.

By the time they made it into the courtroom, it was quiet between all members of their party. The courtroom was made of wood and had a chilled air to it. The walls were painted in a thick layer of dull beige that did nothing to bring life to the environment.

Toshinori, Iida and Kirishima were idly wading in the thick silence as everyone inside took their proper seats. Mirio and Katsuki sat in front at the wood defense table with the defense attorney whispering and coaching the accused man on what to say and not to say.

In the front of the room, sitting high above them all embedded onto the wall, was a golden statue of the symbol of justice. The figure of the woman was looking down at all them with a blind fold across her eyes, holding a sword and scale righteously.

Izuku quickly felt out of place like a sinner in a church.

The doors opened again, drawing Izuku's attention and green eyes spotted Monoma in plain business casual clothes walking into the room. Dutifully behind him were several other 1B officers in the same type of clothing, ready for what was to come. Their gazes were sharp and unforgiving towards all the U.A officers as they sat to the side of the prosecution.

Izuku gazed his eyes upwards towards who was sitting at the prosecution side to see a woman in a clean cut black blazer and red dress shirt. Her dark colored pencil skirt matched her long obsidian hair and her red heels seemed to be the exact color of her blouse. She smiled and talked with all the officers from the 1B precinct but the energy surrounding her was intimidating.

"Kayama Nemuri," Shouto whispered from beside him in the wooden benches. "She's the top prosecutor in Shizuoka City. Specializes in convicting dirty cops to help keep the city clean. She takes a lot of pleasure in weeding out the force to the point people call her 'Midnight' because she closes the case usually in a single day."

The attorney in question turned around at the sound of her name and specifically gave Izuku a sickening sweet smile.

Suddenly Izuku's last bit of confidence went out of the window when a gleam of savagery was ignited in her blue eyes.

One by one every person in the jury filed in with neutral expressions in plain clothes and a woman with ash black hair and kind dark eyes entered into the room draped in judge robes. She had an air about her that was both the energy of justice and equality.

"Everyone please rise for the honorable Judge Shimura Nana," the bailiff said sternly. Every individual in the small courtroom rose in synchronization while the kind woman took her seat beneath the symbol of justice. She smiled nicely at both Katsuki and Nemuri in an equally respecting manner.

When everyone took a seat, the trial began and time slipped through Izuku's fingers.

It all began to blur together as the strong midnight-haired woman strutted across the room, presenting a very convincing opening statement against Katsuki. She built the narrative of Katsuki being power hungry, unkind, and known to have a temper to the point several other officers reported working with him was difficult. She presented the incriminating emails and pointed out how the email asking for the execution of the ten officers was sent the same day Katsuki messed up giving the coordinates.

Mirio then gave his speech on how Katsuki was the opposite: he was a man with a heart of gold who only had a stern exterior. The defense attorney painted the picture of Katsuki as a dedicated officer who devoted countless hours to his work and focused to saving and protecting those who are unable to do so themselves.

When the witnesses began taking the stands both Shouto and Izuku could feel themselves hold their breath.

The first one up was Katsuki himself and Nemuri was relentless.

A television connected with a laptop was rolled out and the first thing she showed were pictures of the pins of evidence leaving Ground Alpha. There were several close up slots of the files, making sure the jury knew exactly how they looked.

Izuku felt his stomach sink down into the darkest pits when he realized what was happening.

"These are the files from the bust at Ground Alpha correctly? Bins full of red folders?" She asked directly, pointing to the photo blown large on the screen.

"Correct." Katsuki said it as carefully as if he was walking on nails. "Those are the folders we were able to confiscate from the Shigarakis."

"And is this not a photograph of you leaving the U.A precinct holding one of these red folders?" She asked next and pressed a single button on the silver MacBook.

Quickly shuffled in several long-distance shots of Katsuki leaving out at the U.A precinct extremely late at night holding one of those exact red folders but the name was obscured by Katsuki's hand. Izuku put his head down as his heart twisted.

"Why were you leaving out of the precinct with it the same day that they were transported back?"

"Sometimes I bring files in to look over," Katsuki said in a tight tone and Izuku squeezed his eyes closed, trying to push back tears. Katsuki was protecting him again, even with his own future on the line. "It's a common practice amongst police officers to look over their case files at home."

"And this _one_ needed your special attention? What file was it?"

"It was a file pertaining to a particular criminal involved in All For One. I wanted to cross check it because I thought I saw a hint that could lead on to the arsonist case."

"And you can confirm that this folder made it back to the precinct in the morning?"

"Yes," Katsuki said neutrally, hiding all emotion in his voice. Red eyes glanced downwards to avoid looking at Izuku. "It made its way back."

"Is it not true you were the only one outside of your captain authorized to say who is authorized to investigate which files?" She questioned, backing away with her hands behind her back.

"Yes. I am fully authorized to look at evidence and assign my subordinates which evidence to look over," Katsuki said eveningly despite his face becoming slowly twisted in anger. "If anyone from the precinct wanted to bring back a file after I gave them clearance, they are fully eligible to. I do not need to give myself clearance being second in command."

"So your position would make it easier for you to tamper with evidence," She concluded. "Since you don't need your own permission."

Katsuki's jaw tightened as he glared at the woman in front of him. His hands tensed trying to control himself.

"I do not tamper with evidence," Katsuki hissed. "I devote both night and day to making sure people are safe and the correct people are behind bars."

Nemuri's icy gaze locked with Katsuki's trying to get him to relent but Katsuki held the challenging glare.

"That'll be all," she said but there was an unknown weight to her words as she turned around, long black hair flowing with her. Izuku let out a shaky breath loud enough that Shouto turned to him and asked what was wrong but the young detective waved off his friend.

Toshinori took the stand next and Mirio displayed the footage from the ice cream shop's security footage on the television. It showed the buffering footage of the people in front of the 1B precinct until it came to the night-time when the package of evidence was dropped off on the footstep.

There on the screen was the dark, grainy view of Dabi's partially obscured face. Mirio then minimized the footage to pull up Izuku's detailed portrait of Dabi on screen, showcasing the likeness of the two visuals.

"Captain Yagi, can you identify the man in this video for us?" Mirio asked, a red laser pointer in his hand.

"His name is Dabi, the man we believe is responsible for the recent arson crimes and The Red Dawn based on witness testimonials," Yagi said confidently and immediately there was a whispering amongst the courtroom.

Izuku watched how Nemuri scrunched her face and then turned to shoot Monoma an undermining look.

"Do you think it's fair to say this seems oddly convenient that the second Lieutenant Bakugou was closing in tight on the case suddenly Dabi decided to anonymously hand over a smoking gun to Lieutenant Monoma—someone who also has an open dislike for Lieutenant Bakugou?"

"Yes. It makes me question if Lieutenant Monoma took a second to really think with a level head before jumping to file for an arrest warrant," Yagi confirmed in a clipped tone. His blue eyes unforgiving as they stared into Monoma. "Maybe with a little looking around he would've found out who his anonymous tip was."

"Thank you Captain, that'll be all," Mirio said as he safely removed the thumbdrive from the laptop.

Izuku could tell the shift in gazes as the jury looked at Katsuki, weighing the strangeness in what was just said. Nemuri rose from her seat next and straightened out her back. She made a confident stride up to Yagi's position on the witness stand before offering him a kind smile.

"Hi Captain Yagi, lovely to see you again," she greeted as if they were friends, and Toshinori greeted her back as well. Izuku briefly wondered what this must've felt like for their captain, trying so hard to defend his top officer after such a long, clean career.

"Likewise Nemuri. Always great to see an old friend."

"I have a couple questions to ask you pertaining to how your Lieutenant has operated over the years," she probed, all the friendliness disappearing from her voice to be replaced with pure professionalism. "How long have you known Lieutenant Bakugou?"

"I've known him since he was nineteen, so for a little over eight years now," Toshinori answered easily. "I first met him when he was doing an internship here in the city and when we met he was very enthusiastic about joining the ranks. He made it very clear he wanted to always help people in need. It's always been his core."

"Within these eight years, have you ever known him to make a mistake?"

"Bakugou makes very little to no mistakes. He is highly attentive and careful in everything he does."

"When you say little to none, would you say he makes a mistake once per week?"

"No," Toshinori reiterated confused. "Like I said he's not one to make mistakes."

"Not even when he entered coordinates to stop the Hero Killer that didn't exist? Was that not a mistake?" She suggested with distrust in her tone.

Izuku could see Toshinori frown deeply, completely offended at the implication.

"Of course that was a mistake, but that is the first and _last_ one he made. He learned his lesson about the consequences of actions in our type of field and adjusted accordingly."

"Right. But don't you think it's a little odd that the _one_ mistake he's made while on the force just happened to be directly after these emails were sent to execute the 1B squad?" The dark haired woman pushed, turning around to glare at the accused man. "How could someone as _capable_ as Bakugou possibly make such a drastic mistake so conveniently—"

"Objection. Completely speculation," Mirio quickly said in a loud voice glaring at Nemuri.

She cut her razor sharp eyes to Mirio and Judge Shimura banged her wooden gavel loudly once time.

"Sustained," the kind Judge in a tight tone. She looked at Nemuri in a mildly disapproving manner. "Please get back on topic Ms. Kayama."

"Of course, sorry," Nemuri said sweetly. She turned to the jury as she gestured to Katsuki. "I just wanted to point out that if Lieutenant Bakugou is as capable as everyone says he is, him making this _one_ mistake that cost _ten_ officers their lives is not only sad but suspicious.

"Maybe he was working with this arsonist, Dabi and they had fallen out over a dispute. Maybe it was Dabi's file that he was tampering with to help cover up. But if there was a disagreement between them, ultimately that could result in Dabi becoming spiteful and finally turning him in—"

"—_Objection_! More speculation!" Mirio all but yelled, gesturing wildly to the black haired woman. "There is no proof on record that Bakugou and Dabi have any connections to each other."

Izuku stared at the jury whose faces were twisted with both confusion and unease. All their frowns made Izuku realize what Nemuri had done.

She planted a seed.

"Sustained again," Judge Shimura said again with a swift hammer. "If you keep this up Ms. Kayama I am afraid I will ask you to take a seat."

"No need, that'll be all your honor," Nemuri said as she smiled to the jury.

The next to the stand was Kirishima, who had nothing but praise to give Katsuki. He told the story of how they became close friends and was a first hand witness to how hard Katsuki worked night and day. The loyal redhead untwisted the narrative that Katsuki obtained his position by corruption through his kind expression. He talked about how Katsuki slept in the station sometimes and how he solved cases quickly due to him dedicating all his free time to protecting the city.

Izuku felt himself smile when Iida took the stand and echoed the same thing. Mirio asked all the right questions and was able to practically pin a halo above Katsuki's head.

It made Izuku's heart twist with warmth watching his childhood friend in action. He smiled happily watching the attorney.

The judge called for a short recess, and when Mirio took his seat he gave everyone that award winning smile but Izuku didn't miss how his estranged friend's eyes lingered on him as if wanting to say something. Everyone in the room took a small break, catching well needed air.

Katsuki seemed a little bit at ease when the jury's expressions seemed fairly split on his case. It was possible for things to remain inconclusive unless somehow Katsuki's name magically appeared in those emails.

But when they came back from recess with Katsuki, Izuku could hear Monoma whispering loudly with Nemuri.

The prosecutor's face had a hardened expression on it as if she was torn. But when Izuku walked by, both of their eyes cut towards him. Monoma's face was twisted with disgust while her's held a trickle of sympathy.

Everyone resumed their positions, and Izuku took a seat next to Shouto quietly. He felt the peculiar weight of all eyes from the otherside of the room on him and couldn't help but feel off about it.

"Why does everyone keep looking at me?" Izuku whispered to Shouto, his paranoia about his past kicked in. The duo-colored man took in Izuku's words and carefully glanced around to find several people quickly turning their heads away.

"I don't know," Shouto replied back with a disapproving frown.

The hairs on his arms stood up when Monoma's heated blue gaze caught his line of sight. They were full of both jealousy and a sour bitterness. Izuku opened his mouth to voice concern again to Shouto but didn't get a chance when Nemuri cleared her throat.

She walked up to the dutiful Iida resuming his seat at the witness stand. There was an odd weight in her shoulders as she took one deep breath and buried whatever qualms she seemed to have as she stared at Iida.

"Sergeant Iida, you've been serving on the same team as Lieutenant Bakugou for how long now?" She asked right away, a new confident air was radiating from her that was different than the last several witnesses.

"I joined about three years ago," Iida said with a smile. "I came in as a sergeant to the squad and Lieutenant Bakugou has been nothing but kind and respectful to all of us. He pushes us all to grow and be our best selves. I couldn't ask for a better second in command."

Izuku and Shouto nodded in agreement as she turned towards the TV and inserted a thumb drive inside. She kept her head turned as she clicked open a folder and suddenly a picture of Izuku's policeman headshot opened and appeared on screen.

The freckled man's feet suddenly went cold.

Shouto's brow furrowed with confusion at the image. "What's going on—"

"Can you identify this person for us?" Nemuri asked again in a tight tone. Iida looked between the picture and the perplexed Izuku sitting behind Katsuki.

"That's Midoriya Izuku," the sergeant said in a careful manner.

"The young man sitting right there, correct?" She asked, pointing straight to Izuku and the greenette went stiff. The crawling of eyes washed over his body as everyone in the vicinity stared at him, but both the expression on both Mirio and Katsuki's faces were the most ghostly.

"Correct. That's him."

"What is Midoriya's ranking and when did he join?"

"He...He is a beginning rank detective and he started about eight months ago," Iida answered confused. He glanced his eyes upwards towards Judge Shimura. "I'm sorry but what does this have to do with anything?"

"Getting there." Nemuri put her finger up with a small smile. "But he's fairly new. Did you train him?"

"No, Lieutenant Bakugou did."

"So Detective Midoriya was Lieutenant Bakugou's trainee and ultimately had to obey everything he was told to do while he was in the six month probation period?" She clarified and the sinking feeling in Izuku's stomach got worse. "Their power imbalance is rather plain and straight to the point."

In that moment Katsuki turned to look at Izuku over his shoulder with the palest expression Izuku had ever seen.

"That is usually what the protocol is, yes. It is standard. Bakugou ultimately had the higher authority so yes, Midoriya would have to do what he said. He is second in command under Yagi."

"Did Bakugou have the power to fire Midoriya if he ever saw fit?"

"Yes, but he never threatened anyone's job for self gain if that's what you're getting at," Iida deflected, offended. His proud expression looked at Katsuki as if he was a brother. "Bakugou would _never_ abuse his power in that way because he's not that type of authority figure to intimate others."

Nemuri nodded her head and then backed away from the witness stand.

Izuku watched with fearful eyes as she spared him an apologetic glance before walking over to the computer again and taking a deep breath in.

"The video I'm about to show is both vulgar and the jury may find it disturbing in some ways," she said slowly and then pressed the space bar on the laptop.

All eyes zoomed in on the screen and soon the television revealed a clear shot of Katsuki's office in the depths of night.

But what was sitting on screen made Izuku's heart drop to the blackest pit.

The lewd visual of himself bent over Katsuki's desk, with his pants down, shocked everyone to their core. They were dressed still in their uniforms, lower halves blurred out but the clear jotting movements made it clear what was happening on screen.

One of Katsuki's hands gripped tightly in his hair, holding up his head while the other held his arms behind his back tight in a submissive position by the wrists. The elder man's body was dominating him fully as Katsuki took him from the behind relentlessly and all eyes went wide at the hushed moans that spilled into the courtroom.

"_A-Ah, K-Katsu—"_

"—_It's Sir when I'm fucking you like this, Bunny."_ The hand gripping his hair yanked hard, and Izuku heard his own voice whine desperately as he was helplessly fucked into the wooden furniture until he came with a choked cry. _"Now, what do you say to your Lieutenant for letting you cum all over his desk?"_

"_Thank you for f-fucking me, sir." _

"_There's my good boy."_

The whole courtroom erupted into chaos.

. . .

Sexual Misconduct.

"Katsuki. Izuku. You can't have contact until this trial is over."

Izuku could barely focus on the words. He didn't even know who out of Yagi, Mirio or Shouto said them. He heard the request, but it was muffled as though he was hearing it with his head being held underneath water.

His entire world felt as if he was drowning in the reality of what had occurred as he sat next to Katsuki on the couch in their apartment.

"No contact?" Katsuki rasped out, voice hoarse. "Not even phone calls?"

"None. I'm sorry, again," Mirio's voice whispered, full of regret and sadness. "I'll make sure that video doesn't leave the courtroom and I _will_ get it stripped from the record for it being incendiary. Monoma had no right to bug your office like that."

Izuku hung his head with little hope because he knew the damage had been done.

Even if Katsuki got off from the Hero Killer case, he was going to be served with sexual misconduct directly after. A step below aggravated sexual assault.

"Izuku, you have to move out until further notice. The higher ups in the police department want to pull Katsuki's phone records to investigate your relationship further and they will weaponize your living situation if you stay here any longer. Especially if they find out that you haven't been paying rent."

"There's no other way?" Izuku heard himself say, his mouth felt like it was moving on its own.

"No, I'm sorry, Izu. If you stay, I can't fight against the future sexual misconduct claim that will be filed against Katsuki. My best shot at making sure Katsuki isn't labeled as a predator is to make sure it comes off as if you were just staying with him temporarily."

Somehow, out of all the charges Katsuki was faced with, this was the one to land a devastating blow to Izuku's heart.

"This is what's for the best right now."

Katsuki didn't look at him as the bags were packed.

The two lovers had stared sorrowfully at each other for what felt like a split second before red eyes became overcome with tears. Katsuki turned away with a pained expression the moment his tears began free falling as he choked back a frustrated sob.

Izuku's heart squeezed hard enough in his chest that he couldn't breathe. It felt as though Father Time had finally snapped his fingers and decided to punish them both for the reckless actions.

But there was nothing either of them could do but accept the crumbling of their world.

The ash blond man sat on the couch wordlessly. His hands cradled his head watching bitterly as Izuku's belongings were packed into three red suitcases and his yellow backpack.

"Can't I stay with Shouto? Or with Toshinori and Mirio?" Izuku whispered into the all too quiet room.

The three other figures in the room grew silent, shuffling unsure looks between each other.

Shouto was the first to finally look at him and discomfort was written across his face so plainly.

"You can't stay with any of us unless we're of equal rank to you at the moment, Izuku," his friend whispered in the softest tone. Mixed colored eyes were weighed down by sadness as he hesitantly finished the rest of his statement. "It'll look incredibly bad going forward and put everyone up for questioning if you've been possibly taken advantage of by multiple higher rank officers. We have to wait until all of this is settled."

_No one is taking advantage of me_ is what Izuku wanted to say. But as he looked around all the wreckage his throat clamped up as if someone was choking him.

Katsuki had his head in his palms, body stiffer than a statue. Shouto's own face was painfully twisted in worry and Toshinori looked as if he was blaming himself for the mess entirely.

Green eyes dejectedly studied the suitcase full of his work clothes that Shouto zipped up tight.

"But there's no one else the same rank as me besides Denki or Sero," Izuku whispered, his vision beginning to blur with tears. "They both live too far away by train and I want to stay close."

_I want to stay close to Katsuki._

"I'm sorry, son," Toshinori apologized gently. He laid his hands on Izuku's smaller frame in a fatherly manner. "Until further notice, there's a motel in the downtown area that Mirio can put you in if you want to stay nearby."

"It's only temporary," the childhood friend tried to console. "Until we figure out things. Then you two can move back in together once the spotlight is off Katsuki."

Izuku nodded weakly and worked himself upright like a robot. He grabbed a duffle bag from Mirio as he was ushered out silently. Katsuki's heavy footsteps trailed behind as he walked everyone out of the apartment.

When Izuku turned around one last time he was waiting for Katsuki to say something—but nothing came.

Red eyes were full of both regret and shame as he looked at Izuku, tears running over in a silence that translated 'I'm so sorry'. At that moment, Akira came running to the door to paw at Katsuki's foot. She gave a short whine and tried to run towards Izuku but the blond quickly picked her up to prevent the puppy from going further.

Staring at the image in front of him of Katsuki trying to hush the small animal, Izuku felt all the bottled-up emotions break past his weak facade of trying to keep it together.

Izuku broke down in loud sobs.

All the men froze in place and eyes widened at the loud, wrecked cries that poured over from Izuku's shaking body. The greenette hung his head and began hiccupping trying to stop himself but he couldn't. Everything was too much. He clutched the red duffle bag closer to him and shook his head furiously in denial.

"I-I don't want to leave—" Izuku begged between loud sobs and Yagi tried his best to calm him down but the freckled man just snapped himself away from the caring touch. He whirled around wildly searching for an answer that wasn't there.

"Please. _Please._ don't make me leave. T-There has to be something else," Izuku cried, fingers digging into the cloth in his hands. "I don't want to leave Katsuki—t-there has to be another way."

But there wasn't.

Katsuki gave him one last loving hug and kiss on the forehead and Izuku cried harder.

He doesn't remember when but soon he was being led out to the attorney's car by Shouto, Toshinori and Mirio all together. The three men placed Izuku's luggage in the back of the white car and Izuku couldn't stop himself from begging for another solution. It took the combined efforts of Toshinori and Shouto's gentle convincing to make the crying Izuku take a seat in the passenger seat.

The dread of loneliness started creeping under Izuku's skin as he took in the familiar scent of Mirio's cologne in the car. He heard the three men exchange words but the distracted young adult didn't register it because all he saw was the devastated look on Katsuki's face when the video dropped.

Mirio climbed in the passenger seat and the car ride was quiet. Izuku didn't say a word and he couldn't hold himself back from softly crying the entire ride.

When they pulled into the small, outdoor motel everything was tinted in a dark blue hue. Izuku bitterly took in the small, two story sapphire colored structure that was lined with tiny rooms. It sat directly next to a police station and was lit with yellow spotlights and a pink neon sign that read 'Shizuoka Motel.'

Izuku didn't look up at the kind lady as Mirio checked him in and handed him a small key that was engraved with '202' on it, indicating he was on the second floor. They walked upstairs in silence with Mirio carrying two of Izuku's suitcases until they reached the outdoor balcony area outside of his current sleeping situation.

"Do you...do you want me to stay with you?" Mirio asked carefully as Izuku opened the blue door to the dusty room. "I can leave staying with my dad so you won't be alone. I-I don't mind. I still care about your well-being, Izuku."

A flash of bloodshot red eyes flashed in his mind and Izuku shook his head.

"No," he said quietly through his hoarse throat. "I'll be okay."

They both placed down the tiny bit of Izuku's belongings in the room and Mirio said his goodbyes, leaving Izuku alone in the room to take in his new surroundings.

There was a large window directly next to the door with white shutter blinds and a single bed pushed against the furthest wall. The full, lonely moon shone its bright white light inside the dark room to shed luminesce on the dark blue comforter. Izuku bitterly looked at the generic printed painting of the ocean hanging directly above the bed that gave a false sense of home.

He walked around and noted all the dust that had collected in the wind sill and studied the older model of a television across from the bed. He could hear a couple next door to him through the thin walls of the motel arguing and he decided he hated it.

Time wrapped unwillingly as he sat down alone on the edge of the small bed.

He unpacked his yellow backpack in the blue room numbly as he pulled out a single framed photograph of him and Katsuki at the baseball game and placed it on the desk next to the bed. Green eyes gazed upon the single photograph of his happy life like it was beckon of hope in all the chaos. But as he laid down in the lonely, cold sheets, his tearful green eyes glanced up to study the blank white ceiling.

He hated the way darkness cradled him in a familiar, cruel way. He wanted it to stop.

Quickly, he turned on the television to have some noise and chase away the cloud of impending loneliness as a remedy. He anticipated either to see Katsuki's mugshot or even something cheerful about the upcoming spring lantern festival—but instead he got the opposite.

When his green eyes settled on the screen he was met with bright, orange burning flames.

"Another deadly arson attack has struck the city as two full rows of houses on Zazen Ave have been targeted," the anchor woman reported, standing at a safe distance from what looked like the pits of hell swirling behind her. "The flames consumed the buildings and the people inside quickly, showing no mercy. Many think The Cremator is using this as his time to strike while the lead investigators handling the arson crimes have been occupied in court."

The detective stared in disbelief at the TV and let himself sit in darkness, shocked.

Dabi had struck again. The very thing they were trying to prevent before this whole ordeal happened and now more lives were lost.

The news flashed Izuku's sketch of Dabi and the arsonist's cold eyes stared directly back at him. Like a firestorm, Izuku's nostrils flared when sudden anger flickered in his heart. He stared resentfully at the picture of the man who set all of this up and felt his rage simmer as his tears clung to the edges of his eyes.

His world was burning down all around him because of _Dabi_.

Izuku yelled out a frustrated curse as he threw the remote at the wall with all his strength and let the flimsy plastic shatter into pieces. He hung his head in his palms to cry alone, unaware of the shadow that passed by his window.

* * *

*hides behind rock*

Thank you all so much for reading and please take the time out to leave a comment! I really love the songs linked so please be sure to give those a listen and come scream at me :D I love you guys!


	26. Wildfire

Hello! Welcome back! :D This is a pretty dense chapter and it packs a big punch! If you love sloppy drama then this is the chapter for you! First up, big thank you and ofc I love you to the lovely beta nmatthews on AO3 for editing this monster chapter and giving great feedback per usual!

Now let's get started, I'm cranking up the heat full pun intended. This is the final chapter before I lean into my final form :D

**Warnings: Mentions of past abuse, Pettiness**

_Song: Wildfire - SYML _

* * *

**Chapter 26 - Wildfire**

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.

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Three weeks passed by with nothing.

It was nothing in more than one way as Izuku bitterly came to another dead end with Shouto despite getting access to the emails. There was nothingness in the way that they had made a list of possible suspects for the Hero Killer case, but it was near endless. But most of all, it was nothing in how Izuku had not a sprinkle of contact with Katsuki for three whole weeks.

He saw the blond in passing at the courthouse, being ushered in by Toshinori and Mirio in various colored suits with blue ties. Izuku would arrive last when no one was looking, trying his best not to draw attention. He sat in the back row next to Shouto with full intentions of being discreet, but no matter what, the two of them were subjected to all the prying whispers and stares from the people around them.

"Ignore them," Shouto would say protectively, not sparing a glance to the 1B officers on the other side of the room. "Rumors catch like wildfire in this city."

Izuku would only respond by casting his eyes downwards because Shouto was right.

News of the video had spread around like wildfire amongst the policemen when they learned Monoma had planted a bug in Katsuki's office in hopes of trying to catch him red handed in a federal crime.

But the only thing he had caught Katsuki in was rough sex with his trainee.

After that, Izuku felt exposed. _Vulnerable_. Almost as if there were eyes watching him at all moments.

The video leakage flipped everything in the court in both good and bad ways. The trial had been dragged out as Mirio relentlessly fought against the usage of the video since it was obtained rather illegally, while the prosecution fought back equally as hard to say it was needed to show Katsuki's true nature. But no matter what would happen, the jury saw that video.

Their opinions had been formed one way or another and it was a mess, to say the least.

Sometimes Katsuki would wave to him across the room during recesses with red eyes full of longing. He would mouth 'how are you' and in return Izuku would give an unconvincing thumbs up.

In the meantime, Shouto and Izuku started to grow glum in their hopes of finding out who was behind the emails as late-March approached. It was now officially warm in the city causing the two detectives to shed their jackets as they worked at the precinct and tried their best to solve the mystery behind the Hero Killer.

The pair made their way down an incredibly long list of possible suspicious officers but there was no one who seemed to know anything of the emails. Then when it seemed like they did, the individual would turn Izuku and Shouto away aggressively and tell them to 'stop digging before you lose your job.'

They were presented with nothing after nothing after nothing.

The dead ends started to make Izuku feel almost lifeless inside. Despite now having gained access to the emails, it was clear whoever gave out the hit list made sure there wasn't anything tying back to them. Coupled with that, the trial was too much of a coin toss to leave it to the jury.

But with the way Kayama Nemuri was bulldozing through all of Katsuki's credibility, it felt like she would end up getting her way.

Things were beginning to be bleak in Izuku's life.

Toshinori kindly told Izuku that until further notice, hanging out with any higher ranking officers outside of work would come off as a bad look for the precinct.

But Izuku understood what it meant: he was currently radioactive and risked putting an indentation on another officer's reputation if some nosy reporter saw them out together. He would call up Denki, Ochaco or Sero and have them come over, but they had their own lives and it left Izuku alone more often than not.

But out of everything, the bleakest aspect of Izuku's current situation was the motel he was stuck in. The small cerulean colored motel had a disquieting atmosphere to it that the freckled detective couldn't shake.

The more he stayed inside of it, the more it felt like the walls were closing in on him. The single window was his only small saving grace as he watched all the people come in and out of the motel's parking lot. He would count how many times the 'M' in the pink neon sign that read 'Shizuoka Motel' would flicker on and off and try to guess why the owner hadn't fixed it yet.

But what bothered him most was sleeping alone in the queen sized bed.

It was big enough for the ghosts of his past to join him, whispering the echoes of Makinohara's gunshots and screams into his ear. It tested the little bit of recovery he had done within the last several months more than Izuku would've guessed.

He unwillingly dreamed of the Shigarakis coming back from the dead and taking everything from him again. He saw their decayed hands reach for Katsuki and ripping down everyone from U.A slowly. These visions only made his paranoia stronger when he would wake up in the middle of the night.

Some nights, he could swear he felt a cold shadow cast over his sleeping figure and he could hear a hand jiggle the metal handle on the door. The rattling sound in his dreams would cause him to jolt awake, grab his gun and carefully look through the peephole to see who or what was on the other side of the door.

But each time he was met with nothing, and it was beginning to make Izuku feel as if he was truly going crazy.

He knew deep down he didn't have anything to fear anymore. The Shigarakis were six feet underground and the roses from his 'stalker' had officially stopped. Part of Izuku was wrestling with that fact, but Toshinori kept telling him it was no coincidence that the roses ceased the same day as The Red Dawn.

The Captain made the conclusion that it was the Shigarakis sending the roses along.

But Izuku couldn't help how his gut felt _odd_. It was as if eyes were always watching him every time he was alone. Just like in Yaizu.

The nighttime solitude would make Izuku's heart rate elevate and his anxiety made him close his blinds along with sleep with his pistol under his pillow.

He was alone and the Shigarakis were _gone_.

_They're gone. They're gone. They're gone._

The burn victim repeated this to himself countless times in hopes of feeling secure, but as time trickled away, the more he noticed all the tiny details of the blue room that made him feel anything but. The motel was too opposite of the warmth he had experienced with Katsuki.

The dull desaturated sapphire wallpaper was peeled and cracked in certain places. The bathroom was rusted red around the shower drain, and there was an underlying scent of nicotine that he couldn't air out, no matter how much he politely asked for a change of sheets every day.

But Izuku didn't want to voice too many complaints to Mirio, with all the commotion going around. If living here temporarily meant he could stay close to U.A and help Katsuki's case, then it was fine. He would gladly embrace the sullen colored room to protect his lover after everything Katsuki has done for him.

No matter how it affected him.

Mornings in the blue room weren't bad, but nights were a different monster. His sleep was derailed for the first time since he met Katsuki and he tried his best to push it down.

Which brings him to now, the end of another unsuccessful day when the next hearing for Katsuki's trial was in a week's time. Mirio had hinted something grave about how it seems like while the Judge may rule a mistrial, it didn't seem like the prosecution would ease up—especially not on the abuse of power.

They were aiming for Katsuki's throat.

And while the murder charges may get pushed to the back burner, the sexual misconduct would without a doubt cost Katsuki his job.

Izuku's heart wept for the man silently.

He felt more than responsible for the mess that had occurred and he couldn't stop blaming himself for the fact that the _one_ thing that kept Katsuki together all these years was about to be stolen away.

Because of _him_.

The green-eyed man held his head down as he looked at the orange digital clock. The weight of shame made his shoulders hunch forward as he tightly gripped the dark blue sheets underneath him.

When Izuku went to sleep that night, for the first time since he met Katsuki, he dreamed in black and white.

It started off as a soft, gentle dream of Katsuki and him floating together in water. The blonde smiled up at him in a way he hadn't seen in three weeks and all the love from Izuku poured out in colorful ribbons. Red, blue, green all streamed from the cavity inside of his chest and floated away inside the ocean.

But as the colors leaked into the ocean engulfing them, they drained from the dream as well.

Soon it was as if they were in an old, silent film as Katsuki held him. The blond spoke words Izuku couldn't hear and soon Izuku's voice was snatched painfully from his own body. The inaudible exchange felt distant, like their love was growing lifeless and it caused Izuku to wake up the next morning with a heavy weight pressing against his chest.

Green eyes gradually opened, and Izuku thought he would be met with the beautiful visual of Katsuki next to him on this Saturday morning. He could feel the phantom of his lover kiss him awake and whisper into his ear—but when he fully opened his eyes, Izuku was met with nothing.

_Again_.

Izuku sat up slowly on his forearms and looked down at the carpet floor quietly, unsure how to feel. But the loneliness inside of his heart made him reach for the phone. His eyes looked at the clock that read close to 8:00am, indicating the start of another day without Katsuki.

_Maybe one phone call won't hurt_, Izuku reasoned with himself when the pain in his chest became too much to handle this particular morning. He pressed the dial quickly before his logic could catch up to his actions. In the back of his mind, he imagined Mirio screaming at him, but the lonely orphan pushed the cautionary visual all the way back in his mind.

_I can say I just wanted to know what time the next hearing was._

Izuku sat up fully and swung his bare legs to hang off the edge of the bed in silence as the dial tone rang in his ear. He eyed the photograph of Katsuki on the dusty wooden tabletop and quickly a vision of Katsuki behind bars bombarded his mind.

_What am I doing? _He quickly corrected himself. With a sharp snap, the greenette tore the phone away from his ear and hung up before someone could answer. _Stupid. Stupid, Stupid, Stupid—_

He gritted his teeth at his lack of self control and gripped his phone tightly in his hand because he was _frustrated_. He knew he shouldn't be calling Katsuki—it would only make the blond look worse at the moment and yet here Izuku was, desperately trying to reach out for a fragment of affection.

The greenette groaned out loud and tossed himself backwards onto the spring mattress out of exasperation with a light bounce. He raked his hands down his face and gave a short sigh before resigning back into his perpetual sullen mood.

Green eyes looked outside the window to see the bright, sunny day and Izuku decided to try and go clear his mind.

. . .

When he returned back to the motel room that night, Izuku had no idea what to do next until his next shift on Monday. He had gone out for a walk, tried to call Denki and Sero but they were out of town for the weekend visiting old university friends. Izuku even made the decision to try sleeping bills because he was at his wits end.

After buying the maximum strength tablets, he sat on the shore front by himself, watching the waves but all his mind kept coming back to ember eyes and soft blond hair.

Izuku missed Katsuki to the point it hurt and the apprehension that his lover might be jailed before he could see him again didn't help anything.

The freckled detective returned back to the motel feeling lost.

He sat down on the edge of the bed with the news running as white noise in the background. He carefully opened the notes he had on who could be the second Hero Killer and glossed over all the odd evidence they had gathered.

Izuku took note of all the signs pointing to it being someone high up because of the comments from other officers warning them they may lose their jobs if they go further. Was it a politician? Someone who was running for office? Or was it someone who worked closely with higher ups?

Green eyes landed on a very taboo name sitting at the bottom of the list that Shouto had hesitated writing down.

Right when his thoughts dived too far, a sharp knocking on his door interrupted him. He walked to the blue door confused, wondering if it was the motel owner or maybe his noisy neighbors. A single green eye peered through the peephole to see a fish-eyed view of an aggravated looking Mirio.

Izuku opened the door confused and wondered if Mirio came by with news about Katsuki but instead the blue eyes of his friend were steeped deep in disapproval. The attorney was still dressed in his beige pinstripe suit and blue tie that indicated he recently left the courtroom. In his hands he was holding his black leather satchel and what looked to be a single plastic bag of grocery.

"Izu," Mirio said in a low tone. "I don't know how many times I need to stress this: you can _not_ call Bakugou like that."

The detective froze in the doorway surprised. "Y-You know? Did he tell you?"

"No, he didn't tell me. You called while we were with higher ups in the Police Department hashing out sexual misconduct in relation to that video. Bakugou had his phone on the table and Judge Shimura saw your name before Katsuki could hide it. It wasn't a good look when we're arguing that your relationship isn't inappropriate in front of several higher ups in the police department."

Izuku visibly winced at the mistake. _Shit_.

"I'm sorry," Izuku said silently as he hung his head. "I'm so sorry. I-I hung up when I realized what I was doing. I'm sorry I slipped with my self control for a moment—"

"It's okay. I know it's hard for you two right now, but I'm only trying to do my job," Mirio said with sympathy laced in his voice but it only worsened how Izuku felt.

Green eyes swelled lightly with tears at the thought he had just somehow made the situation _worse_.

"I actually have some of your favorites, if you'll let me in," Mirio said quietly and drew Izuku's attention back in. The saddened freckled man looked at his friend in his doorway and the blond held up the plastic bag with a small understanding smile. "The entire collection of All Might DVDs, Shochu, and some snacks as a truce of sorts. To hash over whatever awkwardness we're in. I figured you might be a little down with everything that's going on."

Izuku looked at his estranged friend carefully before the loneliness in his heart made him step to the side.

"An All Might marathon does sound great right now," the detective laughed, trying to look at the brightside. "I could use a pick me up."

The freckled man shuffled to the side and gestured for his friend to come inside. Mirio smiled at him like he used to in Yaizu and it made Izuku feel better to have some inkling of company outside of work and the court processes. The TV played the news in the background as the two old friends got comfortable with each other in a way they hadn't in a long time.

Izuku welcomed the bottle of Shochu handed to him with a hum as they sat down on the carpeted floor. They both leaned back on the foot of the bed and spread out their limbs as Mirio shrugged off his blazer. Izuku noted how exhausted the blond seemed and how he was extremely tense in his broad shoulders.

The attorney gave a rough sigh as he pulled out his silver laptop and inserted one of the DVDs into the side. The bright colorful images filled the dimly lit room as Izuku sipped casually on the sweet tasting alcohol in his hand. He studied his estranged friend out the corner of his eye with a small laugh when Mirio took several large gulps of the drink and forcefully undid his tie.

"Long day?" Izuku asked with a smile.

Mirio glanced back at him with a chuckle and shook his head. "You have no idea. This is the most trying case in my entire career thus far. Kayama Nemuri is ruthless. It's actually pretty inspiring how passionate she is about imprisoning dirty cops. Too bad she has the wrong one."

"How did the other hearing go? For the sexual misconduct," Izuku whispered as he took a small sip. He thought of how tired Mirio was and how fatigued his distant lover must be.

"Not great, but not terrible," the attorney said truthfully while watching the anime on screen with sad eyes. "I think Judge Shimura is having some sympathy for Katsuki but it doesn't evade him from the standards and guidelines."

Izuku made a pained face when he realized what that meant. He muttered the one thing he didn't want to be true, but it was ultimately unavoidable.

"Katsuki is going to lose his job...isn't he?"

Green eyes stayed glued to the screen in front of him, listening to the silence that filled in the blank. Mirio didn't need to answer, his hesitation said enough and it caused all the nerves in Izuku's body to jitter wildly.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. He is," Mirio whispered, looking down at the carpet. The attorney let out a shaky breath before crossing his arms with a thoughtful gaze. "It's a messed up set of circumstances but with the way things are being handled due to the video being taken against both of your rights, it seems like the only way for Bakugou to keep his job is if you no longer worked at U.A."

Izuku froze. "_What_?"

Mirio took another long swig of his drink.

"They gave an ultimatum," he whispered while he gazed at Izuku in a sad manner. "Either you or Katsuki need to leave U.A because, right now, the Commissioner can't say with confidence if you weren't intimidated or threatened into a sexual relationship with him. But even if you weren't, your relationship is still against Shizuoka Police Department guidelines."

"That's...gracious."

"Considering everything, it is. It's either that or he goes to trial to try to fight against the sexual misconduct allegations and attempt for both of you to keep your jobs. He'd be presented in front of a jury _again_ after all the slander Monoma has done. And I can tell you now, two back to back trials centering around Katsuki's character isn't going to go well."

Izuku felt the weight on his chest push down at the thought.

"The jury would reject it immediately because his reputation is already ruined," Izuku finished for Mirio and the attorney nodded slowly.

Izuku groaned heavily before taking the last swig of his Shochu and scrunching his face at the bitter taste. He looked down at his empty glass bottle and shook his head while setting it to the side.

"Pass me another please," Izuku whispered, thoughts running wild in his head.

Mirio handed him the next drink without hesitation and the two friends sat in silence, watching the movie in front of them attempting to mentally escape from the hell-like situation they all were trapped in.

. . .

Time warped with several hours passing. The bright white moon outside rose fully to shine into the small motel room and gradually several glass bottles of Shochu stacked up between the two stressed out men as they caught up on each other's lives.

Izuku learned Mirio was quickly working his way up in his firm and getting Katsuki off would hopefully boost him all the way. In exchange, Izuku told his estranged best friend all the details that led up to him and Katsuki adopting a small Shiba Inu.

The blond attorney smiled and soon Izuku felt his heart full and repaired in a way he didn't know was broken while he listened to Mirio's laugh.

"Why are you _always_ getting into trouble with animals?" Mirio chuckled, downing another sip of the alcoholic beverage.

Both of their faces were flushed pink and giggling between each other as they sat on the floor next to each other. Blue eyes were half lidded while staring at Izuku, and Mirio playfully pushed the other's shoulder.

"Because you were always there enabling me!" Izuku laughed, resting his head against the edge of the bed frame. "Do you remember that time you jumped into the neighbor's pool to avoid getting caught by the neighborhood police for trespassing—how did you even hold your breath that long?"

Izuku snickered and Mirio rolled his eyes with a smile on his lips as he took another sip of his drink.

"Hey, now. I only jumped in because you coaxed me into helping you break into that abandoned house with you. All to save that dog giving birth inside."

"The puppies needed shelter from the winter and the local authorities didn't understand," Izuku said sternly with a slight slur in his words. "I will never apologize for giving a creature in need a helping hand."

They laughed between each other, losing track of time until Izuku took a moment to appreciate the light air in the room. It was void of any resentment, negativity, and it felt exactly how it used to be between them. The joy made Izuku's lonely heart hum with familiar happiness.

"I miss us being friends, Mirio," Izuku said quietly with a distant smile. The blond paused and turned to look at the greenette next to him with a soft gaze in his eyes and Izuku in return gave a sad look. "I'm so sorry I fucked up our friendship. I fuck up _everything_. First us, then Katsuki."

Mirio sighed and leaned his head back and shifted to turn his body to Izuku next to him. "You didn't fuck up anything, especially nothing with Bakugou. There shouldn't have been a camera in his office in the first place."

"Yeah, but...it was my idea, you know. To have sex in his office. I wish I could tell him I'm sorry," Izuku confessed. Green eyes flickered down and leaned into the warm feeling in his chest that he couldn't tell was from the alcohol or the need to fix everything he made a mess of. "And I want to tell you that too, Mirio. I'm sorry for using you whenever I was lonely."

The wind blew against the window and the white noise of the movie played in the background as the old childhood friend searched Izuku's freckled features.

"I'm sorry too—for everything," Mirio said after several beats. "I guess I always...had a picture of the future in my head. It was always me and you, living happily together just like how we grew up."

Izuku stayed silent, unsure of what to make of the words. The heaviness in Mirio's shoulders kept him from speaking as he watched his drunk friend continue on with a hint of sullen nostalgia flickering in his eyes.

"I never knew my mom, and my dad always worked but your family was always super welcoming anytime I wanted to go over. You were always there waiting for me with that cute, sweet smile to play or hang out," Mirio whispered, looking past Izuku like he was lost in a memory.

Izuku felt his heart clench at the topic that was always skated around in the Yagi household: the loss of Mirio's mother. He knew of it but his parents always hushed him and scolded him to never pry or ask questions as a child. The older Izuku became, the more he realized why when he watched Mirio and Toshinori interact.

"I love my father but he's always used his job to cover up losing my mother when I was born. I think there's a part of him that always hurts looking at me because of it. I guess it makes sense that's why he moved to an entirely different city the second I turned seventeen."

"Your dad loves you, Miri," Izuku quickly supplied with a soft look. "He's really proud of everything you've done."

"I know but I guess I'm just getting at, you've always been a constant for me, like the sun," Mirio revealed as he turned his eyes to Izuku fully. Izuku's body was both shocked by the amount of raw emotion sitting inside of sky blue eyes and taken back when Mirio reached forward to hold his hand. "And I guess there's a large part of me that still hopes you'll stay a constant...always."

Without warning, Mirio drunkenly leaned forward to capture Izuku's lips with his own and green eyes stretched wide. The smaller man snatched his hand from Mirio's firm grip and shoved him backwards, effectively breaking the kiss.

"—Miri, no," Izuku said as he leaned fully away, putting a large amount of space between them. They both stared at each other, DVD in the background completely forgotten as pained expressions fanned across their features.

Izuku opened his mouth in disbelief as the mood between them shattered.

His heart rapidly thudded inside his chest as he heard Mirio curse under his breath. The childhood friend ran a shaky hand through his hair like he was frustrated and Izuku didn't know what to say.

"I-I want you to be a constant in my life too b-but not in that way," Izuku tried to reason but the look on Mirio's face quickly drained from loving to hurt. "I miss my best friend, and I'm so sorry for everything that happened between us but I can't return your feelings like that. Especially not now, I'm taken." Izuku whispered the last part feeling oddly ashamed.

They waded in nothingness and Izuku let it happen. Green eyes took in the several empty bottles of Shochu laying discarded across the floor, forgotten. He realized his mistake and the weight of a ton of bricks slammed into him.

Piece by piece, he accepted he could possibly never repair things back to the way they were because like Mirio said: his friend had always been in love with him long before Izuku even knew. It hurt him in a cruel way to know he couldn't reciprocate the romance Mirio wanted and he bitterly accepted it would take more than a handful of months to have anything restored.

Izuku felt foolish.

They sat there, not staring at each other until the last of the movie ended. Neither man moved as they stayed quiet in fragile silence.

"Why him?" Mirio's voice rasped out all too softly.

Izuku felt his heart shatter at the tears he could practically hear threatening to spill over.

He turned away from Mirio and pulled awkwardly at the beige carpet underneath him because he was unsure of how even to answer such a question. He mulled over all the reasons he loved Katsuki. He was kind. Dutiful. Had a great work ethic. Helped people. _Listened_ to him and pushed him to strive for greatness. Katsuki's smile was as radiant as the sun and his smirk was alluring.

But the green eyed man decided he would never voice that to someone who was so clearly love-stricken for him. Izuku could never twist the blade in Mirio's heart like that willingly.

So instead he settled for whispering, "Love is weird that way."

He was met with the gentle sound of the breeze blowing through the window.

Mirio hung his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. I guess it is."

"Um, if you want to stay here until you sober up you can. I don't want you drunk driving," Izuku offered while he began to quietly close his friend's laptop. "I can sleep on the floor and you take the bed."

"No, it's okay. I'll take the floor, don't worry."

"Okay," Izuku said in an apologetic tone as he stood up with a slight drunk wobble without looking at the other man in the blue room. "I-I'm going to go to shower and then head to bed. Feel free to grab one of the pillows and rest for a while."

Mirio only nodded and didn't dare look at him.

"Goodnight, Izuku."

The usage of his full name hit home hard. It shattered the glass like moment as if hearing Mirio use his full name was a brick thrown against his gut. It was the first time in a long time that Mirio hadn't uttered his given nickname in an affectionate tone and it admittedly felt like a slap in the face.

The green eyed man didn't need to glance behind him to know his friend was silently crying. Izuku tiredly grabbed the new bottle of heavy dosage sleeping pills he had bought earlier and decided he was going to take an extra pill to put him under for the rest of the night.

"G'night, Miri."

. . .

Katsuki didn't know where to even begin.

Everything was an absolute damn mess. A shit show beyond his control and it was the first time in years that he had no say. And he fucking _hated_ it.

How did he go from nearly closing in on Dabi to having to listen to _Mirio_, of all damn people, not to have contact with Izuku? It made him grit his teeth in frustration because he didn't realize how important the green eyed man had become in his life in such a short amount of time.

But he was—Izuku was his Symbol of Love in the chaotic storm of everything and he filled his life with warmth and joy. He wasn't ready to give that up—not after everything. He'd do anything to keep Izuku by his side.

Including burn evidence to keep him out of jail and then proceed to boldly lie about it in court.

There was no way he would ever let anything happen to Izuku—he cared about him too much. He'd protect the freckled man no matter what was on the line.

But now he couldn't even fucking _call_ him.

"It's better if you stay away from him, like I told you months ago," Mirio had said. "If someone catches you two talking, they're going to think you're influencing him on what to say to defend your reputation." There was a clear hint of apology in his attorney's voice and he could tell the other blond man was regretting what happened.

But there was a veil across blue eyes that Katsuki noticed when it was just them alone.

Mirio smiled and talked when they were all in the group, and it was clear the other blond didn't want him to go to jail. There was extended kinship, but it only extended so far. Katsuki saw straight through all the polite shit the second it was just them alone in a room.

Mirio would turn away, click his tongue and be short as fuck with him. Any time the attorney was in the apartment, those stupid ass blue eyes of his would look bitterly at all the photographs on the wall. It didn't take a genius to know Mirio wanted it to be him in all the happy loving photographs with Izuku.

Especially with how Mirio was trying _so _damn hard to play the white knight of Izuku's life and showboat how he was proving Katsuki's innocence.

But Katsuki kept his mouth zipped tight and glowered to prevent his words from biting himself in the ass. He couldn't afford to piss off his lawyer right now.

Especially after the video dropped—which was an ordeal on its own.

Seeing himself caught on film with Izuku twisted his gut until he felt sick—_past_ sick to be truthful. It took everything Katsuki had not to vomit then and there when he realized the entire world he had built with the man he loved came burning down.

He remembered how horrified Toshinori's face looked, how disgusted the Jury was, but most of all he remembers hearing the broken sob that escaped past Izuku's lips. He had turned back in that moment, ignoring how eye contact with Izuku already somehow felt taboo, to see tearful green eyes staring wide at the screen.

Izuku had rushed out of the courtroom when everything twisted into chaos. Shouto spared him one sorry-filled glance before chasing after the greenette and Katsuki could see all the burning gazes of everyone around him judging what they had witnessed. Mirio was yelling over the prosecution and Judge Shimura was banging her gavel repeatedly trying to get everyone gasping and talking loudly to settle down.

But it was too late.

The damage had been done and he was slapped with sexual misconduct allegations for abusing his authority. The footage of him fully dominating Izuku looked extremely bad from the outside perspective—especially to someone who didn't understand a _very_ specific sex dynamic.

But worst of all he knew what it meant for Izuku: isolation.

It was something Izuku had confided with him that he struggles with deep in his core. Too much solitude allowed Izuku's demons to manifest into nightmares that crept in his mind and reminded him of his past traumas.

"Please. _Please._ Don't make me leave. T-There has to be something else," Izuku had cried in front of him. Sparkling green eyes were screwed shut, and Izuku was nearly buckled over sobbing uncontrollably. "I don't want to leave Katsuki—t-there has to be another way."

It broke Katsuki's heart to helplessly watch the person who had brought so much love into his life be ripped away. The ache inside of chest screamed, pulled and begged him to do fucking _something_—

—but he restrained himself because he knew there wasn't anything he could do. Monoma had burned their relationship to the ground and Katsuki was going to fucking strangle his skinny throat the second he was able to.

But despite having that to possibly look forward to, Katsuki couldn't shake his own feeling of dread about his future. According to Shouto there were no more leads on the Hero Killer case and Izuku had bled every possible clue dry.

"We don't know who it could be," Shouto had said to him one day while with Toshinori and Mirio. "We made a list and we're making our way down it—but it doesn't seem like we're narrowing in on anything."

Which meant there was a fifty percent chance of him going to jail.

Watching the city he dedicated all of his life to turn on him viciously did something to Katsuki's heart that he couldn't even describe. The same reporters who had praised him endlessly for years were now spewing conspiracy theories. Only a few people who had come to his defense in the media.

"Lieutenant Bakugou isn't like that! He worked overtime to solve my daughter's murder a year ago and caught the guy within three days. I don't believe you're giving him a chance."

"He let my son stay in the station after school when I was working overtime to make ends meet. He gave him a safe place to go when I couldn't afford childcare."

"I'd like to see you all get out there and solve these arson attacks if you're going to lock away the man who was trying to solve them. My house was burnt down and it was Bakugou on that scene, not you."

But those individuals were few and far between.

All of this left him alone, isolated, and sitting in the cold empty apartment with remnants of Izuku's love.

He watched Zazen Ave burn down by Dabi's hand and Katsuki felt like screaming off his balcony when more lives were lost—in an attack he could've _prevented_. Katsuki didn't understand anything the more he stared at the puzzle in front of him.

What the _fuck_ was Dabi's end game?

What the hell did he want and why the fuck wasn't there a pattern in the building he was torturing in Shizouka?

Katsuki tried to repeat them in his mind over and over to see if a pattern clicked.

The bank on Kaze Ave. The three houses on Ichirizuka Street. That _entire_ fucking block on Uchi Street and now two full rows of houses on Zazen Ave.

It was beyond boggling. Dabi was a man of method and if he was someone who waited out both the Shigarakis and Yotsubashi—Katsuki could safely assume he didn't do shit without reason. There had to be _something_ calculated in the way he was terrorizing the city.

But Katsuki couldn't figure it out.

And it sunk the workaholic puzzle solver into a depressive slope as the next three weeks passed by. There were no more new clues on either the Hero Killer or Dabi and Katsuki felt himself beginning to drown in all his worries. At this rate he was going to be imprisoned for life without parole and never fucking see Izuku again before that could happen.

His anxieties spiked at the thought: never see Izuku again.

He would clench his hands and the thought would nearly make him say fuck it. He was a second away from throwing all caution to the wind just to see Izuku again. Because the longer he was away from the rose-smelling beauty, the more his heart ached for just a tiny piece of contact.

Which is why when he saw Izuku's name flash on his phone screen, his heart did a full stop.

He was currently sitting in the middle of getting an ultimatum for not going to court a second time when he saw the smiling picture of his distant boyfriend appear on his phone. It rang loudly with the upbeat personalized ringtone at exactly 8:00am sharp that Saturday and Katsuki damn near forgot where he was for several seconds. Was he dreaming?

"Mr. Bakugou could you please silence that?"

And he was now sharply reminded he was definitely not in some daydream.

He glanced around at all the different kinds of stares from the people deciding his fate. The inquisitive one from Judge Shimura. The saddened one from Toshinori. The aggravated one more Mirio. The avoidant one from the Chief of Police himself, Enji Todoroki. Then finally, the disappointed one Commissioner of the Shizuoka City police, Nezu.

"Sorry," Katsuki muttered to all the high ranking people in front of him.

He quickly snatched the phone off the table and tried his best to hide the identity of the person calling, but failed miserably. He could plainly see the thoroughly unimpressed stare the Judge was giving him and it made Katsuki wince.

"As I was saying," she started up again, giving both Mirio and Katsuki a pointed expression. "I fully do believe that you and Mr. Midoriya are in a consenting adult relationship and you didn't use your authority to pressure him into sex. The only issue is with you holding power over his career, there is no wiggle room."

"I'm very sorry, Bakugou," Enji spoke in a sympathetic tone. "Even the Symbol Of Victory is not immune to the guidelines of workplace ethics. Along with what we saw in your phone records, it is very clear this thing between you and officer Midoriya has been going on for quite some time."

Katsuki glanced his eyes down and swallowed thickly because he knew what was coming next.

"But…" Judge Shimura started. She exhaled roughly and folded her hands on top of the table. "The way the prosecution handled the video makes the evidence dismissible, since it is against your rights to have been filmed in such a manner. Because of this, I'm willing to make a compromise to avoid you getting fined."

Katsuki lifted his head, shocked. He stared at the kind-hearted woman in front of him, eager to hear that there may be a _slim_ chance of him possibly getting his life back to normal.

"After talking it over with the Commissioner, we decided that either you or Detective Midoriya need to resign from working at U.A," she said evenly, glancing once towards the white haired man next to her.

"We all decided that we need one of you to resign by the end of the week no questions asked," Commissioner Nezu said softly. "I truly cannot have you two in the same environment ignoring sexual misconduct protocol because it would undermine other cases. If this was brought to my attention outside of this whole fiasco, the decision would be the same."

Judge Shimura spoke up next with a sympathetic look in her dark eyes. "If you want to proceed to fight against either you or Midoriya losing your positions, you may _but_ I can tell you now this would be a swift ruling against your favor unless Midoriya is suddenly a Lieutenant in the next seven days."

Katsuki felt his world stop at the ultimatum.

"Deal," Mirio said quicker than he could think. "We will discuss things over and figure out a way to avoid a second trial."

But Katsuki didn't say anything.

His hand tightened around the phone in his hand as his red eyes stared at the woman in front of him. He realized she had extended an olive branch, but it was an olive branch he _couldn't_ take. There was no damn way he was going to have Izuku resign his dreams over his. Not after everything Izuku had gone through.

The bleeding heart buried deep down inside of Katsuki refused to even let him fathom walking up to the doe-eyed man and informing him of such a thing.

Which only left Katsuki one option: he was going to lose his job no matter what.

. . .

"There's no other option?" Kirishima asked, staring at him with wide eyes. "Dude, you don't deserve to lose your job and neither does green bean. This isn't right."

"No other option. It's standard protocol for higher ups being caught sleeping with their subordinates." Katsuki shook his head with an irritated sigh. "_Especially_ subordinates they both command and submit payroll for. I'm going to resign at the end of the week and start clearing out my office after the spring festival next week. Y'know, depending if I'm proven innocent for fucking _murder_ and all."

He was currently sitting in his living room graciously drinking down copious amounts of beer to forget the absolute mess that was now his life. Mina was staring at him empathetically and while Shouto had his legs crossed on the love seat trying to find anything in the emails he and Izuku had obtained.

"You're going to get off," Shouto said in a plain tone without looking at him. "Izuku isn't going to rest until you're proven innocent. He practically demanded that these emails be shown to everyone—and _somehow_ got his way when he pressured Captain Aizawa into it."

"Yeah, Shouto is right," Mina said with a sympathetic look in her eye. "Izuku's been arguing with other officers trying to get to the bottom of it. He _really_ dislikes dirty cops."

"It's because a dirty cop had a helping hand in his parents' deaths," Katsuki said quietly. "He started the uprooting of the whole police branch of AFO after he found out who was responsible. So I guess this hits a little close to home for him."

"Well, damn," Mina said and gave a low, impressed whistle. "Looks like you're dating the right detective."

"He called me," Katsuki said quietly into the room. Everyone's eyes turned to him as he took a small sip of his drink. "During the sexual misconduct hearing with all the higher ups. But around two rings he hung up. Is he okay?"

"He seems okay. I think he's just as stressed as you are," Kirishima tried to reassure him but it failed at making him feel any better. "It's obvious he hasn't been sleeping correctly these past few weeks. But he seems to be holding up fine."

Katsuki nodded absently and let the conversation drawl out to some other topic.

He didn't really bother paying attention to what his friends were saying as the day bled into night. All he could think about was Izuku struggling to be alone in some dirty ass motel by himself.

Soon the married couple of sergeants left until it was only him and Shouto around dinner time. The two waded in silence as Shouto raked through all the files with his detail orientated eye. Part of Katsuki missed Izuku a little more than usual. The loneliness inside of him was fueled dangerously by the knowledge that the greenette had called him.

That meant it had to be an emergency of sorts, right? Something was wrong.

He thought about all the times he'd been in the same bed with Izuku when the trauma victim would startle awake from nightmares. The frightened look in those emerald tinted eyes would be so raw—as if Izuku was surrounded by a circle of fire. He could still feel the way his lover would cling to him, trying to downplay his insecurities but Katsuki would know better. Izuku wanted to be held so he would do that without question and help banish all of Izuku's dark thoughts back into the past.

"Ah, it's nearly 8:00pm. I have to go," Shouto announced into the quiet room. He shut his laptop with a tired sigh and offered up a friendly smile. "I'm having dinner with my family at my parents' place tonight."

Katsuki nodded and clicked his tongue, feeling neutral about being left alone with his thoughts about Izuku.

"Alright, I'll see you Shouto. Be safe out there."

"You too, Katsuki. Get some rest and try not to think about the trial too much."

His comrade left him by himself and Katsuki felt time slip away from him quickly. He tried to occupy himself with Akira, taking her for an extra long walk around the neighborhood park. The accused man did his best to ignore the blatant stares from the other people around who recognized him. He had half a mind to yell at them 'take a goddamn picture it lasts longer' but knew better. He had to be Shizouka City's fucking _sweetheart_ right now.

As he watched the news that evening, the lieutenant felt himself grow glum. It was just more slander after slander, and it was beginning to drown him.

Part of him didn't blame the city. They had been fighting against dirty cops for ages, and now that they had one outed, they were crucifying him without an inkling of hesitation. Katsuki understood it because seeing those emails even pissed _him_ off. He wanted whoever was fucking responsible behind bars too.

But there were no leads and it made him anxious. What if Mirio couldn't work whatever legal magic and what if the next hearing was the last?

Katsuki cursed under his breath when he realized time was _not_ on his side right now.

Red eyes glanced down at the lock screen on his phone of him and Izuku smiling under fireworks on New Year's.

. . .

Katsuki tried to sleep. _Really_, he did.

He tried his best to roll over in that cold bed and ignore the sky high number of problems wrong with his life but it was damn near impossible. All he could think about was what the aborted phone call from Izuku could be about.

And the longer he stared at his puzzle piece bracelet that was missing it's other half, it made him do something absolutely bat shit. Red eyes glared at the green clock on his nightstand and before his logic could catch up with him, he was throwing on the nearest black shirt, black sweatpants and his white gym shoes at nearly 2:30am.

The ash blond grabbed his black and white biker jacket that had the number '0' on it in bold, orange lettering and snatched his orange helmet off the wall. He put on his biker jacket without an inkling of regret because he was too focused on the possibility of Izuku struggling by himself.

Consequences be _damned_. He'll deal with the repercussions later.

Katsuki repeated to himself that he needed to make sure Izuku was okay as he got onto Ground Zero and started up his motorcycle for the first time in a long time. He punched in the address of the motel on the GPS attached to his bike and securely put on his orange and black helmet.

Without so much as looking back, Katsuki kicked the stand back and drove into the night.

. . .

When he arrived at the motel downtown, the first thing that caught Katsuki's eye was the flickering 'M' on the bright pink neon sign. He frowned at how downright sullen the atmosphere was. The building was sitting off in the corner like it was forgotten and it was painted a really depressing shade of blue.

No fucking wonder Izuku had called him after spending three weeks in this goddamn dump. Was this the best Mirio could find? Katsuki 'tch'd to himself thinking about his attorney as he pushed his kickstand in place and took off his helmet.

He recalled the motel number Toshinori had revealed to him on the basis of 'an emergency and an emergency _only.' _But Katsuki considered this to be an emergency of sorts. Emergency cuddles were a thing with someone with Izuku's mental state. Katsuki jogged up the black metallic stairs and found himself in front of the door that read '202' in rusted silver numbers.

He knocked on the wood loudly and was already picturing a sleepy, cute Izuku answering the door. He could already envision the stunned but relieved expression on his lover's face and could feel the kiss they were going to share.

But when the door swung open, he was greeted with the exact opposite. Standing there was a shirtless fucking _Mirio_ looking as equally confused to see him.

"What the fuck? _Mirio_?"

"_Bakugou_?" Mirio hissed and looked behind him quickly.

Katsuki's eyes followed Mirio's line of vision and immediately he saw Izuku sprawled out, dead asleep, underneath a dark colored comforter. The sleeping man stirred slightly before rolling over, and there Katsuki was able to see the scene inside the room fully.

Izuku was shirtless, his left arm hung out from on top of the covers and his white bandages wrapping up his entire left arm were clear as day. But what stood out to him most were the several empty bottles of Shochu all around and how the thick smell of alcohol filled his nostrils.

Katsuki frowned.

Mirio rapidly shut the door, being sure not to make a noise. He stepped outside completely barefoot in his black boxers and his blue eyes were flickering with protective energy.

"Have you and Izuku been sneaking around like this despite all of us saying not to?" Mirio accused in a whisper.

"What? No. I—" Katsuki started but stumbled because he was still baffled by the visual he was greeted with. His brain was struggling to catch up because out of all the things he expected—_this—_sure as hell was not one. "I got worried when he called," he said finally, focusing on the question asked. "It's been three weeks and I wanted to check in on him and make sure he was okay. I know he gets really bad nightmares."

Mirio put his hands on his hips and shook his head like he was scolding a toddler. Katsuki frowned deeper, the child-like treatment only added to his growing irritation.

"So you decided to come to his motel at nearly 3:00am in the midst of me trying to prove you _didn't_ intimidate him?" His attorney said slowly. Katsuki grimaced because...well yeah, this wasn't the best decision. "What if there's a private investigator following you? Do you know how that will look in a _murder_ trial being built on tearing down your character, Bakugou? Do you _want_ to go to jail?"

"Of course fucking not—" Katsuki hissed loudly and Mirio shot him a look to keep quiet. "I only wanted to see Izuku," he said in a lower tone. "He called me and I know how he gets sometimes. I figured a check up wouldn't hurt anyone."

The desperation was thick in his voice because it had been a full _three_ fucking weeks. He just wanted to know how Izuku was doing—or at least hear his voice. Anything to dull the ache in his own chest at the fact his life was falling apart.

He told himself this was for Izuku, but deep down he needed it too.

However, when Mirio only shook his head and started to head back inside, Katsuki frowned at the dismissal. His thoughts stopped for a long moment as he studied the near naked man in front of him.

Then he thought of the shirtless Izuku inside.

"...What are _you_ doing here?" Katsuki questioned slowly. His eyes narrowed as he straightened his back out. Mirio stopped with his hand on the handle, and turned back around to him with blue eyes full of envy.

"He didn't want to be alone," his attorney said in a low, challenging tone. They maintained heated eye contact as Mirio leaned in to whisper his next words. "So I did what I do best: made sure he wasn't _alone_."

The implication dropped in the air and it caused Katsuki's heart to beat fast. His handsome face twisted into a scowl.

"Don't fucking do that," he hissed.

"Do what?"

"Insinuate shit that isn't _true_," Katsuki said in a threatening octave.

He stepped closer to the man in front of him, red eyes blazing while his mind mulled about his shirtless lover inside. His lip curled as he met the challenging glare Mirio gave him with tenfold the intensity.

"I know damn well you still like Izuku, Mirio. Don't fucking play with me," Katsuki warned darkly. "Him being in this motel away from me is probably your biggest wet dream. You can pull those fake ass plastic smiles in front of everyone else but I know, deep down, you're still jealous that Izuku chose me over you. And Izuku will _always_ choose _me_."

He watched a small inkling of hurt flicker in blue eyes before it was covered up with anger.

"So what? You've done nothing but make his life harder. Your temporary relationship isn't going to hold up," Mirio spat unkindly. "The two of you are too impulsive together—that tape proves it. Maybe he's choosing you because that's what he thinks he wants _right now_ but I'll be what he needs in the end."

Katsuki let out a dry laugh and rolled his eyes. "Is that what you tell yourself when you can't get any further than you have?"

"You really think someone with Izuku's lack of self control lets me not go far?" Mirio hissed back, his grip on the silver handle tightened.

Unwillingly, the image of Izuku laying in bed shirtless with Mirio appeared in his mind but Katsuki shook his head to push it away.

_No. There's no way,_ he repeated to himself as he studied the angry blue eyes in front of him. Several beats passed by with the wind blowing between them and slowly Katsuki's heart rate inclined.

"You know what? Fuck you for saying that," Katsuki finally hissed with his face twisted in disgust. "I'm not going to entertain this pathetic pity party anymore. I'll see you next week and when all of this is over, Izuku is moving back in with _me._ And you'll be back in Yaizu—_miles_ _away_ because _I'm_ his partner not you."

Katsuki huffed and shot the most hateful look he could conjure towards Mirio before he turned away. He gripped his motorcycle helmet tighter in his hands trying to kill the visual in his head of Izuku and Mirio together because there was no damn way that would be true. Not after _everything_—

"We kissed."

Mirio's deep voice carried in the night and Katsuki felt both his feet and heart come to a halt. The image of Izuku softly closing his eyes and leaning into kiss Mirio appeared in his mind.

Katsuki whirled around with rage twisted on his features. Red eyes locked with blue and the same emotion was mirrored right back at him from Mirio.

"_No_," Katsuki rejected immediately. He stormed up to the other male, temper flared and his voice strained. "You fucking bastard, you're lying. Izuku wouldn't kiss you—"

"You're right—we didn't _only_ kiss. Why do you think I'm here?" Mirio implied as he let his jealousy fully boil and take control. "Do you really think Izuku let me in without the intent to fuck him? Ask him next time and watch him downplay it to spare your feelings. Then maybe in between the hearings we can discuss his cherry Chapstick and the heart shaped beauty mark on his right thigh."

Katsuki opened his mouth but was speechless at what to say.

He shook his head before slowly backing away, trying to drown out the image in his head. He kept trying to push it back over and over but it fought its way to the forefront the more he thought about Mirio replacing him that quickly.

Katsuki seethed as he got onto his black motorcycle. He tried to tell himself repeatedly not to believe that bastard. Mirio was a dick. He was jealous that Katsuki came in and Izuku had fallen for him and he was lying. That son of a bitch was _lying_.

Red eyes glanced up one more time to see Mirio walk back inside the blue door. Something ugly bubbled at the low end of his mind and all Katsuki could think about is how that should be _him_ instead. He had more than half a mind to storm back up there, kick down the door and drag them both out of bed as he demanded to know what the _fuck_ was going on.

But he trusted Izuku.

Mirio _had_ to be lying because Izuku would never do that. Izuku would never cuddle with Mirio of all people and let things go too far. No matter how sad and alone he was feeling. No matter the fact they used to have sex for three years.

No matter how many times he told Katsuki sometimes his nightmares were only pushed down with the presence of a body.

"_I used to sleep with people because it helped me feel less alone,"_ he heard Izuku's voice in his head. He recalled the dejected look in green eyes as Izuku told him everything about his past._ "It got out of hand a lot because I could never really fight the urge—it's why I was at that bar when we met."_

Katsuki felt himself burn with a trickle of doubt by the time he arrived back home. When he walked through the door, he paused. He gazed upon what felt like a museum of happy memories in the world he built with the freckled artist. All the smiles and laughter suddenly felt too bittersweet to gaze at now because he was going to lose it all.

He was a hair away from going to jail and there was a sliver of chance Izuku was in bed with Mirio cuddling for comfort.

Katsuki couldn't control the tears that prickled his eyes.

He thought about his job. His reputation. He thought about how the city he thought he loved so much strung him high. Then finally he thought about his lover.

"_Fuck_!" He screamed as he threw his helmet hard against the wall.

The orange helmet crashed into the white wall hard enough to leave a large indent and shake the photo frames on the wall. He let out another painful yell when his chest felt like he was crumbling inwards and he cried unrestrained.

Katsuki knew deep down he hadn't driven to the motel only to comfort Izuku—_he needed comfort too._ He needed to be told everything was going on to be okay from the one person he fully loved because he was alone again.

But he didn't get any reassurance and now everything was about to be taken from him—one way or another.

. . .

When Shouto left Katsuki's apartment that evening, the winds were howling loudly. The spring breeze was both harsh and comfortable as it covered him in a warm breeze. The tired man wanted to take the time out to enjoy it but knew he had no real time.

Katsuki's next hearing was in a week's time and after seeing both Izuku and Katsuki nearly break down, he felt like he had to add in overtime.

After Izuku had come clean about why he was avoiding him, Shouto found himself drawn closer to him in an odd kinship. He enjoyed hearing about Izuku's misadventures as a child, and the stories about the small city of Yaizu.

Shouto liked the sound of Yaizu, especially since it was a city that was more aware of its possibly crooked cops because of Izuku. The precincts there were more aware of the shortcomings in the justice system unlike Shizuoka City. It sounded lovely to Shouto.

Izuku's eyes always sparkled with life whenever he talked about his hometown and it had made him question something one day.

"Why did you leave? You seem to love it so much and it sounds like it's the perfect fit for you," He had asked, completely harmless. It was the week after The Red Dawn and long before Katsuki's arrest. The green eyed man had fixed Shouto's favorite meal one evening when his blond boyfriend was working late.

The question had Izuku pause in silence. The detective's happy expression slowly drained into a solemn one.

"Well, I actually left Yaizu trying to escape from the Shigarakis," Izuku whispered while he glanced down at his plate of rice. "I...I never thought I would be able to go back. I kind of gave up hope of ever seeing my hometown ever again. But, they're gone now, huh? I could go back."

There was a beat of silence as Izuku stared at the ground.

"There's nothing stopping me now," Izuku continued, looking more confident. Shouto watched as green eyes lifted up and glanced around the large luxury apartment that was Katsuki's. Izuku's face twisted slightly as he stared at the walls. "But...Katsuki's here and U.A. I really love Katsuki and I want to be with my friends."

"...You look conflicted, Izuku."

"I'm not conflicted," the green eyed man had rejected instantaneously. "It's just settling in. We only got the Shigarakis last week and with everything going on, I didn't think about the fact there's nothing stopping me from going back. I could go back home now and see my parents resting grounds like I used to."

Shouto felt his own heart pull at the thought, not considering how Izuku had been barred from ever visiting his parents' graves because of a drug lord.

"Maybe we can all three take a weekend trip to Yaizu?" He had offered, and the reaction he got back was more than elated. Izuku's eyes sparkled to life and leaned in with a sunshine bright smile.

"Really? You want to take a trip there?"

"Yeah, of course. I would love to see it with you."

Shouto remembered how he had been on the side planning for their weekend trip to Yaizu when it was terribly stolen away by Monoma. The other blond lieutenant had come in like a whirlwind and completely wrecked their peace and left it shattered on the ground.

Shouto felt burdened as he could do nothing to help his friends. He painfully witnessed Izuku and Katsuki spiral during this time. They both tried so hard to keep it in until it broke like a dam when Izuku was forced to move out.

The accused man had sat alone on his couch that night, holding Akira with his head down. Shouto could hear the litany of small sniffs escaping Katsuki as the other tried to cover his face and hide the fact his eyes were shedding tears. It had made him worry.

"Katsuki, are you okay?" Shouto remembered he asked after Izuku had been sent away in Mirio's car. "It's okay if you aren't. I'm here to talk."

"I'll be fucking _fine_," Katsuki had hissed defensively, covering his emotions. "You can go now. I want to be left alone."

Shouto hesitated leaving because he realized his long term comrade was bottling himself in tightly. Like he always did. As the weeks had passed and the trial progressed, it was more than a nightmare. There was a small glimmer of hope after Izuku petitioned against keeping the emails private information when the whole of the department should be seeking to find out who sent them.

The green eyed man had acted like an immovable wall with the support of Toshinori, and when they got the support of Captain Aizawa, Monoma was made to release the information. Shouto and Izuku spent hours searching through the emails, trying to scope out anything that would point them in the right direction—but every direction was a dead end.

Soon Shouto watched Izuku break down too. But unlike Katsuki, the green-eyed man let his emotions run freely like a river.

Izuku had sat down on the stairs in front of their precinct tiredly after another long day. At this time it had been nearly two weeks since he had been put in the motel and Shouto could tell it was getting to him.

"I think I'm going crazy, Shouto," Izuku had whispered privately. "My gut is telling me something isn't right."

Shouto remembered how he paused. "What do you mean?"

"Please don't judge me, but I can't help but feel like someone's watching me when I go places," Izuku confessed with a weary look. "I keep telling myself it's not real because I have a history of having intense paranoia because of the Shigarakis. But...I keep feeling eyes. I-I don't like being alone like this."

Shouto didn't know how to respond to that.

It was worrisome and he started to realize maybe Izuku was coming undone slightly. He would watch how Izuku curled into himself and how green eyes always looked over his shoulder. But Shouto pushed it to the side because like Izuku said, he had a history of intense paranoia.

He focused all his concentration on going down the list of possible crooked cops up until he came down to the very last name on the list.

A name he hesitated to write.

_Todoroki Enji._

He thought about all the rumors that constantly surrounded his father. The lies. The politics. The payouts and coverups. All the things Touya would rub into his face unkindly when preaching about the system being corrupt. His older brother always seemed to know things he didn't about their father, and it caused a firestorm of tension between them.

It was no secret but Shouto never saw the proof himself—if there was any. Touya had never shown him anything tangible, only reinforced rumors that fueled his deep hatred for cops all the way up until his death according to Izuku.

His father was complex, and his family was even more complex. Shouto knew this and it's what made him mildly dread the family dinner that was about to happen soon. His mother had wanted to see everyone and asked for all of them to attempt to make a meal together and Shouto would do anything for his mother.

"Ah, it's nearly 8:00pm. I have to go," Shouto announced into the quiet room when he realized the time. "I'm having dinner with my family at my parents' place tonight."

Katsuki had nodded and clicked his tongue. "Alright, I'll see you Shouto. Be safe out there."

"You too, Katsuki. Get some rest and try not to think about the trial too much."

He had told Katsuki this as he walked out of the luxury apartment. He pushed all the thoughts about the current situation to the back of his own mind but when Shouto walked to his car that evening, something odd happened.

He paused dead cold on the sidewalk when he arrived at his car because sitting on the front windshield was a small white piece of paper. The sergeant glanced over his shoulder quickly but was met with nothing but the dense crowd that always flooded Shizuoka City.

He hesitantly opened the piece of paper that was folded neatly and sitting inside was a printed message.

**Answers are always closer to home. **

**It's him.**

Shouto frowned. An eerie shiver ran up his spine as he felt the notion of someone staring at the back of his neck. His duo-colored eyes narrowed and scanned the thick crowd, trying to find a face of someone who might be suspicious.

But he found no one but happily smiling people.

His gut twisted as he glanced down at the oddly specific note in his hand.

. . .

"So how is everything, Shouto? I hear you're working with Detective Midoriya on that Hero Killer case trying to get Bakugou off," His father asked him at the dinner table. All five of them were sitting around happily enjoying a meal his mother made at their glass table.

His siblings were chatting about work and the students in their respective classes and his mother was quiet_. _

"Not trying to get him off, we're trying to prove his innocence," Shouto correctly quietly, picking at the rice on his plate. "I've been looking over the emails, but I haven't really found much that can tie it to anyone."

"That's a shame," Enji muttered. "I hope this whole mess clears up soon."

Shouto only hummed in agreeance. The conversation was swept away into something else as his mind mulled over the strange note he was given. He thought about why it was left on his car and what it could mean.

But a tiny voice in the back of Shouto's head told him what it meant really.

_It's him_.

It was oddly specific for someone to hand this straight to him: the son of The Chief of Police. Shouto knew it was no coincidence but as he stared at the decently happy picture of his broken family in front of him, a large part of him didn't have the heart to break it further.

The Todoroki family finished up dinner that ended with a large spat between Natsuo and their father. Shouto only winced slightly when his silver haired bother slammed the door on his way out. It was only a matter of time with the amount of short comments from the second youngest son.

Shouto watched quietly while he was on his laptop looking through files from work. He watched it all unfold in front of him like a movie he already knew the ending to. His mother hushed his father and Fuyumi quickly chased after Natsuo who was probably already long gone down the street.

But Natsuo would be back, he always came back to apologize halfheartedly. He would have his temper chilled by Fuyumi's calming nature. Their close knitted relationship always helped even him out in a way that Touya never had.

So Shouto kept his head down until then, ignoring the string of curses from his father. He could hear Enji in the other room going off on a rant about all of his 'ungrateful children.'

Then without warning the entirety of Shouto's computer screen went black and unresponsive.

He blinked once and clicked the space bar several times on his laptop, but nothing happened. Shouto cursed under his breath when he realized he had let his computer die without realizing it. His mind was so heavily distracted that he hadn't even noticed the blinking red battery in the top right corner of his screen.

When he stood up to search his black satchel for his charger, he was both unimpressed and unsurprised with himself to find his charger was missing. Shouto huffed in annoyance.

"Dad, my computer died," Shouto called out to the kitchen in a tired voice. "I think I left my charger at Bakugou's apartment. Do you happen to have yours?"

"Yes, of course, Shouto," his father's voice rang back instantaneously in an affectionate voice like always. His father was always loving towards him. "It's upstairs in my office on top of the bookshelf to the right."

"Thank you," he called out, placing back down his bag.

Shouto made his way up the carpeted stairs into his father's large study. He heard the door open behind him that cued that Natsuo and Fuyumi had returned and he could already hear Natsuo begin to deliver his absolutely rehearsed apology.

Shouto briefly wondered if their father ever truly cared if every apology was always the same fake remorsefulness.

When he arrived in his father's office, it was as pristine as always. It was heavily decorated with awards of gold, silver, and bronze hung on the maroon walls. Pictures of their father shaking hands with mayors and politicians were hanging everywhere with his award winning smile taped to his face.

His dark wooden desk was a shrine to all the different expensive office gifts he had been given over the years. Golden pens, different decorative pins. And sitting as the pride and glory next to the expensive desktop was a photograph of him with his father the first day he was promoted to be a sergeant.

The look on his father's face was so proud and smiling as he pinned Shouto with his new rank. It was a happy memory that Shouto did hold dear to him because it made his heart feel warm. The sergeant inhaled tiredly as he walked fully into what was basically his father's trophy room to the mahogany bookshelf.

There on top he could see the white computer charger and he reached for it with a mild stretch.

But when Shouto pulled it down from the high position, the cord accidentally knocked forward a small metal container that was sitting pushed back at the top as well. A rattle echoed into the quiet room that called for Shouto's attention and he glanced up confused.

There he caught the sight of a container that was black in color and had a lid on top of it sealed tightly with a small silver lock.

The detective paused in that moment as he thought more about the note.

_It's him_.

Shouto glanced towards the door as he reached up towards the container as if it was the apple that damned Eve herself. His hand shook a bit when the cool surface touched his fingertips. He eyed the small lock, and then rotated the item in his hand before seeing a large strip of duct tape at the bottom of it.

Shouto held his breath as he peeled back the grey colored tape and underneath revealed a small silver key. Compelled by the voice of suspicion in the back of his head Shouto unlocked the black box, unknowingly finishing the piece of the puzzle someone else wanted him to solve for himself.

There sitting inside was a single black thumb drive.

. . .

Shouto stayed quiet after he went through the encrypted files he had found. There were no words in the entirety of mankind to describe the type of sick feeling he was experiencing. He slyly separated himself from the rest of the family watching TV in the living while he worked in the kitchen.

Every name.

Every _single_ name was on those spread sheets along with precomposed emails.

The same emails that were sitting on the Hero Killer's laptop.

He listened to his father's hearty laugh and the sound was distorted darkly in his mind. The detective couldn't bring himself to glance back at his family as they chatted between themselves about what was on the television. When Shouto felt his chest tighten he realized what the reality was and decided to go sit on the porch for fresh air.

He walked straight past the other four members of his family, ignoring his father's question if he was alright. He pushed it aside with a quick reassurance before yanking open the door. The night engulfed him fully as he took in the smell of freshly cut grass from their large lawn.

Their home was always so large and luxurious—built on the success of their father's career.

Shouto took one deep breath in before he sat down slowly on the red-wood porch steps and folded his hands. He held on tightly to the black thumb drive as his thoughts spiraled. He listened to Fuyumi's laughter from inside and Natsuo actually agree with something their father said.

The soft sound from the silver wind chrome above his head calmed him down as he weighed in everything.

The door opened behind the troubled detective and a figure slowly sat down next to him. Shouto turned and there he saw the kind gaze of his mother awaiting him. Her soft white hair blew in the wind while the light colored grey eyes were full of love.

"What's on your mind, sweetie?" Rei asked her son.

Shouto took in a deep breath before glancing backwards at the glass door behind them. He turned back with a trepidation in his eyes.

"Mom, do you love dad after everything?" He asked softly. Shouto thought back to all the times he heard his parents' fight and how sometimes he heard a loud slap followed by his mother's soft crying. "After all the issues, why do you still love him?"

Rei sat quietly at the question. She glanced down at her youngest son's fist that was balled up tight. A distant look appeared in her face as she took a deep breath of air in.

"The love we have is hard," Rei confessed, not looking up. "It's difficult to explain why I stay, because it's complicated. I knew he only really pursued me because your grandfather was one of the top politicians and it made him look better in his career...but I could tell your father does love me deep down just as much as I love him."

"So that's it?" Shouto frowned at the explanation, not feeling like it was enough. "A strained love?"

"No. I admired how hard working your father has always been," Rei added. "He came from nothing and always strived to have it all. He's a slum's success story and I like what message that sends. But I do realize along the way he lost sight of how the pathway to his success is just as important as his success."

Shouto didn't say anything as he mulled quietly over the reasoning his mother was giving him.

The thumb drive in his hand burned as Rei continued.

"But above all, I love him because he gave me you all," she finished with tears in her eyes. "I wish Touya was still with us because I love my children more than anything in this life."

At the mention of his deceased elder brother, Shouto felt his heart weigh down. He could tell the same grief had reappeared in his mother as he watched her face twist with regret over how things ended with her first born.

Shouto then opened his fist slowly like a flower that was slowly blooming to reveal the black thumb drive in his palm to his mother. The detective waited for a look of confusion to take over his mother's face at any second—but it didn't.

It looked as if she recognized exactly what it was and the pained gaze in her eyes only hurt Shouto more.

"I told Touya a long time ago that working inside a corrupt system to make it less corrupt is helping people," Shouto whispered, turning his face away from his mother. The burden of murder stung against his skin. "I want to help. Bakugou doesn't deserve to go to jail...but I never thought my duty would put me in a crossroads like this."

The warm breeze blew between the mother and son before Rei leaned in closer to her youngest. The comforting smell of her expensive perfume cloaked Shouto as she laid a tender hand on his shoulder.

"I've always been silently waiting for your father's tactics to catch up with him...I know that our castle is made of glass," Rei said with a gentle, saddened smile as if she already had accepted what was possibly to come. "But you're not like him. You're different and always have been. It's why I love you so much. You've always known what's right in the end, and you care about doing right by _everyone_."

"...Even if it means breaking up family?"

"Or protecting family," Rei comforted and squeezed Shouto's shoulder lovingly. "I think the officers you've been working with these last several years at U.A have been as much as your family as me or your brothers and sister, based on how you talk about them."

Memories of Izuku and Katsuki happily laughing with him over dinner flooded his brain.

His mother rubbed his back and spoke her next words strongly.

"Protect your family, Shouto."

. . .

A week passed and it was oddly quiet to Izuku.

Shouto had been rather distant at the station and Izuku could sense a peculiar sense of contemplation from his friend but nothing occurred for seven days. Everyone was talking about the Lantern Festival that was upcoming and preparing for the official celebration of spring.

Ochaco tried to cheer him up by going shopping for Yukatas. She loved dolling him up and Izuku tried his best to smile as she did his hair and told him that it was going to be okay. But it was hard to focus.

He still hadn't had any contact with Katsuki within this week, making a full month go by. Mirio hadn't talked to him again after the kiss, and in fact, his friend left before Izuku could even wake up. The attorney left the grip of awkwardness hanging in the air again.

He didn't know what else to say though, Mirio had kissed him and he rejected his feelings.

_Yet again_.

Because of the estrangement from Mirio, Izuku had to get all his information back from Shouto, who was off in his own world. From what his friend said, Katsuki seemed strangely quiet as well. Shouto noted how during their meetings with Mirio and Toshinori, the atmosphere was tense with something the Todoroki didn't understand.

That thought alone made Izuku feel like maybe Mirio and Katsuki had gotten bad news. Maybe they knew how the case was going to go and they just weren't telling him or Shouto anything.

_Katsuki is going to go to jail._

Izuku threw up that night before the next hearing. He sobbed quietly over the porcelain toilet as the realization that he might lose another person he loves all too quickly. He picked up working an extra half shift that Saturday morning so he could keep himself busy before the trial began again.

He left out of U.A in his patrol uniform at 1:35pm that morning completely unaware that it was the last time he'd ever clock out again from the Uchimizu Ave precinct.

Izuku said goodbye to Ochaco and Momo with a bright smile, keeping a close eye on his watch to make sure he could be on time for the 2:15pm court hearing. He jogged lightly in his navy blue patrol uniform all the way downtown, wondering where Shouto had been off to this whole week.

The other officer had told him he'd meet him down by the courthouse because he was finishing up with something that required his full attention.

When Izuku got to the downtown courthouse it was swarming with news reporters like it always was but he pushed through all the crowds like per usual until he made his way inside the courthouse. Waiting for him there was a calm looking Shouto, as if almost at peace with himself.

His friend caught sight of him and gave a bright smile and Izuku returned it. They walked into the room silently and sat down in the back per usual. Izuku watched how Shouto had an unexplained aura around him and almost didn't seem phased about being in court again.

"You seem calm," Izuku commented. He tilted his head at the other plainly dressed officer who just shrugged in return.

"I have a good hunch that things are going to be alright," Shouto replied with a soft smile. "Trust me."

Izuku was about to ask him what he meant when the bailiff announced Judge Shimura and the introduction of her began. But this time she was holding a large stack of white files in her hands. Izuku eyed the back of Katsuki's stiff shoulders curiously.

"You may all remain standing," she began with a stern look in her eye. "As of an hour ago, a _proper_ arrest has been made regarding the Hero Killer's accomplice in the police force. An anonymous tip gave way to lead a special task-force onto who was actually responsible and Todoroki Enji has been proven to be the person who sent the emails. With this, the anonymous tip went back and got a second confession out of the Hero Killer identifying Todoroki Enji as his accomplice. Because of this, Bakugou Katsuki's case is officially dismissed."

Izuku's eyes went wide at the same time Judge Shimura banged her gavel and the courtroom erupted in scandalized gasps.

Izuku's head whirled around to his comrade next to him who gave him a small, sad smile.

"I told you I have a feeling," Shouto whispered and everyone's voices got loud.

Izuku watched how Mirio's face dropped in utter surprise, how Monoma's mouth hung in shock and how Toshinori eyes were bulging out of his skull. All eyes turned to the now Ex-Chief of Police's son as Shouto politely told Izuku goodbye for the day.

"I'll catch you later, Izuku," Shouto whispered and gave the greenette a hug. "I'm going to go spend some time with my family and I'll see you and Katsuki at the festival later?"

"Y-Yeah," Izuku whispered, still stunned to his core. "I'll see you at the festival."

Shouto gave him a small two finger salute before turning away and leaving the courtroom with his shoulders slightly hunched.

All the 1B officers' faces were equally as both dazed and sickened by the information: it was Enji.

This entire time it was Enji and he was going to allow Katsuki to take the fall for him. Izuku felt a weight fall off his chest when he realized that his distant lover was indeed not going to jail and it made him let out a relieved smile. He watched how Monoma's face twisted in confusion, shock and then finally a deep apologetic expression settled on his features.

Izuku turned his head to see the back of Katsuki in another grey suit but furrowed his brow in confusion when he saw Katsuki slap Mirio's hand away unkindly. Katsuki stormed straight past his attorney and all the people trying to stop him to say sorry and talk to him.

It gave Izuku pause because when Katsuki fully turned around and headed towards him, there was a deep expression of hurt and anger.

It was not the look of a man who was just proven innocent.

"Kacchan?" Izuku called out as Katsuki pushed past him too and headed straight for the door.

In a brief split second, red eyes cut towards him unkindly. They were cold and void of any affection and they were fully blazed with hurt and unchecked temperament. Izuku felt a chill shoot up his spine because it was one of the most heated expressions Katsuki had ever given him.

Izuku stuttered briefly, caught off guard but he quickly followed out of the brown wooden doors ignoring all the on-lookers. He caught Katsuki storming off around the corner. The angry blond was angrily ridding himself of his blue tie as he threw it aggressively to the ground before turning the corner out of sight.

"Katsuki!" Izuku called out, following him quickly around the corner confused. "Katsuki, w-what's wrong?" He asked and only then and there the blond finally stopped his movements.

They stood alone in the hallway two feet apart until his lover whirled around angrily. Izuku felt his chest swell with concern at the tussled image of the man in front of him. Katsuki's eyes completely bloodshot and his rage looked as if it had been festering for a week's time, catching fire slowly.

"Did anything happen with him this last month, Izuku?" Katsuki hissed, hurt laced in his voice as it cracked.

The green eyed man paused unsure what was happening as he tried to think about what was possibly going on. Why wasn't Katsuki focused on the fact he had just been proven innocent for _murder_?

"Who? What are you talking about Kacchan—"

"—Mirio. I'm talking about fucking Mirio!" Katsuki yelled and Izuku's eyes widened. "Did you _fuck_ the guy you had been sleeping with for _years_ the second I wasn't around?"

"N-No, of course not. Where is this coming from?" Izuku hissed back, straightening his back.

He didn't receive an answer from Katsuki, only a pointed stare.

Izuku stumbled for several moments, trying to search his brain because it boggled him. He couldn't understand why did Katsuki think he slept with Mirio of all people? Then quickly the small kiss from a week ago appeared in his head. Izuku winced when he realized he had nearly forgotten about it, but didn't give it too much thought considering there were more important things at stake.

"I-I mean we did kiss," Izuku whispered, looking away. "But he kissed _me_ and I pushed him away so it's not a big deal—"

He was cut off by Katsuki giving a loud _'tch'_. "Of course."

Izuku frowned. "What do you mean _of course_?"

"I mean_ of course_ that's so goddamn convenient _that's_ the explanation, Izuku. This isn't some dumbass movie and I'm not some goddamn idiot," Katsuki accused and it only added to the building pressure in Izuku's chest.

"Are you saying I kissed him intentionally?" Izuku glowered slightly at the accusation. "You should know me better than that, Katsuki."

"Well excuse me for not knowing what to think when I opened that fucking door and the smell of alcohol slammed into my nostrils!" Katsuki yelled, waving his hand dismissively. "Then I see you lying in bed shirtless and him damn near naked suggesting to me all this _shit_ happened between you guys. Then he didn't fucking retract it _once_ this past week."

Izuku furrowed his brow trying to piece together what was happening quicker than lightning in front of him and it fell into place at the mention of Katsuki smelling alcohol.

"Wait," Izuku paused. "When did all of this happen? You came by the motel that night?"

"Yes, Izuku. I came by to check on you and make sure you were okay after you called. I was _worried_ and I wanted to see you," Katsuki answered quickly with an angered look in his eye. "But by the time I got there, Mirio was already fucking inside saying he had everything handled. Tell me, are you that _weak_ that the second I couldn't fuck you silly you go running to the next person you knew would do it for you!?" Katsuki nearly yelled, stress completely boiling over.

"_No_!" Izuku quickly snapped back, offended. "You need to calm down. You're stressed—"

"Yes, Izuku. I'm fucking stressed," Katsuki's agreed as his voice cracked. Red eyes were full of bottled tears that had been sitting dormant at the bottom of his heart. "In case you didn't notice I have gone through the shittiest fucking month of my life! Knowing that you even so much as _kissed_ him and didn't tell me fucking feels like a stab in the chest.

"You could've found a way around it! You could've told Shouto or _someone_ to relay a message to me! But instead I'm sitting in that apartment being fucking crucified by the entire city—_alone_. And now I'm going to lose the _one_ thing that's important to me in my whole life because of you!"

The last sentence cut Izuku in the heart deeper than he ever thought.

The _one_ thing important to Katsuki: his job.

Izuku's face twisted in pain as the ash blond kept going.

"It doesn't matter that Enji fucking did it—I'm not even surprised on that front. That man deserves to go to jail, but I'm going to lose my goddamn job because I loved _you_. Because I _do_ love you and I have stuck my neck out for you countless times, over and over and over against my better judgement all for you to give into your goddamn weakness the second I'm not there!"

"_Katsuki—_"

"—I'm never going to be a Captain after this," Katsuki spoke over him, fully crying now. "I really fucking doubt I'll get hired at another precinct as a lieutenant because everyone thinks I'm going to fuck my trainees! I have been _drowning_ over here without you and you cut and run to the nearest fuck buddy to cuddle you like I was some _place holder_."

Izuku shook his head furiously and stepped forward desperately, trying to calm the rapidly spreading wildfire that was quickly catching.

"But that's not true—none of that is true," Izuku pushed, eyes wide when he realized that his childhood friend had just possibly sabotaged him. "Mirio is lying. _He_ kissed _me_ and I pushed him away. We didn't go further than that. He slept on the floor! Sure, h-he came over, yes and we drank but nothing happened."

Katsuki paused his thought and took a shaky deep breath and shook his head some more. Red eyes glanced up to green and a river of betrayal was sitting inside of them.

"But why him, Izuku?" Katsuki whispered as calm began to settle into him. "Why have _him_ over in your room? You didn't think how that would make me feel after he's made it so obvious that he doesn't like the fact we're together?"

Izuku quickly realized his mistake and reached out for his lover's warm hand.

"I'm sorry," he apologized fully in a hushed voice when Katsuki clenched his teeth. "I-I get now that it wasn't respectful to you—I get it. I wouldn't feel great either knowing you had gotten drunk with someone that you had been previously having sex with for years. I-I was lonely, like you said. I only wanted company and I thought maybe I could fix things between me and Mirio to the way they were before we stopped talking. I grew up with him—it's complicated."

But Katsuki didn't look at him and the silence was strangling Izuku around his throat.

"Please say something, Kacchan—I'm _sorry_," Izuku pleaded as he felt his own tears start to form.

"I'm sorry too, Izuku," Katsuki whispered, retracting his hand and the action felt like it wretched Izuku's insides. "Everything is falling apart and I have to resign tomorrow. This isn't how I imagined this going this last month. Being pinned as a goddamn _predator_ then finding out my partner, who I sacrificed my job for, got _drunk_ with his ex-fuck buddy. Now I have to sift through what's real or not."

A lump swelled in Izuku's throat.

"Katsuki, I said I'm sorry. I swear I was going put up boundaries between Mirio and I for good after that—"

"—_It's fine. _No point in doing that _now_," Katsuki snapped quickly and turned his head away from Izuku. "We weren't even together that long so it doesn't matter."

Everything stopped as Izuku felt his heart incline in speed.

"_Katsuki_," he spoke carefully and slowly. He held back tears as he looked at the equally hurt man in front of him. "You don't mean that."

"...I don't know what I mean anymore," Katsuki mumbled regrettably.

Red eyes turned to look at him again and this time there was less anger, but more hurt and confusion. The warm ember eyes Izuku loved flickered to his face and then to the floor as Katsuki searched for an answer that wasn't there.

"I want to be alone right now so I can go clean out my office," Katsuki said in a near inaudible tone after a long stretch of silence. "I don't know what to think right now. We can talk more after I turn in my badge tomorrow, okay? I'm going to go enjoy the festival later to unwind and I'll be less irritable tomorrow. My head is killing me and I think I need some space after all of this mess."

_Space_.

"Okay," Izuku agreed despite the pull in his heart telling him not to. "We can talk tomorrow."

He hung his head away as Katsuki turned around and began to exit out of the private side door of the courthouse, avoiding all the press outside. Izuku didn't dare look up to watch him walk away or attempt to follow him out.

Izuku let out a soft sob as he was left alone in the barren hallway of the courthouse. He waited several beats, completely alone with his spiraling thoughts until one caught on fire and burned with anger.

_Mirio._

What the hell had Mirio _done_?

Izuku's tear filled face twisted in anger as he turned on his heel around the corner back towards the front. His viridian eyes were pointed, sharp and full of wrath as he searched the dense crowd that had gathered in the lobby. Everyone in the 1B precinct was still congregated and Izuku could hear Monoma trying to issue an apology all around but all that passed straight over Izuku's ears.

Instead he narrowed in on the happily smiling blond attorney talking with Kayama Nemuri and stormed up to the chatting lawyers.

"What the _hell_ did you say to him?!" Izuku nearly screamed as he shoved his childhood friend in the nearest wall, temper flared.

Mirio's eyes stretched wide as he stumbled backwards, dropping his briefcase. The loud yell and clattering of the bag dropping to ground caused everyone in the vicinity to gasp and grow silent. All eyes stared at the hurricane that was Izuku, whose face was red and full of tears.

Izuku waited, teeth clenched tightly as he tried his best to control his breathing.

But he was only met with silence when Mirio's blue eyes scanned all the bystanders. The lack of explanation made Izuku shake his head disappointed before backing away from the person he thought was his friend.

"You can't even answer, can you?" Izuku whispered appalled.

"Izuku," Mirio whispered, trying to catch himself. He bent down quickly to grab his briefcase and he shook his head desperately. "I can explain, I was going to tell you after the trial. I was angry and still drunk. I didn't mean to say what I said and I didn't know how to tell you—"

"—_Bullshit_! You should've corrected it!" Izuku hissed, ignoring the weary stare from the black haired woman beside them. Slowly it all came to a peak as Izuku felt betrayal soil his mind. He straightened his back and looked at Mirio with green eyes full of pain.

"Do you want to know why I chose Katsuki and not you, Mirio?" Izuku seethed. "I chose him because he let's me grow and he loves me because of who I _am_ and not because I fit into this vision of the future he has planned out.

"He wants to grow _together_—love _together_, and you'll never be like that because you're so focused on the idea of me versus what is actually in front of you!" Izuku yelled, stunning everything. "Your grip has always been too tight and I tried for _years_ to avoid this conversation to spare your feelings but this—you went too far! You had no right to try and ruin my relationship like that!"

His chest heaved heavily as his heart ached with a dull pulse. Silence waved over every one and Izuku only then became aware of all the eyes on him, including the person he just berated in front of him. Izuku watched as multiple sorrys began to form on the attorney's tongue with pleas of forgiveness as he reached out for Izuku.

"Izuku, I'm so sorry—I'll go clear things up with Bakugou, I swear. I'm _sorry—_"

But the young detective rejected the apology immediately and quickly turned away from Mirio, snapping his wrist away from his childhood friend when Mirio tried to stop him from leaving.

Izuku pushed past the sea of stunned individuals surrounding him. He ignored their pity filled stares because all he could focus on was the feeling of hurt that was burning through his ribcage. He shoved his way straight past a Monoma who was looking at him in a completely new light.

Sympathy and apology trickled onto the 1B Lieutenant's face as Izuku walked out the door.

When Izuku opened the doors there was an even thicker crowd of reporters swarming the courthouse, news of Enji's arrest must have made its way through the entire city by now. But the second all those reporters caught Izuku they saw another story.

Izuku's emotions were overwhelmed with hurt, anger and sadness as he tried to shield his face from unwanted photographs. He wanted to be left alone but all the journalists pushed into his privacy and made his anxieties spike.

Soon the unrelenting questions attacked him from every angle as he tried to make his way out of the downtown area.

"Detective Midoriya! Is it true that Bakugou threatened to fire you if you didn't sleep with him?"

A soft image of Katsuki tucking him in bed with a smile appeared in Izuku's mind.

"How often did you engage in sexual acts within the precinct with him?"

The memory of Katsuki tenderly caressing his burns and telling him was beautiful played in his head.

"Is it true he asked you to move in and paid all the expenses as a sort of sugar daddy arrangement?"

Izuku clenched his teeth as he tried to make his way past the intrusive people, ignoring them all. He just wanted to be left alone. Alone with having to deal with how he was going to handle the heartbroken lieutenant that was probably off crying by himself because the city ate him alive.

"How long has Bakugou Katsuki been weaponizing his authority to abuse you?"

This time Izuku stopped walking.

The young detective turned around slowly, stunned by the question and set eyes on the male reporter who had yelled the question over the crowd. Bright lights and cameras set on his face but Izuku didn't care.

"Excuse me?" He whispered; face twisted in resentment. "What did you just ask me?"

"I asked how long has he been abusing you?" The male reporter with dark hair asked again.

_Abuse. _

Izuku's nostrils flared and eyes narrowed.

"Is that what you think?" He hissed. "You think he's been _abusing_ me?"

His heart clenched and his anger boiled again. Burning green eyes turned to the reporter and the cameraman behind him tired of all of this. Izuku was so damn _sick_ of watching the man who taught him to love again be publicly humiliated for things he wasn't even guilty of. He thought of the warnings Mirio told him not to speak to the press about the trial but threw it all out the wind.

Izuku was done letting Katsuki burn.

"Katsuki has never in his life abused anyone," Izuku spat back, holding back tears as he thought about how he might possibly lose the person he loved because of stupid rumors like these running rampant. "He is kind, strong, and one of the most dedicated people I know. He protects me _fiercely_ and I have never known anyone to do that for me to the extent he has."

"So what really is the nature of your relationship with Lieutenant Bakugou?" The reporter asked, the crowd growing quiet to eat up what Izuku was saying.

The beating of his heart pounded in his ears as Izuku thought about it. He reflected on the last several months of his life and how despite all the chaos, Katsuki was always the calming ocean that soothed him.

"Katsuki is...he's the love of my life," Izuku whispered full of affection, ignoring the camera on his face. "I have never loved someone as much as I love him and I would do _anything_ to let him know how much I care for him in the midst of all this chaos. He's not bad—he has a heart of _gold_. His job has always been something he loves and he loves all the people of Shizuoka City as well. All the citizens are lucky to have someone like him watching over them."

"But is it not true he's losing his job for violating policeman guidelines? The city no longer will have a Symbol of Victory."

Izuku heard Katsuki's hurtful words replay like a dark record in his mind.

"_I'm going to lose the one thing that's important to me in my whole life because of you!"_

The freckled man sighed, looking away from the camera.

"No, Katsuki is not losing his job," Izuku muttered, settling into a split-second decision. "He's worked too hard for it."

"What does that mean, Mr. Midoriya?"

Then Izuku did what he always did, unknowingly tipping the scales and escalating a dangerous wildfire that was going to start: he put someone he cared about before himself.

"It means I quit. This is my public resignation."

. . .

When Izuku made it back to the blue motel he felt numb. He had tried to call Katsuki but his phone was turned off, which came as no surprise. His lover was known to isolate himself in times of heartache and Izuku wished he could reach out and explain that Mirio had just wanted to throw a wrench in their relationship because he was bitter.

The realization that he had given a public resignation was still settling in with Izuku and it felt like a surreal daydream.

The now ex-officer was waiting silently in the room as time slipped away from him. He laid on the bed exhausted in his navy blue uniform and watched the notifications from everyone flood into his phone: Denki. Sero. Ochaco. Mirio several times. Even Kirishima and Mina.

But none from Katsuki.

Izuku felt hollow.

He watched the news app give three notifications about several breaking stories on the Hero Killer's accomplice finally outed. Various outside investigations surrounding The Chief of Police were launched to dismantle the corruption that was rooted deep in the Shizuoka City Police Department.

Izuku waited for Katsuki's name to pop up on his screen as the day turned to night, but nothing came and it made Izuku's heart shatter with each passing moment.

He couldn't find the energy to move as he laid alone on the bed letting the hours go by. With his back turned towards the open window, he watched the light fade from the room until the only source of luminescence was from the neon pink sign outside. The bright light shone in through the small window as he laid curled up on the bed staring at the blank wall.

Izuku counted all the shadows casted over his bed of people walking by with a sad hum. He figured they all were probably getting ready to go to the Spring Lantern festival and realized he should be getting ready to go as well.

But he couldn't find it in him.

So he stayed curled up, studying all the passing shadows casted inside his small room until one didn't.

Izuku frowned when he waited for what seemed like the silhouette of a tall man to pass by but it never did. Instead the figure stood in front of his window blocking the neon light like an eclipse. Watching him.

Izuku clammed up when the shadow slowly moved out of the window and the next sound to occur was the harsh rattling of the lock on his door. The green eyed man shot up and grabbed his gun, paranoia flared as he went on the full defense. He couched low out of sight of the window to the other side of the room as the handle shook continuously.

The rattle became increasingly more violent until several hard kicks slammed against Izuku's door.

Izuku watched the blue door quake under the sheer force of whoever was on the other side as the kicks became stronger and more powerful. The silver flimsy lock on the door was tested as Izuku cocked his gun and his brows creased deeply.

He steadily approached the door, remaining low to the ground until he slowly rose, handgun lifted ready to fire. He leaned in slowly to stare out of the small peep hole to see who was trying to break in.

But what he viewed on the other side caused Izuku's heart to stop.

He saw the distorted, blurry fish eyed image of Dabi's unmasked burned face drenched in fury. He was wearing a dark hoodie, his nostrils were flared and his blue eyes were ignited full of pure wrath. But what unnerved Izuku most was how Dabi's eyes were the same unique turquoise as Enji's—as Shouto's.

And the rage inside of them was the same firestorm he had only ever seen in one other person.

"Hey!" The call of a man's voice outside yelled out. "What the hell are you doing!?"

Then quickly Dabi's figure spun around, startled as a man with a metal bat came into view and swung on him. Izuku watched as his heart threatened to jump out of his chest as the arsonist dodged the surprise blow and quickly tried to make his exit. A loud voice of a woman boomed as she came into view holding a cellphone, announcing she was calling the cops bringing the attention of several others in the area.

Izuku quickly unlocked the door to run outside. He had his gun gripped tightly in both hands as he watched the retreating dark figure reach the ground level and disappear into the dark shadows behind the motel.

The world stopped and all Izuku could hear was the harsh shaking of the leaves in the wind.

His mind reeled in confusion over what he just saw until a soft hand rested on his shoulder.

"Hi, are you okay?" The soft voice of a woman called to him, pulling his attention back. "I'm so sorry for that. We're your neighbors and we've seen some guy in a black hoodie looking through your window several times this month. We've been trying to find you to tell you, but we could never get a hold of you. Someone kept taking our notes off your door."

Izuku's whole world stopped when he realized he had in fact not imagined the sounds of someone trying to get into his room.

"W-What did he look like?" He asked, trying to tell himself he was hallucinating over the image he saw in the peephole. He blinked several times but each time his gut sank further and further the more he compared the furious expression to Dabi to the one person he knew it couldn't be.

But Izuku knew that livid expression all too well because it played repeatedly in his nightmares for the last three years straight.

"We only now got a good look at his face, but he had blue eyes, burns, black hair and silver piercing all up and down his face," she said. "He matched the description of that arsonist I think."

Izuku stopped breathing.

The tall man with the bat came back, looking at Izuku with an apologetic expression.

"Sorry about that. We heard the kicking and got scared for you," the deep voice of the neighbor said. The man swung the metallic bat over his shoulder tiredly. "I think I chased him off but he dropped this while he was trying to get away."

Izuku's green eyes trailed down to the palm of the man's hand and the small item that was sitting inside of it. It was a regular black lighter, but it was a lighter than Izuku had seen several times to the point he knew it like the back of his hand. All the scratches and the wear and tear all were familiar.

He reached forward slowly to take the lighter from the man convince himself that it was just a regular object that could be purchased anywhere, but it clearly was old.

Almost as old as the grief inside of Izuku's chest.

He thought back to the exact livid expression in Dabi's eyes and suddenly this all felt too surreal for him to ignore.

"A-Are you two going to the festival?" Izuku asked quickly as he shoved the lighter into his uniform's pants pocket and quickly pulled out his phone. "I need to go talk to someone down there."

"Yeah, we are. Do you need a ride down there?" The woman asked kindly. "We'd be happy to make sure you're safe and don't go alone."

"T-Thank you so much," Izuku stuttered out.

"Oh wait, aren't you that Detective Midoriya?" The man questioned, tilting his head. Izuku froze, completely baffled by the identification and it seemed like the man picked up on the confused expression he gave him. "Sorry, I recognized you from the TV earlier. Your confession about Lieutenant Bakugou is all over the news."

"Oh, it _is_ you! My name is Sina!" The woman smiled, her bright eyes full of admiration. "That was such a sweet statement you gave. I really hope it works out for you two, y'know? People let rumors run wild around here. That whole case was a mess."

Izuku gave a strained smile because he couldn't focus on anything besides the black lighter in his pocket.

"Thank you. Um, I'll be right back. I need to grab some things," Izuku rushed out.

The couple nodded in return as the young ex-detective turned around into his motel room. Izuku couldn't sift through all his thoughts as his vision blurred together and heart pounded. He quickly shoved several items in his yellow backpack, realizing he couldn't come back here. Something was wrong and he was too fearful.

This time he dialed Katsuki's number for an entirely different reason. But the line was still out.

_Shit_. Izuku's hands shook violently as he zipped up the bag and quickly tossed it over his shoulder and locked the door with no intention of returning.

He followed the couple out to their car looking over his shoulder repeatedly as he kept his hand on the loaded gun on his uniform's holster. He climbed into the back of the small car, only half paying attention to the loud bass that filled the combat vehicle. The words of the couple drowned out as he kept trying to dial different people from U.A who were probably too busy at the loud festival to answer now.

Izuku clutched the phone against his ear in a grip so tight as his hand nearly went as numb as the feeling in his chest. As the car drove off, Izuku pulled out the black lighter from his pocket. Green eyes stayed unmoving, too trained on double checking the old lighter over and over again.

His other hand shook terribly holding the black metallic piece of the puzzle in his hand.

He stared at it as if it had somehow fallen out of one of his nightmares into the palm of his hand. It felt like it burned with a truth he didn't want to believe—but everything was beginning to add up and point to a single direction.

When Izuku hit another voicemail he left one with a shaky breath.

"Shouto," Izuku whispered in a ghostly manner. "I need someone from U.A to call me immediately…something's not right."

* * *

I hope you enjoyed! I'm soooo excited for the next two chapters. Especially the next one because it FINALLY unveils what this story has built up for basically the last 400k words :D

Thank you so much for reading! Let me know what you think!


	27. Inferno

Hello all! Welcome back to this very special chapter. First up like always, thank you to my other half, Luna aka nmatthews on AO3 for betaing! She's truly amazing and awesome.

Secondly, pls check out all of these songs! I have admittedly been sitting on these songs for a whole year for this specific chapter lol I am very excited to share them! :D

Let's get started! This is the turning point.

**Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence' and 'literally and figuratively this is a slow burn'. Physical violence.**

_Song: Inside The Fire - Disturbed_

* * *

**Chapter 27 - Inferno **

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When Katsuki arrived at Kirishima and Mina's house after the final hearing, he wanted to get away from everything for a single day.

After the explosive confrontation with Izuku, the blond didn't know what to think anymore. Every thought in his head was swarming chaotically and clashed violently with emotions that were too ripe.

Rage. Fury. Shame. Humiliation. Embarrassment. _Disappointment_.

It took everything he had to swallow his pride and sit in that court for a month straight only to end with it being revealed it was Enji. The very man he mentored under was willing to let him be thrown behind fucking bars.

It twisted and hurt Katsuki's heart but truly he wasn't the tiniest bit surprised.

Enji was fucking willing to let him go to _jail _for ten accounts of first degree murder to cover his own ass.

The shoe fit too damn well and suddenly it all clicked into place. Enji wanted to keep his position as The Chief of Police and he was willing to make sure that it would stay that way. Him hiring a hitman made sense when Katsuki put the puzzle pieces together because all the officers assassinated were good cops. Good cops who probably were beginning to question his morality and challenge his authority.

When Judge Shimura banged her gavel and dismissed his case, Mirio turned to him with a relieved smile. His attorney extended his hand with an air of comradery and kinship.

But fuck _that_.

Katsuki slapped it away with all of his distaste for the blue eyed son of a bitch because fuck him too. Fuck Enji, Monoma _and_ fuck Mirio. He had a week to allow the image of Izuku in bed with the attorney to fester and he waited for seven days for the other blond to say something. To retract it or apologize—fucking _anything_.

But he never did and with each passing day the thought of Mirio and Izuku in bed together had buried itself deep into Katsuki's inferiority complex and insecurities. He was about to lose his job and somehow in the process he lost Izuku too. If he had slept correctly the past thirty days, maybe he would think straight but all he wanted was to be alone.

Katsuki could feel all the eyes on him as he shoved his way out of the courtroom because it was all too much. He was tired of people looking at him—tired of all the whispers and prying questions. With each step he took, his head pounded and struggled to hold back tears.

Then hearing about Mirio out of Izuku's mouth burned like coal on his skin.

"I-I mean we did kiss, but he kissed _me_ and I pushed him away so it's not a big deal."

But at that moment it was the biggest deal for Katsuki.

He had already decided he was going to offer up his position for Izuku's because he took responsibility for pursuing him. He knew deep down he shouldn't have, given his authority, but he made that choice as an adult and he was going to own up to it.

But to hear Izuku say it was _no big deal_ that he shared a kiss with Mirio snapped the last thread of calm in Katsuki's body.

All his bottled up anger, hurt and disappointment tipped straight over the edge.

"I'm going to lose the _one_ thing that's important to me in my whole life because of you!"

The sentence fell out of his mouth, scathing hot with his deepest fear: he let himself get distracted with a relationship and now he messed up his duty again.

Katsuki didn't even know if he meant it fully but he was hating himself so intensely at that moment.

He was so focused on Izuku this entire time while there was a serial arsonist out on the lose committing _murder_. How did he lose sight of the one thing he told himself four years ago?

Don't get fucking distracted.

Every time he gets distracted in his line of business and people _die_. And Izuku had been occupying his thoughts relentlessly for the last nine months.

"We weren't even together that long so it doesn't matter," he remembered muttering, thoughts clouded with self-hate.

"_Katsuki_," Izuku had responded slowly. There was a heavy precaution inside the other's voice that brought him down from the peak of his temper—like always. Izuku somehow _always_ calmed him down. "You don't mean that."

At that moment, Katsuki weighed out everything but it was impossible to make a decision at that moment. He needed space and time to mull over everything that had occurred this last month and accept the fact that he had failed.

He had failed in more than one way, but the biggest failure to the work-centered man was how his whole career was now down the fucking drain. He had not a damn clue what to do next. Floating in that vast unknown dread of the future without a safety net made his anxieties spike.

He desperately needed space to re-evaluate everything in his life.

Just a day. Just a single day without all this shit after thirty consecutive days of nothing but hurt and betrayal.

Izuku could wait a single day until he got it together.

"I want to be alone right now so I can go clean out my office. I don't know what to think right now. We can talk more after I turn in my badge tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," Izuku had whispered. "We can talk tomorrow."

After that Katsuki left out of the side door he had discovered in the courthouse. It led out into an alleyway and away from the vulture reporters that steadily picked him apart. Katsuki's phone kept buzzing over and over again with various calls, texts, and breaking stories until it became too much even for him.

He texted Kirishima and Mina that he was on his way over to their place. He so desperately needed to be far fucking away from his apartment full of happy pictures of Izuku and Akira's sweet face that made the pain no better.

He needed some headspace.

So he turned off his phone in bitter spirits.

. . .

"How are you feeling?" Mina hummed with a sad look as she sat down next to Kirishima on the couch. It was currently just the three of them inside of the married couple's newly purchased cozy house. They were spread out watching the TV coverage of the day.

"I'm okay, just...thinking about things," Katsuki confessed while he stared at the black screen phone in his hands. "I never thought about the possibility of losing my job before. Not after everything."

"Which is understandable," Kirishima comforted. "To be honest, you've always been a lieutenant on and off the clock so I get this is hard for you."

"I wish I got to figure out what Dabi wants," Katsuki muttered honestly, subconsciously falling into his think-about-work-and-not-myself coping methods. "Out of all the cases, that one has been bothering me the most ever since he asked for me specifically. I can't help but feel like I failed in some way by not finding out why he's been torching countless buildings."

Kirishima and Mina shared a knowing glance between each other.

"Is there anything else on your mind?" Kirishima questioned and he tilted his head. "Nothing else going up in the blond noggin besides Dabi?"

Katsuki frowned and ignored the pull in his heart. "If you're referring to Izuku, him and I are talking it out tomorrow. I need some time to unwind."

"And unwinding includes thinking about _Dabi_?" Kirishima clarified with a taut, unimpressed look. "Bro, I love you, but you always do this. You bury yourself in trying to solve a case versus think about your problems whenever you're stressed and you're doing it right now even though you're about to turn in your badge tomorrow."

"Then let me," Katsuki hissed straight back with a scowl on his handsome face. He fully frowned at his friends with a disapproving glare. "I mean you guys aren't fucking bothered by that arsonist? Especially since he was the one to drop off evidence to Monoma and start this whole shit show? You're telling me that fucker doesn't bother you at all right now?"

_Because he's about to make me lose my shit_, Katsuki thought privately with a simmering rage.

After he had gone over everything in head, making a list of people who he was going to give a giant _fuck you_ to for the last month of his life, Dabi was sitting pretty at the top of the list directly under Enji.

"We are deeply bothered by him," Mina agreed carefully. "I fully believe it's no coincidence that he dropped off some half baked photos of you to Monoma to make you look bad. That gave him enough time to burn down those homes on Zazen Ave."

"I want to know what his endgame is. Even if it's the last possible thing I do as a Lieutenant," Katsuki whispered, trying to pull his thoughts anywhere but on Izuku. "He said it was a puzzle so what is it? What fucking puzzle is it?"

Kirishima and Mina huffed silently and leaned back against their beige couch. The couple exchange one glance before non-verbally agreeing to entertain their best friend in hopes of making him feel better.

"Is it the number of buildings maybe?" Mina proposed.

Katsuki shook his head. "I looked at that. One building on Kaze Ave, three buildings on Ichirizuka Street, ten on Uchi Street and now seventeen on Zazen. None of the numbers have a connection. I literally stayed up one night trying to see maybe if there was some weird ass connection and even made Izuku's brainy ass run equations."

"What about the geographic locations?" Kirishimia proposed and once again Katsuki shook his head.

"None of the coordinates make sense either," Katsuki grumbled, throwing his head back. "All the attack sites have been randomly spaced out. I thought maybe he was drawing a square at first so I could predict the next attack, but Zazen Ave screwed that up."

Then a new idea clicked inside of Katsuki's head that he hadn't thought about.

_The locations_. His eyes widened and he sat forward with a start when he realized he missed putting in place the very last thing about the attacked sites.

"_Shit_," he cursed, running his hand through his hair.

"What?" Mina asked, furrowing her brows. Katsuki turned to her with an epiphany in his eyes like he had finally clicked together a new puzzle piece.

"The locations," he repeated. "I was looking at geographic location for a pattern but I didn't fucking consider the street names." Both Kirishima and Mina frowned.

"Like the meaning behind them?" Kirishima probed. "I thought you did that."

"I did," Katsuki rushed out, standing up in haste, fully dissolved in the moment. He reached for the nearest pen and paper on Kirishima and Mina's dining room table quickly. "All the meanings behind the names have no real value or connection but I never considered what if he's spelling something? _With_ the street names?"

"That would be really elaborate," Mina mumbled as she tapped her manicured nail on her chin thoughtfully. "But...Dabi is an elaborate man if he's taught us anything."

Katsuki sat back down on the couch between his two friends and jotted down all the street names in order that they were attacked. All three sets of eyes stared down at the four names on the piece of paper and frowned.

"Kaze, Ichirizuka, Uchi and Zazen?" Kirishima questioned. "Kiuz isn't a word?"

"Maybe he's still in the process of spelling it," Katsuki proposed, staring at the words hard as he tried to find an answer. "And maybe it's out of order? If I was a criminal mastermind, I wouldn't point blank spell out what I'm doing to the cops. Maybe if I unscramble it, I can figure out his next strike."

_Four letters means sixteen possibilities of letter order._ Katsuki frowned however when he realized that there were no real words outside of one that he could think of. "Only word I can think of is Kizu."

"_Kizu_ as in scar or wound?" Mina pondered. "Kizu seems a little odd, don't you think? Maybe Dabi is still in the process of spelling whatever it is."

"Geez, I sure as hell hope this man isn't spelling zucchini or some shit," Kirishima exasperated. "That would be an awful, long and a _really_ roundabout way to get your vegetables."

Katsuki glared at his best friend and clicked his tongue. "Zucchini is spelled with a 'C' you dipshit—"

A loud rustle of voices from the television cut off their conversation and pulled all their attention to the screen. Katsuki out of reflex frowned and was about to reach to turn off the TV because he was so damn _sick_ of seeing his mugshot plastered across the television—but when he lifted his head to gaze upon the screen, he saw Izuku instead.

The pain inside his chest that he was trying to ignore tripled when he saw how many tears were covering Izuku's freckled cheeks.

"Katsuki is...he's the love of my life," Izuku's delicate voice flowed out of the television and into the small home.

Red eyes watched full of mixed emotions as the green eyed man's face fell into deep thought.

"I have never loved someone as much as I love him and I would do _anything_ to let him know how much I care for him in the midst of all this chaos. He's not bad—he has a heart of _gold_. His job has always been something he loves and he loves all the people of Shizuoka City as well. All the citizens are lucky to have someone like him watching over them."

"But is it not true he's losing his job for violating policeman guidelines? The city no longer will have a Symbol of Victory," the reporter asked and moved the microphone closer to Izuku's face.

There, all three bodies sitting on the couch watched as an emotion equally parts loving and sad settled into Izuku's features.

Katsuki didn't know what to think as the youngest detective sighed, looking away from the camera.

"No, Katsuki is not losing his job," Izuku muttered, eyes glanced downwards. The camera zoomed in slightly on his contemplative face. "He's worked too hard for it."

"What does that mean, Mr. Midoriya?"

"It means I quit. This is my public resignation."

All three sets of eyes went wide and Katsuki's heart stopped.

He dropped the pen and paper in his hand like they were on fire when he realized one large fact: he hadn't told Izuku about the ultimatum. This was the whole damn reason he didn't because he fucking _knew_ Izuku would do something like this.

_Goddamnit 'zuku, what the fuck did you do?_

"Holy _shit_ dude!" Kirishima exclaimed with a scandalized gasp. "Did I just hear what I think I heard?!"

"You and the entirety of Shizuoka City," Mina whispered with a stunned expression. Her mouth hung open slightly while Katsuki's eyes were wide, still processing. "He resigned on television, Katsuki. You know what that means right? He beat you in resigning before you could. The Commissioner and Toshinori probably saw that."

"Why is he always so damn self-sacrificing?" He murmured to himself more than anyone else in the room.

Within the second his mind responded to answering his own question: _because he's sweet. Izuku is the sweetest person you've ever met and it's part of the reason why you love him._

"Because like he said, he loves you, Katsuki." Mina smiled.

Katsuki glanced down at his lap to eye the shut off phone when his heart pulled painfully in several directions.

. . .

Several hours passed by with Izuku's confessional on TV ringing in his head and drowning out his thoughts about Dabi. As he replayed what Izuku had the courage to say on national television about him, Katsuki considered what he said in the courthouse to Izuku.

_Maybe I was too harsh_, he contemplated.

He quickly felt ashamed of himself the more he weighed out what Izuku had publicly done on city-wide television for _him_. Directly after he said some fucked up shit to the other man out of hurt and anger. But despite all of what he let spew out of his mouth, Izuku _still_ stood tall on television and told the world how much he loved him.

Then to top it all off, Izuku _quit_.

Izuku quit his dream of being a detective so Katsuki could keep his job in the end.

A large part of the elder man was immensely pissed off at Izuku for, _once again_, sacrificing himself. But also an equally large side of him was touched, deep down. Izuku loved him so purely through everything and not a single person Katsuki could think of ever loved him in the same manner Izuku did.

Then he winced when he recalled the harsh words he yelled into Izuku's sweet, doe-eyed face.

"_I'm going to lose the one thing that's important to me in my whole life because of you!"_

The more he was alone, the thick cloud of hurt crowding his thoughts slowly dissipated. Katsuki began to heavily compare how much his job actually meant to him against his relationship with Izuku. His heart ached thinking about it because he never truly took the time to compare the two.

What was really more important to him deep down?

He pondered this because that ugly statement reared its head full force the second it came down to the wire. Then he thought about why his last relationship ended: over his zealous dedication to his career and Takeyama feeling neglected.

As if she was second place. It's why she left him.

But Katsuki always considered his love for his career and his love for Izuku to be equal. Or so he thought. However, no matter what he was struggling with internally, Izuku more than likely thought otherwise.

Izuku probably thought he was second place to his career just like Takeyama used to believe.

_We need to talk,_ he told himself. _We definitely need to talk tomorrow and I should apologize. _

After hearing Izuku's saccharine words, Katsuki was more than confident that Mirio was indeed lying like he originally thought. The attorney must've been wanting to push his buttons because he was envious and drunk._ A really fucking bad combo._

Gradually, the peaceful day turned to a lively night, but Katsuki kept his phone off to prevent himself from doing anything brash until he fully calmed down.

He peeled off the stuffy grey suit he'd been forced to wear by Toshinori and let Mina hand him his spare clothes. He had numerous garments mixed in with all of theirs after years of working undercover missions togethers.

Changing out of his modern day hangman attire and into his comfortable black joggers and an orange tee shirt was much better. Katsuki inhaled deeply because finally he was able to breathe properly wearing his usual athletic wear.

By the time he partially re-centered himself the Spring Lantern festival downtown was underway and his friends were encouraging him to come with them.

"It'll be good for you!" Mina insisted and he didn't disagree. "Fresh air and you can kick-off spring the right way."

Katsuki gave a nod of approval as he slid on his spare pair of black gyms with orange soles and shoe laces he left with his best friends in case of emergencies. By the time him and his married pair of friends made it to the festival, it fully settled in that he was going to keep his job that he valued so much.

His life was still on track.

_Thanks to Izuku. _

Sweet, loving Izuku.

The crowd at the festival was dense and full of laughter. People were dressed in colorful Yukatas like Kirishima and Mina or regular clothes like Katsuki. He admired Mina's cherry blossom colored wardrobe and the fierce red-dragon colored one of Kirishima's. Sparks of life were fluttering all around in the air as people rushed in and out of the downtown area holding lanterns, sparklers and flowers.

Katsuki breathed in the scent of various savory vendors when they made their way to the center plaza to hear the sounds of traditional music flowing in the air. The chime of the bells, strings and drums were loud over the clatter of the dense crowd gathered around the golden dragon being flown above the crowd by traditional dancers in white yukatas.

There was something peaceful and serene about seeing the people of the city laugh and talk. No one was paying him any mind for the first time in thirty days and he was grateful.

The tired man let his two friends usher him around the festival for a handful of hours, laughing for the first time in a long time. But as they were enjoying themselves watching the various traditional dances, Mina and Kirishima both received notifications on their phones that made their face's scrunch in worry.

"Yo, Captain Aizawa just put out a code red alert," Kirishima whispered. "Two policemen on patrol from the 1B precinct were attacked in the area. He's dispatching all on-duty officers for extra security around the city."

Katsuki's eyebrows shot up on his face, not expecting that.

"What? Are they okay?" He asked quickly in a hushed whisper, careful not to draw attention or cause alarm.

"Overall yes," Mina answered with a serious expression. "One was shot at but the perp missed then fled. But the other was physically assaulted by two guys. They took his gun and baton and beat him with it." Mina frowned deeply as she scrolled through the notification on her phone.

"Well, keep your eyes out in case this is targeted. You especially Katsuki," Kirishima murmured. "Your face has been plastered on the news for the last month."

The blond nodded, putting himself on high alert while they still tried their best to go about the festival.

When his friends were distracted by the taiko drum performance, Katsuki excused himself to stand off to the side of the dense congregation of citizens.

Once situated by himself, the Lieutenant reached in his pant's pockets to pull out his phone and took a deep breath in to turn it on. He realized that if someone was targeting police, he needed to have his notifications on since he apparently was going to keep his job.

But when the device was fully operational again, the swarm voicemails from Izuku and Shouto made his stomach churn.

A chill raked its way down Katsuki's spine as he read the notification sent out by Captain Aizawa. This was serious and they did not issue red-alerts frequently. Out of paranoia he quickly looked around, trying to search the ignorantly happy crowd for anything out of place but found nothing. All the citizen's faces were happy and shining all the way through.

However, when he scanned longer, he caught sight of a flustered looking Izuku and an overwhelmed Shouto heading straight for them.

The pair pushed quickly through the thick crowd towards the other three people and Katsuki took in both Izuku and Shouto's expressions.

Izuku's eyes held deep fear and he was still dressed in his navy-blue patrol uniform, but he had taken off the jacket labeled 'police' and tied it around his waist. This left him only in the tight black t-shirt they always wore underneath. The white bandages on his left arm were on full display but his hands were shaking violently.

"K-Katsuki," Izuku rushed out when they finally came up to him. "We've been trying to reach you."

All of his nerves spiked at how terrified Izuku's eyes were, but he was confused when Shouto's were distant and tired seeming.

"What's wrong?" Katsuki quickly asked as he glanced wearily between the two of them. "What happened, Izuku you look shaken—"

"—Dabi tried to break into my motel room," Izuku rushed out and immediately Katsuki's heart stopped.

"_What_!?" Katsuki nearly yelled and it drew the attention of several festival goers around them. All of their eyes looked at them strangely before Katsuki resituated himself and spoke in a harsh whisper. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Izuku reassured. "The couple I lived next to scared him off and gave me a ride here, but he tried to kick down my door. He somehow knew where I was staying at."

Shouto shot Katsuki a concerned, tired gaze as he lifted up his phone showing the policeman notification he was previously reading. "Then around the same time when Izuku found me, there were two more reports of officers attacked around the area. Aizawa had all the sectors dispatch every on-duty officer working in the precincts to do patrol around the city and there's now extra security here because of the festival."

What the _fuck_ was going on?

Red eyes glanced over the thick crowd in a worried manner.

"B-But that's not all," Izuku whispered.

But this time when Katsuki looked back at him, there was a tangible air of tension between Shouto and Izuku. The freckled ex-detective gazed at Shouto with an apologetic expression before continuing carefully.

"I-I think...please, _please_ hear me out," Izuku said in a low voice, the sound of the drums and cheering of the crowd loud in the background. "I think Dabi and Touya are connected in some way."

This time Katsuki's face scrunched up at the mention of Touya.

Why was Izuku always drawing back to Touya of all people?

There was something bitter in the way Izuku kept mentioning his ex that never sat well with Katsuki. It admittedly bugged him mildly because it made him worried that Izuku never fully moved past the deceased redhead.

Now here he was, mentioning Touya again.

"Izuku, what are you talking about?" Katsuki questioned, feeling unsure.

"Dabi, when he tried to break into my room, he dropped this." Izuku reached down in his uniform's pants pocket with his shaky bandaged hand. Then slowly he pulled out an item that was wrapped up in a napkin and peeled back the white cloth to reveal what was inside.

"A lighter?" Katsuki said slowly, not following. "What does a lighter have to do with anything?"

"I know how it looks but _please_," Izuku said with his voice laced with desperation Katsuki had never heard. "I know this lighter—it was Touya's. He always kept it with him at all moments because he liked looking at the flame—it...it calmed him down."

"I think it might be any regular lighter," Shouto said in a low voice, also seeming unconvinced. But Katsuki saw a thread of skepticism in his face. "I do admit my brother did have one like it. I vaguely remember him carrying it everywhere but until we can run DNA on it there's no way to know for sure it's specifically Touya's."

"But it _is_," Izuku hissed, turning to Shouto clearly irritated. "I slept in the same bed next to the nightstand that held this lighter for two years. I know what it looks like. I-I don't know _how_ Dabi and Touya are connected but all the signs keep pointing to Touya! It's right _there_!"

Izuku turned to him again, holding out the tiny item sitting in his palm.

"Kuromata is Touya's favorite place, he even called it his true home," Izuku continued, brows pinched with stress. "I saw Dabi's eye color up close now and it's the same as Touya's. Same as _yours_, Shouto, and your dad's. Dabi _hates_ policemen just as violently as Touya did. I've seen Dabi in Yaizu too. He had a connection with AFO like Touya. And now you're telling me I'm supposed to ignore they had the same type of lighter?"

When it was all listed plainly, even Katsuki was given pause.

But what it was adding up was more than the two being vaguely connected.

It was adding up to the fact Dabi and Touya overlapped on a personal basis in more than one way.

"But we can't do anything based on all this speculation right now Izuku," Shouto sighed reasonably. "Dabi is a violent criminal and Touya was one too. Criminals have repetitive patterns and AFO was one of the biggest crime organizations in Japan's entire history—you saw how many people were involved with them."

Katsuki was going to say something when a distant memory was drawn back up. He flashed back to when the patrol car was T-boned by Dabi and how the man referred to him as Golden Boy.

Like Izuku said, the same way Touya did.

Katsuki frowned as he listened to the drums and cheering in the background get louder.

"I-It just keeps coming back to Touya and I can't keep ignoring this," Izuku reaffirmed himself and pointed to the lighter in his hand. "We need to run this for DNA immediately. If it comes back negative for anything relating to Touya then _fine_. But this is a lead on who Dabi is."

Shouto didn't say anything and Katsuki stayed quiet with uncertainty in his face.

"Please, I'm not crazy I swear," Izuku said softly and it wretched Katsuki's insides to hear Izuku mildly doubt his sanity. "There's...there's things not adding up in my mind and I need some affirmation."

His sharp scarlet eyes looked at the lighter in Izuku's hand and decided to go with Izuku's assessment of the object over Shouto's.

Katsuki knew how both of his team members operated well enough to understand Shouto was detail oriented for facts and memorizing information, but Izuku was heavily visually inclined. Izuku memorized pictures and how things looked easier than anyone at U.A due to his artistic inclination.

So, if Izuku recognized that old scratched up lighter as Touya's—then Katsuki believed him.

"Is there anything else? Even small things?" Katsuki asked, deciding to take this seriously. Izuku's face lit up with relief.

"Dabi, um," Izuku started but seemed hesitant. "The way he touched me, during the undercover mission before The Red Dawn. He grabbed my wrist and touched my earring in a way that reminded me of Touya. Then inside of Touya's file from the Shigarakis...there's no death day recorded."

"What?" Katsuki reeled back and this time Shouto's attention was spiked.

"No death date?" Shouto parroted. "I thought you told me it was three asterisks? I assumed it was Shigarakis' code for something else like maybe how he died."

"Well, yeah it's three asterisks in place of a day, like when you censor something," Izuku explained. "But I think it's odd when I consider it more. Especially after you said you didn't see anyone else's files like that."

All what Izuku was suggesting only implicated _one_ thing.

A very, dark taboo thing to someone who grieved heavily for three years.

Katsuki assessed them both in that moment, and while Izuku was listing off nothing but facts and some speculation—even he looked terrified by what he was saying. Denial was fresh in those green eyes, but moreover, Shouto seemed like he was flat out rejecting everything all together.

Shouto grew quiet and turned his face away as if he was overwhelmed—something the youngest Todoroki didn't do often. Izuku clenched his fist with the lighter and turned to Shouto and placed a caring hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry Shouto, I know this is really uncomfortable for you but I feel like we need to look into it as soon as we can," Izuku said as tenderly as he could. "I-If I'm only being paranoid then I'm so sorry."

"I will admit that is all strange, but I saw that burned body myself. I _buried_ that body—not you," Shouto snapped in a taut tone and the green eyed ex-detective retracted his hand quickly. "I still see that disfigured body sometimes in my sleep. You're not the only one who gets nightmares about Touya, Izuku."

Shame fanned across Izuku's face as he dropped his hand and stared down at the asphalt under their shoes.

"But I'm not going to make you feel like you're crazy, okay?" Shouto sighed after a long stretch of silence. "All this is a bit much for me to process right now, that's all. I turned in my father less than six hours ago. My family is hurting right now and mentioning my dead brother isn't _helping_. I came here tonight to enjoy time with them."

"Wait—" Katsuki spoke up, blinking rapidly and shot a stunned expression to Shouto. "_You_ turned in Enji?"

"Yes," the youngest Todoroki admitted with a sad look. "I found the hit list in his study and after being careful with investigating, I went to get a second statement from the Hero Killer himself. When I got there he said he was waiting for me and then gave a full confession on tape."

Katsuki pressed his lips in a thin line at the information. Suddenly the dismissive nature from Shouto made sense. No one would be in the mood to hear about their long, dead brother after breaking their family in two.

"I'm really sorry, Shouto," Katsuki said, extending sympathies.

"It's fine, it's just—" Shouto stopped with a heavy sigh and held his hands up exhausted. "—This is all a little hard to talk about right now and there's nothing we can do at the moment. It's 9:45 pm on Saturday and forensics isn't open past 6pm. Can we rain check this for Monday morning when we're all better rested?"

Katsuki watched Izuku deflate and the green eyed man sucked in his lips quietly.

_Fuck_. Katsuki took a deep breath in before exhaling loudly.

At the end of the day Kirishima was right, he was a lieutenant on and off the clock—so he did what he did best and took control of the situation.

"Can you look into the death date before Monday, Shouto? Maybe follow up on where the coroner is?" Katsuki asked, level headed. "Just to give some peace of mind in the meantime. I know the dental records match and all but give a look whenever you get the chance tonight or tomorrow, okay?"

Shouto seemed to reason with that command. "Okay, I will later tonight. For peace of mind."

Izuku offered a sad smile to Shouto who returned one. "Thank you. Sorry about all of this again."

"I think we're all a little tired right now from being bled dry by that trial," Katsuki reasoned, looking at them both sadly and getting equally dejected stares in return. "Shouto go enjoy the rest of the festival with your family. We can resume this conversation Monday at the station and Izuku, give me the lighter. I'll run it to forensics first thing tomorrow morning."

Katsuki held out his hand and Izuku delicately placed the wrapped up item inside of it.

The weight of it felt as light as air but the lead of finally having something of Dabi's was heavy. Katsuki rewrapped it carefully and placed it in the bottom of his jogger's pants pockets.

"Sounds good," Shouto said with a tired nod. "Izuku, don't go back to your motel tonight and both of you be on high alert for anymore police officer attacks. I'll see you two Monday...or, er, Katsuki I'll see you Monday."

Izuku gave a sad understanding smile about the lack of his employment.

Shouto said his final goodbyes before parting ways and disappearing within the sea of happy celebrating people. Everyone in the crowd was joyfully, happily holding lanterns, writing wishes on them in marker before allowing them to float away into the deep blue night sky.

Green eyes met red and the awkwardness sitting between them could be cut with his knife.

Katsuki inhaled sharply and looked away, not knowing fully what to say because everything was always so overwhelming with Izuku involved.

He just wanted to clear his head and Izuku shooting off Touya conspiracy theories wasn't exactly how he planned to spend the rest of this night.

"I'm sorry," Izuku muttered into the silence between them. Katsuki watched with a heavy heart how Izuku nervously fidgeted with his hands. "This is a lot considering what happened a couple hours ago."

"I didn't want you to quit," the blond said quietly, head still pounding. "I was going to own up to my mistakes as a commander and figure out an alternative plan. You didn't have to drop your job for me."

"Yes, I did," Izuku replied gently. Green eyes shifted into a warm expression as Izuku looked into Katsuki's eyes. "You didn't deserve to get degraded any further."

In that moment Izuku glanced down at his wrist and suddenly an unexpected flash of hurt graced Izuku's freckled features before it was covered up. Katsuki followed the line of vision confused, but when he saw his bare wrist, he realized his mistake.

_Shit_. He internally cursed. _I took the bracelet off at Kirishima and Mina's._

"And I know your job means everything," Izuku continued with a forced smile. Katsuki noticed how Izuku quickly hid his wrists behind his back to cover up the fact he was still wearing his puzzle piece bracelet. "I don't want to get in the way of something you care about that deeply so I quit."

"But why would you do that, Izuku?" Katsuki asked with a worried expression. "What about your dreams and all the stuff about your mom and dad? Why sabotage yourself like that for me?"

"Because we protect each other," Izuku said in a small, calm voice. "That's what we do...right?"

The amount of love and sacrifice emitting from Izuku's eyes made Katsuki's whole chest tighten.

_We protect each other._

"...Right," Katsuki whispered while staring in shock at the man in front of him. He was entirely lost to his emotions and all the hurt he was feeling earlier dissipated into thin air. "Y-Yeah, that's what we do. We protect each other."

"Plus, like you said it's harder to get hired as Lieutenant externally. U.A is your squad, and your home in the end," Izuku continued, looking down at the ground with a distant smile. "I'm relatively new and I'll find another precinct to work at eventually. Preferably _not_ at the 1B district but detective positions are easier to find. Might take a couple of months, but I'll manage."

Katsuki's heart pulled with deep longing.

_Say something. You need to fucking say something._

He hesitated to open his mouth, unsure if this was the right time and place for such an extensive conversation. There was too much shit to go over: Mirio, making sure Izuku didn't feel like he was second place, then discussing whatever fucking kiss happened a week ago. It was a lot to address but the music here was too loud and his head was still pounding with a skull splitting migraine.

However, before Katsuki could decide what to do, fate decided it for him.

Izuku's phone dinged loudly, drawing the green-eyed man's attention. When Izuku pulled out his phone, a large grimace enveloped his face and he sighed loudly. He clearly was not excited about whatever he just saw. Apologetic green eyes glanced up at Katsuki with a gentle smile.

"Ah, this is Toshinori. It's my official resignation email," Izuku announced while holding up his phone awkwardly. Katsuki watched and felt conflicted as Izuku went through the email with a mixed expression. "It says he's down at the station now and wants me to turn in my gun and badge to him while he's on duty. Then we're going to begin filing paperwork ASAP. Preferably within the next thirty minutes so that he can manage all the police attacks and patrols."

Izuku sighed as he locked his phone again with a quick press of the side button.

The reality of Izuku no longer working at U.A settled into both of their bones and it felt wrong to Katsuki—but he knew there was no real other alternative after Izuku already dropped the bomb on live television.

"I guess I have to head out," the green eyed man said with a smile that was equally heartbreaking as it was loving. "I-I don't know where I'll go after. I'm not really in a festival mood after the motel incident and I don't feel safe at the motel."

"Here, take my apartment key," Katsuki offered up without thinking about it.

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out the three small keys on a silver ring. One for the precinct, another for Ground Zero and finally one for his apartment. He carefully slid the gold one off the ring and held it out to Izuku.

Green eyes look up at him stunned, not anticipating the action.

Katsuki gave a small smile. "Go back there when you're done with Toshinori if you don't want to come back to the festival."

"Really? Are you sure?" Izuku whispered as he reached for the key. Katsuki smiled a little bit wider because it felt right to see his key in Izuku's hand again.

"Yeah I'm sure. We're not commander and subordinate anymore so, fuck it. Come back." _Come back to me. _"Go to my place and go lay down. You're tired and clearly shaken. I'll meet you there later, okay? You'll be safe with all the security in the building."

"Okay," Izuku said, returning the smile worth a thousand unspoken words. "Are you going to stay here?"

Katsuki nodded and shrugged. "Yeah, I left my suit and other stuff at Kirishima and Mina's house, so I need to stay with them and go get it later. But I do want to see the rest of the festival and enjoy myself for the first time in a long time."

"Good call," Izuku chuckled lightly. "You deserve to have an off day after everything."

The blond lieutenant stared at Izuku in front of him for a solid moment trying to piece together how one person could be so loving and selfless at all moments.

Quickly he scanned the crowd, catching sight of Sero and Denki off to the side shoving several types of baked goods down the other's throat. Katsuki huffed slightly when he noticed they were very much in their patrol uniforms, which meant they were actively on duty and still fucking around.

"Go grab those two dumbasses over there and have them escort you to the station and then to the apartment," he grumbled while pointing to Sero and Denki. "Safety in numbers but you might be better at defending them." Katsuki was extremely glad he did have his position intact because he was ready to shove his foot up his subordinates' asses. They must've gotten too comfortable without him around.

Izuku's eyes turned to the side to see the two officers goofing around and snickered slightly at the disapproving expression on Katsuki's face.

"Okay, will do," Izuku said with a lighthearted laugh. "Thank you, Katsuki. I really appreciate this a lot. I could use a nap after today to process everything."

"No problem, 'zuku," Katsuki replied, feeling tremendously better. Izuku gave a taut smile and the blond awkwardly shifted on his heels and offered a small smirk. "Truthfully, I can't wait to get a nap in too. Maybe later we can pop a bottle of champagne together to celebrate me not wrongfully going to jail."

At that Izuku let out a lively, short laugh and covered his mouth in a cute manner.

Katsuki couldn't stop himself from smiling wide. He noticed the weight that was pushing down on his chest lifted by the melodic tone of Izuku's laughter.

"And we'll talk later, right? About all the Mirio stuff?" Izuku asked with an unsure gaze.

"Of course." Katsuki nodded and pushed all his doubts about Izuku out of his mind. "We'll talk about it when I get home."

_Home._

Izuku smiled brightly at the usage of the word. The beautiful freckled man held up the key with a shimmer in his emerald eyes.

"Okay, I'll see you at home, Kacchan."

Izuku gave a small wave goodbye and Katsuki gave one back as he admired the way Izuku's curls bounced when he turned away. Katsuki silently watched the freckled man walk towards the two other officers and how he greeted them with a friendly air.

There was a sharp, distinct tug on his heartstrings as Izuku faded into the distance but told himself that it would be fine and that he would see him soon.

There was an 'I love you' sitting on the tip of his tongue that he would come to regret not saying sooner.

. . .

Izuku glanced behind him once to see Katsuki turn around and head off into the crowd to enjoy the rest of the festival.

He pushed his tongue against his cheek because he wanted to say so much. However, the loud taiko drums being played in the background and the urgency in Toshinori's email made Izuku realize it could wait.

Plus, based on the look on Katsuki's face, everything would be okay.

_We'll be okay,_ he told himself the more he looked at the gold key in hand while walking to the station with Sero and Denki. The two patrol officers were laughing and joking and even complimented his left arm.

"Oh dude that is _so_ badass looking!" Denki said with a gasp, golden eyes glittering with the moonlight. "I thought it was just your hand but it's your whole arm wrapped up like that. Sweet!"

Izuku smiled slightly as Sero joined in the compliment, saying it made him look 'mysterious'. At that moment, Izuku realized no one on the squad outside of Katsuki had ever seen his arms fully bare. But his ex-comrades hadn't even blinked an eye at the scars and tiny burns on his right arm.

By the time they arrived at the station, Izuku felt calmer. He could hear off in the distance the happy sounds of everyone gathered downtown.

However, a radio-call on Sero and Denki's intercoms interrupted the peaceful moment.

The static filled the air the second the trio arrived in front of the station, halting their movements to go inside. The deep voice of Captain Aizawa echoed out making both Sero and Denki freeze with serious expressions.

"We have another incident of a patrol officer being attacked around Uchimizu Ave. There's two male-described perps on the loose and they are running northbound towards downtown. Any officers in the area need to track them down stat."

"Shit, that's us," Denki hissed, looking down the dark street and then wearily looking at Izuku. The freckled ex-detective could sense trepidation in both of his friends before he offered up a reassuring smile.

"You guys go check out that call and find the perps," Izuku gave a smile. "I'll be okay."

"Are you sure?" Sero asked unsure. "You said Bakugou specifically said we should escort you back to his apartment."

Izuku shook his head dismissively with a sweet smile. "I'll be fine. Toshinori is waiting for me inside and that man is as big as a brick house. I'll ask him to drop me off in his patrol car after I finish all the paperwork."

"Ah, that makes sense," Denki laughed with a joyful look. "Nobody better than the Symbol of Peace himself! Alright, be safe, Izuku, we're going to go check out that call!"

Izuku waved and said goodbye to his friends as they turned around and answered Captain Aizawa's radio call.

The green eyed man headed inside the dimly lit precinct, he noted how all the lights in the office were turned off. Then he remembered what the notification from Aizawa said about all on duty officers being dispatched. The first floor had an odd type of silence that Izuku wasn't accustomed to but nonetheless, he pressed the up button on the elevator.

Patient green eyes watched how the button lit up red and how the digital numbers above on the elevator counted down to one. Izuku let his thoughts slowly fade into thinking about Katsuki and Shouto when the elevator finally reached the ground floor. He stepped inside the lift mildly distracted and pressed the button for the ninth floor to Toshinori's office.

He mulled over Shouto's reaction to him showing the lighter and felt mildly guilty. It hurt watching his friend's face twist in both confusion and denial.

Part of Izuku didn't want to believe even what he was saying but he couldn't ignore it.

He kept replaying over and over in his head the livid expression on Dabi's distorted face. He ran through an endless list of possibilities as to why Dabi had Touya's lighter, why he was stationed in Touya's favorite forest, and why they had the _exact_ same shade of eyes.

He kept building up his own mental wall of denial higher and higher but told himself not to dive further until the DNA test was run tomorrow.

Shouto's face was appalled by what Izuku was saying when he first arrived at the festival. The look in those already heartbroken eyes was tired, and it seeded doubt into Izuku.

Deep down, Izuku felt like maybe his own grief was twisting what he saw through the peephole.

Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him—trying to revive back to life the person he had just let go of after so long.

Izuku sighed as the elevator came close to the ninth floor and ultimately decided to take Shouto and Katsuki's advice. There was nothing that could be done until tomorrow morning and right now both men wanted down time to enjoy the festival.

His heart warmed thinking about the golden key in his pocket and the handsome smirk on Katsuki's face that suggested coming back to the apartment with him.

_Coming back home._

Izuku couldn't help but smile softly to himself thinking about returning back to the same bed with Katsuki. If he had to sacrifice his own position in order to have that slice of heaven back, then he'd do it all over again.

Besides, Izuku knew in his heart Katsuki's career was held on the number one podium in his life.

It hurt to think about it slightly, however, Izuku would never ask Katsuki to give up his career for him. Like the blond man had said himself: it was the most important thing to him.

The lack of the puzzle piece bracelet around his wrist tonight proved it.

Katsuki's career was number one in his life and Izuku couldn't ask him to change that.

Izuku would figure out a way around his lack of employment, though. He'd get hired elsewhere or maybe go into an adjacent field if no more detective positions were available in Shizuoka City. Either way, Izuku would figure it out and Katsuki would be able to keep the thing most important to him.

A soft ding rang out and the metallic elevator doors opened to reveal the vacant ninth floor of the precinct. Izuku peered around at the darkness curiously waiting to hear a sound from Toshinori but when he walked around he heard nothing.

Gradually, an underlying odd smell filled his nose that gave Izuku an unexpected pause. It was sharp like electric soldering as if someone had burned several wires and it made Izuku worry that there might be some sort of electric issue.

"Toshinori?" Izuku called out to the dim-darkness with a furrowed brow. "Are you here?"

He carefully crept around the pitch black corner to see the light inside of his ex-Captain's office shining brightly and felt himself slightly more relieved at the sign of life. Izuku walked up to the wooden door and twisted the door handle to open it.

He expected to see bright yellow hair, gleaming like the sun and Toshinori's fatherly smile. But that's not what was waiting for him.

Instead, sitting there on Toshinori's empty desk was a dead rose.

Green eyes widened and all the oxygen from his body was stolen by the crumbled flower on the wooden table. It was wilted, crumpled and darkened in color as if all the life inside of it was forcefully drained from its petals.

Izuku's limbs went cold as ice and his heart pummeled to the darkest pit in his being when he realized what it was.

And that Toshinori was not here.

Izuku turned around quickly, urgency surging through his veins as he struggled to breathe. He needed to get out—he needed to leave. But when the sound of the elevator dinging called out into the darkness, Izuku's entire world stopped.

Izuku froze in place when he heard the metal doors cling shut and an un-seeable body shift their weight around the corner.

With trembling hands, the ex-detective carefully drew his gun pointed towards the black void where the light from the office didn't reach. His mind struggled to make out what was lurking inside as the sound of heavy footsteps approached him and he started to take several steps backwards—unsure of where he was going. He was trying to map out where the stairs were in the darkness behind him as the walls began closing in.

With each heavy thud of his heart, the footsteps grew steadily closer until green eyes saw the one thing he never wanted to see come into the light.

Like a nightmare Izuku couldn't even imagine himself, a tall broad shouldered figure birthed from the obsidian colored shadows to reveal Dabi perched in his gasmask.

The urgency in Izuku's mind flared as he pulled the trigger on his gun only for Dabi to dodge it expertly.

Izuku without hesitation fired off several more rounds, aiming directly for Dabi's head. The loud gunshots pierced his ears as he tried to steady his trembling hand to aim in the dark. But Dabi moved quickly and Izuku struggled to work his footing to keep up with the tall figure that was advancing like a distorted daydream.

"Shit—" Izuku cursed desperately when he clicked his trigger handgun an eighth time to be met with nothing.

All his senses panicked when quicker than he could reload Dabi advanced fully onto him and grabbed his wrists. Izuku screamed out in pain as the rough hands harshly twisted his forearms unnaturally backwards until he lost grip on the gun and whimpered out in pain.

Izuku struggled against the overpowering man as both fear and familiar dread climbed into his spine the second Dabi slammed him into the nearest wall with an unforgiving thud.

Emerald eyes were wide and full of alarm as Dabi snapped one of his hands to grab him by his thin throat and _squeezed_. Izuku began to struggle harder, screaming and kicking as he was slammed over and over again into the wall as a warning to stop moving. He gasped for air until his vision blurred and he began to feel light headed the tighter the hand cut off his airway.

Izuku yelled loudly for help and tried to use his hands to claw at the gloved hand around his throat until his mind flashed back to when Touya had his hand around his neck. Izuku shook his head trying to push away the haunting memory but it was exactly the same.

This felt _exactly_ the same.

Izuku began crying and panicking when he realized he had been pinned successfully against the wall with no leeway of escaping from the larger man overpowering him to stay down.

_Kacchan—_ he squeezed his eyes shut as he hiccupped for air and couldn't stop the downpour of tears and fear. _Where's Katsuki—I need Katsu—_

Then with his free hand, Dabi gripped Izuku's chin harshly and forced the crying man to look at him.

Izuku wearily opened his eyes to see himself staring back at him in the reflection of the gasmask.

"Please, let me go," Izuku begged when he realized he wouldn't be able to escape. The burning smell of electrical wires became thicker and soon the smell of smog filled the air. "_Please—_" but his words were harshly cut off when the hand squeezing his throat gripped hard enough to force him to stop pleading.

Visions of the dead rose inside of Toshinori's office planted terror inside of him when he pieced together Dabi was his stalker all along.

Dabi followed him from Yaizu to Shizuoka and Dabi had Touya's lighter.

Which meant—

Like an undying ghost, Dabi slowly removed his hand off Izuku's chin and began unbuckling the mask's straps. Izuku watched, terrified green eyes widening with each loosened fasten as Dabi peeled off the gas mask.

Hair as black as the midnight sky was revealed then the next thing Izuku came face to face with was what he told himself he hallucinated.

But he hadn't.

Touya's teal colored eyes were staring directly back at him with a gaze as frigid as winter.

"Hello, Angel," Dabi's—_Touya's_—Dabi's voice spoke slowly and Izuku stopped struggling as he went completely numb from head to toe.

He looked at the face in front of him and fought against accepting the voice he heard.

A voice he only heard in his dreams.

"N-No—" Izuku whimpered, eyes glued on Dabi's—_Touya's_—Dabi's face. The burns and piercings faded away in his head to match the voice and black hair melted into the color of red roses.

"—No," Izuku hissed, trying to shake his head to no avail when he was bombarded with the visual of Touya bleeding out on the floor. The smell of smoke coming from somewhere inside the building forced Izuku to relive seeing the flames eat away at Touya's flesh.

"I saw you—" he choked out, squeezing his eyes shut, trying to tell himself he hadn't imagined it. "—I _saw—_"_ I saw you die._ "—I know what I saw—I know what I felt—" his chest ached with three years of _grief_.

"Look at me," Touya's calm voice commanded him. The man's rough hand forced Izuku to confront the surreal image in front of him again, and they locked gazes. "Look at me and tell me what you see _now_."

Izuku gazed upon the gruesome purple burns and silver piercings and choked back a sob. What was he supposed to say? There were no words to describe the double vision of the phantom of his present and his past mixing together before his very eyes that shared the same voice. A voice he used to love. Eyes he used to adore.

He saw a ghost.

He saw both his worst nightmare and most vivid daydream become real because Touya was _alive_.

Dabi had Touya's face and voice. There was no way around denying it any longer, but that fact alone made it worse. Touya was Dabi. Dabi was Touya and Dabi _killed_. Dabi set his apartment on fire. Dabi tried to kill Katsuki, tried to kidnap him, Dabi murdered _hundreds_ of people and strung the Shigarakis high in their own blood.

Which meant Touya was now the most powerful, ruthless drug lord in the province.

Izuku's body went limp when the pressure inside his chest felt like too much. He cried for entirely different reasons as he thought about the grey headstone and all the red roses left at his doorstep.

"Touya…" Izuku gasped out in between a soft weep. His hands switched from trying to claw off Touya's hand from around his throat to holding it in a confused—angry—terrified manner. "Touya, _why_? All this time—"

"It's _Dabi_ now, Izuku," the revenant informed him and Izuku struggled to separate the two. The coldness in Dabi's blue eyes was as unnerving as watching the dead rise. The grip around Izuku's thin neck loosened ever so slightly as he continued speaking. "I've waited a _very_ long time for this moment and you're coming back to where you properly belong—_with me_."

Izuku's world suspended in place and his eyes went wide at the sudden declaration.

His mind supplied a vision of a smiling Katsuki and as if on cue the phone in his pocket rang with Katsuki's customized ringtone into the dry silence.

Neither man moved as the device buzzed relentlessly and Izuku could only think of how to get away. The fear in his body was multiplying quicker than he could process and it stemmed from something deep seated inside of him that he never fully addressed.

Dabi's face remained impeccably calm as he lifted his hand to brush a curl behind Izuku's ear. His fingers slipped down to Izuku's ear and there was a pause as the ghost touched his earlobe.

His empty pierced earlobe.

"I won't take 'no' as an answer," the deep voice informed him with heavy distaste. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

The hand strangling his throat went completely slack and air slammed into Izuku's lungs as he doubled over immediately from the force. Panic was palatable on Izuku's tongue as his phone rang again with Katsuki's ringtone. The sound kept him grounded long enough to listen to the erratic beating of his own heart and slow it down.

Dabi prepared to take a single step backwards but green eyes glanced down at his waist and sitting there was a black handgun.

In a split second decision, Izuku lunged forward and used all his strength to slam his elbow directly into Dabi's jaw until a sickening crack and yell echoed out.

Izuku quickly grabbed the handgun out of the holster and cocked it directly at the ghost in front of him. His chest heaved uncontrollably as he backed up, putting a healthy distance in between them as he watched Dabi's hunched over body nurse his jaw.

The black haired man slowly rose back to his full height, and pulled his hand back to reveal crimson blood in his palm. The calm demeanor of the man in front of him dissolved and soon a familiar livid expression replaced it.

"Hard way it is then," Dabi growled. "You never were a good listener."

Izuku gave a dangerous warning expression at him as he placed his shaking finger on the trigger.

They both stood still and the smell of smoke got thicker. Izuku scrunched his nose slightly and wearily glanced around, confused as to where the gasoline like odor was rising from.

"The lower levels of your precious police station are slowly catching fire, if that's what you're wondering," Dabi said, a sadistic smirk slowly birthing on his lips. "I have a detonator in my pocket as well, fully ready to blow out the fifth floor and incinerate this whole building if you don't comply."

Izuku turned to him again, panic fully in bloom when he realized what was occurring. The precinct was going up in flames below his feet.

Without warning, Izuku's hands started shaking as he imagined flames eating away at his flesh again.

"You're not leaving out of here without my help," Dabi hissed as he wiped the blood off his face. "I'm so goddamn _sick_ of watching you live in this system's corruption_._ You feed into it like everything isn't fucked up and think you can play good cop while people like my father who run it have always been _rotten_ to the core. But most of all, I'm sick of watching you be Bakugou's fucking _slut_."

The last word was spat out like it was more disgusting than saying Katsuki's surname. Dabi's eyes transformed into nothing but vengefulness as he stared at Izuku.

The temperature on the floor spiked and Izuku looked up at the vent above his head to see grey smoke start to pour in. Viridian eyes wildly glanced back at the man he had the gun pointed towards.

"Why would you do this?!" Izuku nearly screamed through his bruised throat. It was a double-edged question.

Why fake your death? Why kill all those people? Why leave him _alone_ all these years thinking he was in the world by himself?

The mountain of questions built in his throat but the urgency to get out of the burning building overshadowed them in that moment.

"W-We're trapped. Touya, y-you're going to ki-kill us—"

"I've been pulled out of an inferno once just like you have. The only difference is I'm not _weak_ and I don't fear flames," Dabi informed him in a bored tone. "There are people in the fire escape waiting for us and they'll only let you pass to safety if you're with _me_."

Dabi advanced with a single step and Izuku took one back.

Blue eyes flickered down at the movement and slowly a wicked smile etched into his face as he took another experimental one forward and Izuku took another backwards.

"I embrace the fire and the new life it's given me," he continued, eyes locked onto Izuku's fearful ones as he continued their two step dance of terror until Izuku's back hit a wall in the darkness. "So, that's your ultimatum. Choose me or you're going to die here, burned alive just like your parents."

But Izuku didn't move. Izuku _couldn't_ move.

His feet became rooted in horror the more the grey smoke clouded air and his body began to shut down again against his will like it had every time he was faced with flames. Izuku scraped up every piece of courage sitting inside of his spirit in order not to break down. But all he could do was fear being trapped inside of another inferno as he kept the gun point on Dabi—_on Touya_—on Dabi—

Nausea rocked his body when his eyesight blurred between the double vision of the redhead he knew and the black haired arsonist in front of him.

"Don't force my hand, I wanted to do this peacefully," the haunting voice called to him as Dabi stepped forward again. But this time Izuku couldn't step back and he slid against the wall causing his knees to nearly buckle.

"Don't come closer!" Izuku screamed as he held the gun up directly to the man in front of him.

"Go ahead then, Izuku. Put a bullet in me and fucking end it," Dabi hissed, face twisted in hate. He calmly walked straight up to the smaller man until the cold barrel of the gun was pressed directly over his beating heart. "_Kill me,_" Dabi dared as he lifted his hand to grab the barrel of the gun and push it into his flesh more.

The abused man's hands shook as he stared at the steel placed directly over the other's heart. He tried to pull the trigger. He tried with everything he had to pull it—but his finger never moved.

The memory of the redhead bleeding out on the ground appeared in his head.

"You can't...can you?" Dabi chuckled deeply with a taunting devil-like smirk. A dark fire ignited in his eyes as if he was pleased with the sudden revelation. "How interesting. You could try and kill Dabi but not _Touya_."

Izuku violently flinched as the large figure loomed over him, mere inches from his face. The terrified man squeezed his eyes shut trying to wake up from the nightmare. But his began to body shut down the second two large hands slammed on either side of his head, caging him in.

"Tell me, Angel. What are you more afraid of, me or fire?"

. . .

Katsuki cheered loudly with Kirishima and Mina over the sound of the loud drums and crowd. The beating of the drums grew more intense as the dancers floated around each other in a powerful dance. They held torches lit with fire in their hands and hypnotically waved the orange and red flames around in the dark while others held up lanterns and the giant red dragon dancing in the back.

"You look like you're having a good time!" Mina commented in a loud voice over the noise in the dense crowd. She smiled at him and elbowed him in the side. "I saw you talking with you-know-who a little while ago. Did you hash everything over?"

Katsuki smiled with a shrug as he kept clapping in beat with everyone and the drummer musicians. "I gave him my key. He's going back to the apartment."

"Oh? Not the motel?"

"No, Dabi tried to break in around the same time as the other policemen were attacked," Katsuki informed. "I told him to go back with Denki and Sero to my apartment to make sure he got back safely."

Mina stopped clapping and frowned. "Do you think Dabi is up to something? Like coordinating mass attacks around the city because of the festival to stir up something?"

Katsuki slowly stopped clapping on beat as well when a buzz on his phone came in. Then on cue another with Mina and Kirishima's phone chimed.

"Shit, there's another attack near the station," Kirishima hissed. "Just another assault and run."

Katsuki furrowed his brow at the peculiar string of attacks.

_Why aren't they going further than attacking the officers? _It was a grim question but part of him thought it was odd the assailants were just beating and leaving—as if to draw attention away from something else.

Katsuki quietly thought about beautiful green curls and checked his silver watch, slightly antsy.

"I think I'm going to head out earlier than I planned," Katsuki mumbled. "Er, I'll grab my stuff from you tomorrow? Izuku might be a bit spooked and I kinda want to talk to him about the whole kissing Mirio issue. Maybe waiting until tomorrow wasn't the best idea."

Mina hummed in approval. "What made you change your mind?"

"I...I yelled something rather hurtful at him," Katsuki whispered, shame swelling in his chest. "I told him I was going to lose my job, the _one_ thing important in my life, because of him...then I said we weren't together that long so his apology didn't matter."

Both of his friends fell into a silence inside of the roaring crowd.

He thought about Izuku's pained face from seeing the lack of puzzle pieces around his wrist. "I realize I should go fix that sooner than later. I don't want to repeat the issues with Takeyama with Izuku."

"Sounds like the right decision," Mina said with an understanding smile. "I'm so proud of you, working out communication versus burying your head in the sand! I also think someone wants some well overdue Izuku cuddles."

"Don't forget kisses," Kirishima snickered from beside his wife. "And possibly even some unsupervised adult time with their bunny, heh? Probably got a month worth of frustrations you two wanna, er, _work_ _out_."

They both playfully poked his cheek until Katsuki's face flushed bright pink and he was glowering in embarrassment. The blond grunted and swatted their hands away with a huff as he gave them the finger with no real malice behind it.

"I'll catch you two later," Katsuki announced with a small smirk and did a two finger salute as he backed away.

His friends waved goodbye to him as Katsuki pushed his way out of the crowd to go stand off to the entrance of the gathering. He noted all the colored yukatas of the citizens dressed up and appreciated how they were paying him no mind.

It felt so damn refreshing not to be the center of attention. He was officially out of whatever vortex of hell he had been trapped in and it gave him a much clearer headspace to know things were going to calm down.

Or, at least, sort of.

As the tired lieutenant headed down the street in the opposite flow of foot traffic, he huffed while he proceeded to pull out the notes app on his phone.

Everything was going to calm down in his own life but that didn't mean Dabi would chill the hell out any time soon. The puzzle solver's brain was picking apart the new conclusion he came to. If Dabi was spelling out what he wanted, then Katsuki could predict the next attack.

The workaholic decided to use the time between walking from the festival to his apartment to write down the possible combination of street names again until something clicked.

He tried the order of the buildings that were burned down: Kaze, Ichirizuka, Uchi and Zaze. K-I-U-Z.

Then he tried that same order but backwards: Zazen, Uchi, Ichirizuka, Kaze. Z-U-I-K.

Then he tried the one word it actually did spell and frowned: Kaze, Ichirizuka, Zazen, Uchi. K-I-Z-U.

He continued like this, shifting the different possibilities until he wrote out all sixteen different possibilities. But as he came to the last combination, it gave him a mild pause at what he was seeing.

Ichirizuka, Zazen, Uchi, Kaze. I-Z-U-K.

His brow wrinkled in confusion.

However, before Katsuki could analyze this further, his phone buzzed yet again.

He frowned when he quickly switched out his notes app to see, _yet again_, another notification detailing an attack and run of a police officer. But this time it was somewhere far away from the precinct and it made his brows pinch together baffled by the lack of pattern in the attacks.

_They're so different it almost seems like it's on purpose. _A foreboding sensation crawled up his spine as Katsuki thought about Dabi and reconsidered all that he had thought about earlier today. Katsuki began walking back to his apartment quicker when he realized that he was alone and he felt the sensation of eyes looking on him.

Scarlet eyes narrowed at the crowd of people, feeling something off. At that moment he decided to call Izuku, if anything, to double check that the nerd made it to the station or at least was back at the apartment. The dial tone rang three times and went to voicemail. Katsuki frowned deeply because that was odd. Izuku always answered his calls, no matter what—even if to say he was busy and could call later.

So he tried again.

But got nothing again.

Just when he was about to try a third time, the name 'S. Todoroki' appeared on his screen. Katsuki quickly answered because an odd sensation in the air told him something was wrong.

"Hello?" Katsuki questioned immediately, feeling nervous from the lack of Izuku answering his calls.

"Katsuki, is Izuku with you?" Shouto rushed out and on the other end of the phone the blond could here papers shuffling.

"No?" The blond frowned. "Why, what's going on?"

"I-I couldn't get what he said off my mind," Shouto confessed in his haste. "Instead of going back to the festival, I went to look at Touya's death certificate and looked into who the coroner was like you said and—" There was a thick pause and the lieutenant felt his entire body ice over.

He stopped walking in the middle of the street as Shouto dropped the next piece of information.

"Katsuki, the coroner was one of the people killed in The Red Dawn. He was an All For One member."

Scarlet eyes widened by several fractions. "...That wasn't Touya's body?"

"No," Shouto whispered ghostly. "He faked the cross examination for the dental records. I went to Toshinori's place and pulled out the file for the coroner's name with him. It says here that the coroner helped the Shigarakis fake several deaths. The asterisks indicate faked death. Touya's death date means he is the _third_ death he's falsified."

Out of everything in that sentence, what gave Katsuki the most pause wasn't the information about the coroner.

"Wait, what do you mean you pulled out the file _with_ Toshinori at his place?" The lieutenant said slowly, heart increasing in rate. The world came to a halt when he suddenly heard his Captain's voice in the background of the phone conversation.

"Oh, um, I had tried to call him but he didn't answer so I drove to his place," Shouto answered, baffled by the off topic question. "When I got here he said he had gone to the festival but his phone got pickpocketed while he was there. You know how crowds are."

"Did...Did he send Izuku an email about his resignation before that?" He asked desperately, oxygen stolen from his body as he clicked the puzzle pieces in place.

"Um, I can ask him, but what does this have to do with Touya—"

"—Because Izuku got a goddamn email saying to go to the station from Toshinori!" Katsuki hissed. "I need you to ask him if he fucking sent Izuku that email _right now_."

His comrade on the other line immediately did as he asked because of the forceful tone and Katsuki tried to convince himself he was overthinking. He thought of the best-case scenario: Toshinori went to the festival, pulled his phone out to email Izuku, put it away and it was stolen from him. Then he somehow instead decided to go home rather than Uchimizu Ave—

Katsuki stopped breathing all together.

Uchimizu Ave.

**I**chirizuka. **Z**azen. **U**chi. **K**aze.** U**chimizu.

**I-Z-U-K-U. **

**Izuku**.

"He said he didn't send Izuku any email about his resignation, Katsuki," Shouto whispered, sounding like he was getting the picture. "He actually didn't even know Izuku resigned on television until I mentioned it."

Katsuki couldn't hear anything and the world around him ceased to exist.

The loud thumping of his heart pounded in his ears and his chest tightened with fear at the realization.

Shouto's distant voice in his ear called out his name as his breathing became steadily shallow. Katsuki forgot how to exhale when he came face to face with a happy couple walking past him holding hands. They were smiling and laughing at each other, holding sparklers and gleaming at each other.

He saw a mirage of him and Izuku doing the same and slowly the visual of Izuku happily laughing vanished into smoke.

"Shouto, I need everyone to get to U.A _immediately_!" Katsuki commanded into the phone as his mind sunk into overdrive. "Send everyone to the precinct and call the fire department!"

Shouto didn't waste a second and confirmed the command while Katsuki hung up the phone and shoved it in his pocket. The lieutenant's sight blurred with tunnel vision as he turned on his heel and ran in the opposite direction at full speed.

The rubber soles on his shoes hit the concrete with more urgency than he'd ever felt in his life as he weaved through the crowd, ignoring the loud calls and him accidentally knocking over people. Hurried apologies left his mouth but it all blended together with the pounding of his own heart in his ears.

Fury and desperation more intense than anything Katsuki had ever felt filled his veins as he prayed for the first time in his life.

His mind replayed all the moments with Izuku from the bar with his flirty smile to the shy glances at the office. He felt all the sweet kisses and 'I love yous' and could still feel Izuku wrapping his arms around his waist all the times they rode together on his motorcycle. He pictured Izuku cooking with him and sharing a kiss at the baseball game. The silliness when Izuku danced around, covered in paint in the art studio. Then finally he felt the warmth Izuku always radiated sleeping next to him at the end of the day.

"_I'm your family now."_

_No. No, please no—_

Adrenaline made Katsuki run faster than he ever had in his life as he looked at the cruel ticking on his silver watch go by with each second. All the loving memories of Izuku faded with each tick until he finally arrived at the precinct.

He came to a skidding stop, and all of his worst fears became a reality as he stared up in horror at the building in front of him. Red eyes widened at the small hints of smoke leaving several windows and tiny caged in flames pushed against the windows.

The desperate blond whirled around wildly and realized he was the first to make it on the scene. There was a three person crowd of bystanders pointing up to the building where a sliver of orange flames could be seen through on the lower floors.

Katsuki ran up to the glass doors without an inkling of hesitation with his thoughts clouded by Izuku._ Losing Izuku._ He was going to lose Izuku—

The inside of the lobby was crowded by thick grey smog and when he tried to yank open the doors they snapped back with a sharp thud. _They're fucking locked_. The blond furiously cursed and his heart rate tripled as he took one single step back and held up his elbow to slam it through the glass with all his strength.

The sharp material cut deeply into his skin drawing blood and the smell of carbon monoxide nearly choked him, but Katsuki pushed through it. He stood back and kicked out the rest of the shattered material and ducked his way inside.

The inferno that was waiting for him was something Katsuki would never have imagined in his own nightmares. Inside on the first floor fire was quickly catching on either side of him and the smell of gas was leaking inside the building indicating the gas line had been cut.

"Izuku!" He called out loudly. The smoke entered into his lungs and he choked back a cough. He covered his nose and mouth quickly to prevent the burning chemical smell from entering his body. "Izuku, where are you?!"

He looked at the elevator that was no longer working and made his way into the flames with little concern for his own safety, his mind solely focused on saving Izuku. He ripped off the sleeve of his shirt fearlessly as he used the orange cloth to cover his mouth as he carefully navigated his way around the room holding little fires igniting quickly. The proximity of the flames made his body quickly begin to sweat.

A single loud gunshot boomed from the staircase above him and red eyes widened as he turned on his heel to push his way towards the sound.

His mind kept repeating '_get to Izuku' _over and over again as he did his best to make it to the staircase.

He dodged all the walls, furniture, and electrical equipment covered in flames that threatened to eat his skin. The hungry fire rapidly spread in every direction, consuming everything unlucky enough to be in its path. When he came to the metal staircase, he had several nicks on his arms that caused him to hiss out in pain.

The panicking man climbed up the staircase calling out Izuku's name, when he heard the crashing of several pieces of ceiling from the upper levels. He clutched the cloth over his mouth tighter because the higher he climbed the thicker the smoke became.

Suddenly without warning a loud blast shook his body and Katsuki nearly lost his footing. He crouched low on the stairs until a second unforgiving vibration shook the infrastructure. The building rocked dangerously, and horror sunk into Katsuki's skin when he realized what that was.

The temperature spiked several degrees as he continued his climb upwards when he heard a small whimper get louder.

He came up to the passageway between the fourth and fifth floor and saw what looked to be a dense cage of flames surrounding Izuku. The younger man was stuck in the corner, trapped from going further down the stairs by two fallen ceiling beams. The wooden pieces of infrastructure were crossed in the formation of an 'X'. were fully caught on fire blocking passage through.

The bright flames surrounded Izuku and from the other side of the sea of fire Katsuki could see all the tears, fear, and horror that filled the freckled face. Izuku sunk down onto the floor, breaking down in inconsolable mutters.

"_Izuku_!" Katsuki yelled out and his voice cracked.

Green eyes widened and searched around the inferno until they caught sight of him on the other side of the flames. The ghostly look encompassing Izuku's face was as if he had seen the true form of the devil himself and there were bruises wrapped around his neck matching his bloodied lip.

The blond quickly felt nauseous and his urgency tripled.

"K-Katsuki," Izuku weakly cried, face twisting in despair. "Katsuki, it's T-Touya—Dabi is—"

"—I know, I know," Katsuki rushed out, cutting to the chase. The lieutenant carefully watched his footing in the flames as he tried his best to get closer to the burning pieces of wood without nicking himself but failed and cursed when a flickering flame licked at his skin. "_Shit—_"

"I managed to shoot him in the a-arm then knocked him on the floor and ran," Izuku wept and curled into himself when more pieces of the ceiling collapsed near him. "I don't k-know how long until he comes again—but K-Katsuki, I-I can't movemy body. My legs_—_"

Izuku's sentence was cut short when more pieces of the infrastructure began to fall, and a horrified cry was torn from Izuku's throat.

Red eyes darted all around in the life-threatening heat looking for a way to reach Izuku. He zeroed in on the small crawlway opening at the bottom of the 'X' the burning beams made. The blond cursed when he realized they had fallen in a way Izuku _could_ get through. The other man was small enough to get under with minimum burns.

But Izuku was terrified of fire—terrified to his core.

Katsuki took a deep breath in when he realized what had to be done.

"Izuku, I need you to grab my hand when I reach out to you," Katsuki commanded, steadying himself at a safe distance. Izuku looked at him and shook his head, completely petrified. "_Izuku_," he called again, trying to be soothing. "I know you're scared but you need to listen to me. Lay on your belly to crawl under the beams and I'll pull you to this side, okay? Don't worry, I'll carry you out but I _need_ you to grab my hand."

Katsuki felt his spirit ignited with some hope when that seemed to do the trick and Izuku weakly began to sit forward on his trembling legs.

"It's going to hurt a bit but you need to get over here so we can leave before this building collapses," Katsuki informed when he suddenly heard the sound of firetrucks and police officers outside. Izuku looked out of the window at the flashing blue lights and back to Katsuki before nodding weakly.

The trembling man laid flat on his belly, prepared to crawl under the small space under the 'X' formation and Katsuki kneeled down. Once they were face to face, crouched low, green eyes locked with red and Katsuki felt his heart twist at how much faith was inside of Izuku's eyes.

The smaller man steadied himself, ready to push through his fears but in that same moment a loud metal bang echoed in the staircase indicating a door was kicked open.

Katsuki's limbs went impossibly cold in the vortex of hell he was stuck in.

Izuku looked up with increased fear in his eyes when the rushing of footsteps advanced on them. The trembling man quickly turned back to Katsuki and at the same time they reached out and grabbed each other's hands, wincing at the heat too close to their skin.

Katsuki tightened his grip on Izuku's hands and began pulling him through the small space ignoring the heat digging into his skin but a loud cry from Izuku startled him. Red eyes looked up on the other side of the fire to the dark figure wearing a gas mask and standing tall, bleeding out in his shoulder.

The lieutenant's heart sank when the arsonist quickly squatted and wrapped his arm around the other half of Izuku and the green haired man screamed.

Katsuki cursed as he used both hands to yank on Izuku's bandaged arm trying to fight the pull on the other side.

"Let me go! L-Let me go! _Please_, Touya, no!" Izuku begged and tried to kick at the other man clawing and pulling him backwards. Katsuki's hands slipped off Izuku's forearm until it was just his hands holding on desperately to Izuku's small hand.

The arsonist in the gas mask didn't say a word as he pulled Izuku back on the other side of the fire, causing Katsuki to fall forward.

"_Fuck_!" the blond yelled out in pain when a black foot stepped directly on his and Izuku's intertwined hands and dug into his bones. "Let go of him, you son of a bitch!" Katsuki screamed as he regained his footing, ignoring the intense pain in his hand.

But Dabi pressed his boot in further to their bonded fingers. Izuku cried in pain as he was relentlessly hauled back onto the other side of the fire and the grasp on their hands finally broke.

"_No_!" Katsuki screamed out. He desperately grappled at Izuku's hand, but only caught the small black thread around Izuku's wrist as he was pried away.

The thin bracelet snapped off Izuku's wrist and Katsuki fell backwards onto the fire on the wall behind him. The blond howled out in pain when the flames seared his back and burned through his shirt instantly. He rolled on his back in a second to smother the flames catching fire on his shirt but the burns had set in place despite the fire going out.

Panicked, Katsuki quickly sat forward and stared up in horror through the flames at the visual of the masked Dabi smothering a white cloth over Izuku's mouth and nose. The struggling man went completely limp and Izuku's eyes fluttered closed. Katsuki's chest tightened as he watched the freckled man's unconscious body fall directly into Dabi's arms helplessly.

Carefully, the large man effortlessly picked Izuku up in his arms and stared down at his unconscious face. Slowly, the nightmarish man in the gas mask turned to the fallen Katsuki on the other side of the fire and tilted his head.

"You figured it out too late," the distorted voice informed him in a heartless tone. "You don't get to have everything, Bakugou. You want him back? Come to my fucking playground and we'll see how well you fare."

Katsuki clutched the bracelet in his fist as the toxic chemicals filled his lungs. He weakly called out for the other man to stop but Dabi didn't. The arsonist didn't even spare him a second glance.

Dabi turned back upwards on the stairs and Katsuki weakly cried out Izuku's name. The police officer's mind started to swim in and out of focus as the edges of his vision blended with bright flames inside the rapidly forming inferno.

Katsuki felt his mind lose track of time as he slouched forward, his body finally overheating.

He closed his eyes, trying with all his might to reopen them and when he did, everything was covered in hellfire. He blinked back to consciousness slowly when he felt himself dragged upright and when he blinked again, he was being hauled back down the stairs by two firefighters. But a lack of green around him made him panic again.

The lieutenant started pointing towards the collapsing upper half of the building.

"There's another person—" he weakly informed as he was hauled back out into the burning lobby by firefighters. "_S-Stop_! There's another person up there!"

But the fire fighter just uttered an apology. "We can't go further up, the staircase is blocked and collapsing—it's too dangerous. We need to get you out _now_."

Katsuki wheezed and coughed as he was brought out to safety by the fireman holding him upright. He struggled against the two men who were pulling him away from the burning building, trying to tell them to go back inside but his body was too weakened to fight back. He cried out for them to stop and yelled out but nausea from the fumes caused Katsuki to choke on his pleas.

The fresh air hit his face as he was dragged back out into the open. Black soot covered his face as he choked back several coughs and his chest heaved violently.

He staggered out to the curb that was full of people now. Various police officers like Toshinori and Aizawa were gathered around, trying to push back citizens while firefighters attempted to drench out the flames with their hoses.

The firefighter hauled him on the opposite side of the street out of the danger zone with the paramedics and other officers witnessing the building crumble. Katsuki gazed ahead of him in terror as the building he was just in was now fully consumed by flames.

"_Katsuki_!" Kirishima's voice called out to him and quickly rushed up to him with Shouto and Mina. "Katsuki, wh-what happened?!"

The lieutenant couldn't form any words as he thought about Izuku's bruised face and Dabi's gasmask. He heard his friend's voice and held back a sob.

Katsuki winced as medics quickly rushed to him and held him upright. They forcefully stripped him of his shirt to reveal two intense burn gashes on his back as if someone seared his golden wings off like a fallen Icarus.

He buckled on his knees when he couldn't hold himself up right anymore and held his trembling fist up to his face.

He opened his palm to reveal the broken bracelet holding Izuku's puzzle piece and clenched his teeth in pain as ointment was applied to his newly acquired burns.

"Katsuki, w-we need you to tell us what happened," Shouto spoke quietly, eyes looking at all the disaster around them.

But his voice struggled to find the words.

Katsuki's soul broke in two as he stared up at the precinct being swallowed by the flames. He could feel his heart splinter painfully into several pieces like the gods had reached their hands inside of his body and tore him apart.

He couldn't stop the tears from streaming down his cheeks as he at last realized what truly was the most important thing in his life—now that it had been stolen from him.

"Izuku," he whispered in a broken voice, staring at the puzzle piece in his hand. "Touya..._Dabi_. He was spelling Izuku."

All the other U.A officers looked at each other confused but Shouto's whole body went stiff staring down at his lieutenant. Katsuki clutched the puzzle piece tighter in his hand.

"Ichirizuka. Zazen. Uchi. Kaze. Uchimizu," Katsuki spoke each street name slowly and dark understanding settled into every officer's face. "I-Z-U-K-U. _Izuku_. The answer to what he wanted was in front of me this whole time."

* * *

Thank you so much for reading! :D :D 💚

Let me know your thoughts/feelings/screams! Next chapter is the climax where Dabi, Shouto, Izuku and Katsuki's arcs all finally converge. *pops the bottle of champagne Izuku and Katsuki never got to open in celebration* We made it!


	28. Hellfire

Welcome to the climax! :D We finally made it to the build up chapter of everything and now we're officially in end game. I just wanted to give a special thank you to all the readers, commenters, and all the individuals who have blessed this fic with fan art as well :) this fic was a much bigger monster than I expected when I began typing it out and it made me nervous to bite off something this ambitious. But all the sweet, thoughtful comments and wonderful people it has connected me to has really been a great experience :')

Big Shout out to Luna (aka nmatthews) as always for betaing, and giving her impeccable feedback and vibe check like always. She's a truly amazing person and she encouraged me to write this fic a whole year ago when I told her the premise.

Secondly, new art has been added to chapter 17! Please go check it out! I love it :)

Alrighty! Strap in for the ride :) Choochoo train of angst has upgraded to the rollercoaster of fear.

**Warnings: Violence, arson, Dabi is unhinged, (not major) character death**

_Song: Ebb & Flow - The Heartist_

* * *

**Chapter 28 - Hellfire**

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The sharp sound of rusted metal grinding unkindly snapped Izuku awake. Green eyes opened frantically as the smell and sound of soldering burning assaulted his senses. The grimy ground was cold underneath his body as he tried his best to orient himself and see where he was, however, it was too dark.

But then like a freight-train all the memories of U.A burning down slammed into his body.

The bright flames consumed his vision and his stomach churned with nausea at the recollection of dangerous heat against his skin. Soon it was as if he was transported back into the inferno on Uchimizu Ave all over again.

"_Let go of him, you son of a bitch!"_ Katsuki's loud scream yelled into his memory and soon Izuku relived the feeling of being violently wrenched away from the other man.

"Katsuki—" Izuku yelled out with a start as he sprung forward desperately. But his words were choked harshly when he was yanked harshly backwards by cold metal tied around his throat.

The rattling of chains made Izuku's blood freeze. He rapidly felt around his neck and was met with a cold metal collar and his stomach dropped into the blackest pit.

"Ah, you're finally awake," Touya's voice echoed in the dimly lit room. "I was worried there for a second."

Green eyes stared wide at the darkness as his hands lifted to feel out what he hoped was a nightmare. But when he came to the chilled feeling underneath his fingertips, he realized it wasn't. His hands gripped a heavy metal chain that was pinned to the dirty ground and his insides flipped upside down.

Izuku's eyes slowly adjusted to the dark room that only held a single lightbulb above it. The light stained the dark, rusted room a dirty yellow and sitting underneath the only source of light was the unmasked Touya—Dabi—Touya. His gas mask was placed neatly in his lap as he sat in a chair and his head was tilted as if curious by the sight of the chained Izuku in front of him.

Frost bitten blue eyes were cold. Nearly emotionless.

Green eyes flickered down to the hands of the other man, and there in the faint light he saw three familiar rings catch the light. It was the rings of the Shigarakis and Yotsubashi that Izuku vaguely remembered.

Then, by just staring at the gleaming red, blue and green gems on the burned hand, Izuku felt the weight of his world shift.

"T-Touya," Izuku whispered as he tried to pull at the heavy metal restraint on his neck. He could sit up; the chain only gave enough space to allow the shaking man to lean weakly against the cold wall behind him. "Touya, please. This is twisted—let me go—"

"—Dabi, Angel." Touya's voice replied. Izuku squeezed his eyes shut when the alignment of the vocals didn't match the visual in front of him. "It is _Dabi_ now."

There was a long stretch of silence as everything in Izuku's mind warped. He thought about the gravestone with Touya's name, Shouto's grief—his _own_ grief and then how the voice of the person he loved was very much still speaking to him.

Dabi sighed and slowly placed the gas mask on the floor. The sound of footsteps walking closer to him made Izuku curl away when the other man sat directly in front of him. Green eyes peered open and Izuku leaned further into the wall, trying to get away from who was in front of him.

The black-haired man had an exhausted, seemingly tired expression on his face as he took out a silver lighter and cigarette from his leather jacket. He flicked on the lighter and lit the cigarette carefully and inhaled the toxins deeply.

Frigid eyes then focused on Izuku and the feeling of both bitterness and bile brushed the back of Izuku's palate.

"This whole time," the frightened man whispered with a broken voice. An unannounced sob wrecked through his body and Izuku curled into the wall and squeezed his eyes shut. "This whole time you've been _alive_? Why didn't you let me know?"

His head pounded intensely bursting at the seams with thousands of questions as the smell of nicotine filled the small space.

"As if that would have made a difference to you," was the bitter reply from the revenant. "But...it was the Shigarakis. They pulled me out of the fire then offered me my life in exchange for working for them undistracted. They barred me from telling you I was alive and kept me locked in a basement after Makinohara for two months with no contact from the outside world."

There was an undertone of sadness and the ghost in front of him nearly sounded human.

But it didn't make the explanation less gut wrenching.

"So you did _nothing _afterwards?" Izuku hissed. His fingers dug into his own dirtied skin, fresh with potent self-hate. "You left roses on my doorstep as if that could smooth over the fact I thought you were _dead_?"

"If I could've done more I would have," Dabi retorted back full of hurt. Several cracks in his emotionless mask showed at the accusation. "You don't think I wanted to? You don't think it hurt me to watch you fucking suffer like that? But I had to think about your safety first and foremost—like I _always_ have!" The voice boomed angrily. "I've always been be on the side of keeping you alive even with those damn rose colored glasses on your fucking face. You could never think to do the same."

Izuku wept while he shook his head in disbelief.

"Touya—I loved you. I would've—"

"—No," Dabi cut him off. "Don't '_Touya'_ me in that pathetic ass voice. We both know if I told you I was alive, you would have sprung to tell the authorities and the Shigarakis would've _killed_ you. I didn't tell you to protect you from your own stupidity." The voice was sharp, unkind and Izuku could only reply with a soft litany of protests. "Don't shake your head, you know it's true. You would've gone running to the police just the same as you did for the parade."

Dabi took another long drag of his cigarette and Izuku thought back to the tragedy that took his parents away from him.

He knew it was his fault. He knew everything he did cost him the lives of his loved ones, but what was being said to him was _wrong_.

Nonetheless, Dabi continued to press salt into the freshly reopened wound.

"You always were dead set on telling the police as if they're these _superheroes_ that can fix everything when really they're what's wrong with the world. Then you go and put on that false knight cape yourself to play detective. As if you could really take down the Shigarakis with the shackles of corruption tied around your ankles."

"No," Izuku whispered weakly. Hot tears streaming upon his face grew heavier in downpour because none of that was _true_. "I wouldn't have gone to the authorities, Touya. Not after Makinohara. You keep saying I'm stupid and that I would've kept going to the police but you're assuming something based on who I was before the fire.

"That fire changed me. Losing you and my parents—it _changed_ me." Izuku sucked in a shaky breath and he cried gently for several moments. Teardrops fell to the dirty grey cement underneath him. "I would have _never _gone to the police if I had known they were holding you against your will. I already thought I had lost you along with my parents and if I knew I hadn't—if I knew I hadn't lost you too—I would've done _everything_ in my power to keep it that way."

Izuku hung his head down as he thought of the countless daydreams he imagined. The ones where somehow his loved ones were still alive and now that it was true—the image was distorted beyond repair.

"Then what would you have done?" Dabi asked softly. "Enlighten me."

"I would've asked you to run away to somewhere they could never touch us again. Like we originally had planned," Izuku confessed and he waited for a response.

But there was no reply and he could feel the figure in front of him grow stiff. It was as if Dabi wasn't anticipating that answer.

Green eyes finally shifted to stare at the man sitting cross legged in front of him and confronted the nightmare he wanted to ignore.

There he saw turquoise eyes studying at him with mixed emotions as a piece of the ashen cigarette fell to the ground. Izuku flashed back to the daydreams of him and Touya running away, hand and hand, while somehow living happily.

"It could have been me and you," Izuku continued on as his face twisted with a raw, wounded expression. "We could've escaped to Shizuoka City—or Kuromata. We could've gone _anywhere_ miles away from the Shigarakis if I had known I still had you."

The sound of creaking iron from somewhere outside the door was the only sound to be heard.

Dabi made a pained face as he continued smoking.

"Well. You have me now," Dabi replied distantly as he blew smoke out of his mouth. His blue eyes shifted off of the shackled man and a feeling of bitterness swelled uncontrollably within Izuku.

"No, I don't," Izuku spat back in a cynical manner, unable to recognize who was in front of him. "This isn't who I fell in love with."

"You never knew who you fell in love with," Dabi said evenly, eyes draining his emotion all over again. "But neither did I."

Izuku paused. "What does that mean?"

"It means Tomura was right all along," Dabi echoed emptily. "He knew deep down there was something lurking inside of you that wasn't as pure as you projected. Do you know how it felt to be held against your will and then finding out the man you loved—the man you _thought_ loved you too—without hesitation started sleeping around after he thought you died?

"It felt as if you were waiting on it," Dabi hissed with disgust dripping off his words. "As if you were waiting to be free from me—as if you went out and fucking _celebrated_. Not only that, you turned around and become a filthy _cop_—the very thing you knew would cut me fucking deep, Izuku."

"Stop," Izuku shook his head, rage slowly simmering. "You're wrong—"

But Dabi only spoke over him.

"And on top of that, you gave up being a cop for someone else. I asked you—no. I _begged_ you not to be a cop but you do it for Bakugou of all people. Goddamn _Bakugou_. Someone who _ripped_ me away from my family by wedging his goddamn boot in my business after I showed him fucking pity. Did I really mean as _little_ to you as all the countless men you let fuck you into your mattress?"

Quickly, the dormant emotion Izuku felt by the riverside in Kuromata birthed again staring at the lie in front of him.

"Of course not—you meant _everything_ to me," Izuku retorted. His voice quivered with fear but above all anger.

All the years of mourning boiled in his core the more he thought about his life until his equanimity snapped.

"You have no idea why I did what I did after I thought you died because you weren't _there_," Izuku accused with a livid glare. "You left me entirely _alone_ to wander around with all this pain. I needed a distraction because I couldn't get the memory of you _dying_ out of my fucking head!" He finally shouted and his chest convulsed violently with years of false grief. "Every time I closed my goddamn eyes I saw you burning and bleeding. That stayed with me for so long—it's _still_ with me!

"You don't know, and you'll _never_ understand how that feels," Izuku said slowly, full of resentment as he parroted Touya's words from years ago. "You'll never know what it's like to live with that type of hurt—that type of fucking _loss_!I loved you with everything I had! I loved my parents the same way and that pain will never go away, Touya. It never fucking leaves your dreams, your nightmares and it stays with me like a bullet lodged in my goddamn _spine_!

"I had to learn how to exist all over again because I died too," Izuku cried out and all the tears swarming his eyes clouded his vision. "The Izuku before Makinohara was buried in the ground with his parents and I had to learn how to be human all over again from scratch. I had to learn how to breathe, how to walk, think, and _live_ again. I had to make my soul bigger to make room for that type of hurt because it never goes away—it just resides inside of you taking up space in the most excruciating way possible!"

The sobbing man felt his throat burn with all the unhinged emotions spilling over, but he couldn't stop them.

He cried painfully when his chest tightened to the point he started hiccupping. It felt like harrowing hellfire was in the pit of his stomach and scorched his insides. It was all too much—too real—and everything he had known was somehow a lie. All the daydreams about Touya and how Izuku put him up on this pedestal for saving his life were false. False like the illusion of the man he thought he had fallen in love with.

"But I didn't even need to make myself that much bigger because here you are—_alive_." Izuku made a sour face and turned away as he clutched himself harder.

"...Look at me," Dabi commanded calmly and Izuku shook his head.

"_No_," Izuku replied harshly through his sore throat. He knew it was bruised an ugly purple from where he had been choked. "I don't want to look at the fact the last three years of my life have been a half-truth. I don't want to believe all my grief over you was a fucking lie that you _allowed_ me to suffer through."

Dabi sighed and put out his cigarette on the dirt cement floor. He carefully repositioned himself directly next to the crying Izuku against the wall. He tilted his head back against the concrete wall in the dark room and stared up at the small, flickering light.

"I'm sorry," Dabi said in a tone that nearly surprised Izuku. It was gentle, soft and almost full of regret.

Almost.

"I'm sorry for causing you so much pain, Izuku...I wanted to get rid of the Shigarakis so that they could never harm you again. They spent so much time threatening you and hanging your life above my head." Dabi's face twisted with a dejected expression and he turned to face Izuku with remorse floating in his teal eyes.

"And I _did _get rid of them. I allowed them to be brought to justice how _you_ would have wanted. They faced the court with capital punishment after standing before a jury like I knew you would've wanted."

Izuku frowned and closed his eyes, not wanting to hear what was being forced into his ears.

"I could've killed them after burning their tongues out," Dabi explained as if what he did to the Shigarakis was mercy. "I could've slit their throats—it would've been easy for me. More than cathartic, but I _didn't_. I didn't do that for _you_ because I knew you'd want them to be held to justice versus drowning in their own blood like how I think they deserved."

"So what? Them being brutally maimed and left alive was a gift for me?" Izuku whispered sarcastically.

"In a twisted way, yes." Dabi shrugged lightheartedly. "But I can recognize my shortcomings, Izuku. I know I'm not a decent person. I only wish other people could recognize their shortcomings as well. It's why I exposed Bakugou and my father rather than killing them. I wanted the city to confront its shortcomings in the face and deal with them—and this was me taking matters into my own hands.

"But...I did all of this to be reunited with you, ultimately. That is the core of all this madness." Dabi looked at him softly and lifted a hand to run through Izuku's hair tenderly. "Love is always chaos."

The smaller man flinched at the contradictory touch that didn't align with the shackle around his neck.

"And becoming a powerful drug lord was for me too?"

"Yes and no," Dabi spoke below a whisper. "I do not wish to participate in a society that is corrupt and pretends it is not. So I don't. I would rather surround myself with people who understand and embrace the darkness inside of them like I do versus hiding it away. But I needed power to make sure we were together again—this is all for you Izuku."

"None of this is for me," Izuku said as he lifted his sorrowful eyes to stare at the man beside him. Blue eyes were full of sadness and green eyes were hopeless. "Touya, you have to know _none_ of this is really for me. You've always wanted power and you've always been drawn to drugs and gangs. With or without me, you always wanted this type of lifestyle so please don't use _love_ as a scapegoat.

"_This_—" Izuku emphasized his words by grabbing the metal collar around his throat. "—This isn't love. This is _control_. Look at me, you keep h-hurting me. Please, let me go. This is _sick_."

"You say that as if love, pain and control are independent of each other," Dabi countered with an unwavering voice. "They're all connected. You never listen, even with your precious police station going up in flames you _never_ fucking listen to me. You've become corrupted by that goddamn city and I'm sorry, but I need to correct it. Control allows me to do so."

Izuku felt his stomach clutch with pain at how deeply tainted the words were.

The Touya he knew was gone—or did he ever really exist?

"So what now?" Izuku asked in a fragmented manner.

He thought of Katsuki and how he knew the U.A squad would be out looking for him. The sliver of hope kept Izuku from breaking down as he thought of being rescued from this dark dream—wherever he may be.

Green eyes then glanced around at the room that felt like a dungeon and listened to the rustling of people from outside the door.

"Are you going to keep me chained in here forever?"

"No, of course not," Dabi said as if he was offended. "You play an important role in my life, whether you like it or not. I need you—in various ways. I need you for the bomb mechanics just like the Shigarakis did and I need you as my life partner."

Izuku stiffened when the look of dangerous infatuation sunk deep into blue eyes.

"I'm a lot of things but blind to knowing treating you like a prisoner will make you unable to love me again," Dabi confessed with a hint of loneliness and yearning. "I want you to learn to love me again, and I understand there are several steps that need to happen before that can happen. Like treating you fairly and with care. I can give you the world and more, and that's all I ever wanted."

Then something shifted in the room when a cold, hateful expression fanned crossed Dabi's face.

The nightmarish man stood up slowly with a long exhale and dusted himself off as he walked over to the other side of the small room. He carefully grabbed a black camera Izuku hadn't noticed before.

Eeriness settled into Izuku's bones as he wearily eyed the device and the powerful man in front of him.

Dabi slowly turned around with a cold, calculating gaze as he stared at the shivering Izuku chained to the ground.

"But, I also realize Bakugou needs to die before any of that can happen."

The world stopped moving.

Izuku halted breathing as his eyes widened by several fractions and white noise settled in his ears. He began frantically shaking his head as Dabi walked closer to him.

Suddenly the image of Touya bleeding out on the ground surrounded by flames shifted to being Katsuki burned alive.

"N-No—" Izuku pleaded and a new level of desperation was born inside of him as he tried to sit forward. He struggled viciously against the chain that was choking him as the visual of hungry fire eating away at Katsuki flooded his brain. "No, Touya! Don't you fucking dare! Please—_don't_!"

But Dabi only coldly looked at the camera in his hands, ignoring the ongoing cries of the man in front of him.

"I wasn't going to kill him at first," Dabi said honestly as he squatted back down in front of the struggling Izuku. "I originally only wanted to witness the Symbol of Victory crash and burn. It was beyond satisfying to watch him go toppling down from his podium. I was going to take you and disappear, but then you confessed that he was the _love of your life_," the words were spat at him distastefully.

Izuku pleaded and cried more, trying to claw away at the metal around his neck to the point his fingernails dug into his own skin and drew blood.

"Touya—T-Touya no—anything but this—"

"It has to be done. You said it yourself: you've never loved anyone more than him. Which means as long as he's breathing, you can never love me again properly. That messes up this whole thing if someone else is the love of your life and not me. We need to fix that before we go away and I will make sure I snap his neck my damn self. And I'm going to do it _directly_ in front of you."

"Please, please, I'll do anything! Don't—don't do _this_—I'll stay with you willingly and I promise I won't try to escape but please don't kill him—"

A strong hand gripped Izuku's chin in an unforgiving manner and forcefully slammed his skull straight back onto the hard-concrete wall. Izuku cried out in pain as his line of vision was turned to stare into the deep abyss of winter like blue eyes.

"—I'm not the Shigarakis, Izuku. Don't fucking insult me like that," Dabi scowled and his hold on Izuku's jaw tightened until the freckled man gritted his teeth together to keep from whimpering out in pain. "I do not use bargaining chips to get what I want. I don't need you _pretending_ to love me in order to keep him alive like I pretended to be the Shigarakis' perfect Frankenstein invention in order to get what I wanted. I know how that game is played."

A malicious smirk blossomed over Dabi's face and Izuku felt himself shake with newfound fear—but not for himself.

A visual of Katsuki's smiling face filled his heart as he shook his head inside of the tight grasp.

"I'm going to break you down, and I'm going to rebuild you," Dabi said in a sadistic manner ignoring all of Izuku's pleas. "You won't ever try to leave because you're not going to have anything to go back to. No home. No parents. No friends. But most importantly, no Golden Boy. You will have absolutely _nothing_. I'll make sure all you have is _me_."

Izuku's heart shattered uncontrollably as he was overtaken with horror.

Dread prickled at Izuku's skin as the acidic feeling of loathing washed over his being for the man—_the monster_—in front of him.

"I hate you," Izuku whispered in a broken voice. Defiant viridian eyes burned into the revenant in front of him and pulled the words from the bottom of his soul. He formed each syllable as sharp and cut-throat as he could with full intentions of wounding the phantom in front of him. "I hate you with every fiber of my being."

Dabi curled his upper lip. "And I hate you all the same, Angel."

The hand bruising his jaw switched to roughly grip Izuku's disgruntled head of hair until the battered man cried out in pain. Dabi's face remained still as he held up the camera in his other hand and he pulled unforgivingly on the roots of Izuku's curls.

"Now smile for the camera. I want to send Golden Boy a message in the morning."

. . .

The grey walls on the inside of the 1B police station were bleak and full of dread as Katsuki sat in a small debriefing room with everyone from U.A along with Monoma's squad.

It was officially the morning after Izuku was taken and the fresh wounds on his back and heart were still open. They bled every time he moved, and truly the scar on his heart stung more than the two burns on his back.

Katsuki hadn't slept a single wink as he stationed himself in the downtown precinct, waiting for any sign Izuku was alive or okay.

But they received none.

The blond Lieutenant clenched his fists tighter as he listened to the updates from Toshinori in the front of the room, ignoring all the stares from the other officers. The two squads were pooled together after the burning down of his own precinct. Monoma without hesitation extended the offer that all the U.A officers take the vacant floors of his precinct and that's where Katsuki had been since he lost Izuku.

Everyone's gazes were worried as he didn't move. No one said a word to him. A large chunk of the 1B officers were shuffling around him in a guilty manner—but none of that mattered.

The only thing plaguing Katsuki's mind was how terrified and beaten Izuku's face had been right before he lost his grip on the stolen man's hand.

He opened his palm to stare at the broken bracelet he couldn't find himself to let go of.

"We just got the result back from forensics on the lighter," Toshinori announced to the front of the room with a deeply disturbed look across his face. "I need everyone to listen in close to what I'm about to say because this case has shifted from a matter of arson to an extremely hostile hostage situation."

All eyes turned to the captain standing in the front of the room. The soft murmur that was bouncing around the room settled into a thick silence as everyone focused on Toshinori. He gripped his laptop and there was an ominous energy radiating from the usually emotionally strong man.

"The DNA test from the lighter former detective Midoriya found tested positive for Touya Todoroki's DNA." The information dropped and everyone but Katsuki stared directly at Shouto, who was seated by the dejected Lieutenant.

Katsuki hung his head away and shoved the broken puzzle piece bracelet into his pants pocket.

"All For One had successfully faked his death three years ago and his target was former detective Midoriya," Toshinori whispered regretfully, blue eyes glued down to the ground. "The locations of the buildings burned down spelled out an anagram of Midoriya's first name, Izuku. Kidnapping him was the endgame of Dabi's arson."

"Is there any word on where they are? We know his base is in Kuromata, we need to go there before he can move," Mina pushed with desperation in her voice. Her pink brows were wrinkled in worry and a sleep deprived look was pinned on her face.

"I received an extremely disturbing video last night in my email. I assume Dabi—or Todoroki Touya—must've gotten my information from my phone that was pickpocketed," Toshinori informed in a hushed voice.

Katsuki's attention was gripped as he snapped his bloodshot crimson eyes up to his captain.

Waiting for him were cautious eyes that were looking at him and _only_ him extremely wearily.

"Before I show this, I'm requiring everyone to keep their heads screwed on and think _pragmatically_. I need absolutely every single one of you to understand that the delicacy of this situation requires that this information does not get out from this task force," the captain said sternly. "There is a life on the line and things could escalate due to the past relationship of Touya and Izuku. This is not an ordinary hostage situation."

A choir of agreement chimed and Katsuki found himself wordlessly nodding his head as his stomach knotted.

His mind was cruel as he made up scenarios for the video before even seeing it. The sickened look in Toshinori's sky colored eyes told Katsuki's gut it was directed at him—it was _for_ him.

He grinded his teeth thinking about everything the black haired arsonist had done. Then finally his thoughts settled on the bluish hued bruises around Izuku's throat.

The captain gave a single glance at him and then to Shouto beside him before placing down his laptop. His large hands opened the device as if it was the last thing he ever wanted to do, and stiffness was evident through his back as he clicked open a video and pressed play.

The visual Katsuki was hit with nearly made him dry retch right then and there.

The tape played and it was a crying Izuku tied to black chair by rope with a metal collar wrapped around his pale throat. A large chain attached to it hung down to the ground and was straining him from going far in some dirty, dimly lit room. The bruises littered across Izuku made Katsuki's heart shatter but not as much as the absolutely broken expression encompassing Izuku's face.

His disheveled head of curls was hung away from the bright light and dark spots of soot were smeared all across his freckles. The soft cries of Izuku echoed out into their room as he struggled to breath around the white cloth gagging him. The captured man's police uniform had been stripped away and replaced with an unbuttoned white shirt displaying all his chest scars and black shorts.

And directly behind him was Dabi looming in his gas mask. He nearly blended into the shadows and his gloved hands were placed possessively on Izuku's shaking shoulders.

The arsonist was exuding control and there didn't seem to be an inkling of mercy in his body language.

Katsuki felt his nostrils flare with absolute _rage_ the second Izuku choked back a sob. The younger man's muffled voice begged incoherent muffled words and his eyes were squeezed shut in fear.

"Eyes on the camera, Angel," the undistorted voice said coldly. Both Shouto and Katsuki immediately cut their eyes to look at each other.

That was Touya's voice—the final nail in the coffin—or confirmation of lack thereof.

A wave of hurt rushed Shouto's features as he inched his eyes back towards the ugly visual in front of him on the small screen. The youngest Todoroki's face blended with various mixed emotions Katsuki couldn't even fathom. The only emotion Katsuki was in possession of at the moment was a dangerously burning hatred for the masked man on film.

One of Dabi's large hands lifted to forcefully turn Izuku's head and made him stare directly into the camera lens.

"I'm giving Izuku the opportunity to say goodbye to you, Bakugou Katsuki," the dark figure informed him. The voice was pointed and sharp as Izuku hiccupped through his tears and shook his head as if trying to warn them of something. "And I'm going to be generous and give you a single shot at saying goodbye as well. If you fail, then that's it. By daybreak tomorrow, him and I will be gone."

Katsuki's heart rate tripled and his eyes widened at the declaration.

"And I can promise you, Lieutenant, not a single soul will have a shot at finding us for an extremely long time if you fail at this too. You better hurry and make your way over to my headquarters," Dabi hissed. "We'll be waiting."

The last thing Katsuki focused on before the video cut to black was the terrified look in Izuku's eyes. The stare stabbed him through his chest at how petrified Izuku seemed and all he wanted was to rip Dabi's head clean off.

The silence that followed the video was deafening.

Not a single officer said a word and it took everything Katsuki had to pry his eyes away from the screen.

For the first time since he arrived in the debriefing room, Katsuki allowed his scarlet colored eyes to glance around. There he saw all the worried looks of the shared 1B and U.A officers gazing upon him.

It wasn't until Katsuki held back a small sniff that he realized he was crying. Quickly he lifted his hand to wipe away the flood of tears that had unknowingly escaped from his eyes.

Monoma's gaze was locked onto his face as he did this with a deep look of pity. Quickly, the other lieutenant turned with a deadly serious expression to Toshinori.

"This is clearly a trap," Monoma stated gravely and broke the silence. "He's using Midoriya as bait to lure Bakugou to Kuromata for something dangerous. How do we know Dabi or Midoriya are even in Kuromata?"

"We don't, but we need to take our best shot at this because this may be our only chance," Toshinori said with a hard voice. "I'm going to dispatch a small scout team out to Kuromata within the next hour and I want a full report in my email before noon if there's any suspicious activity."

Katsuki's red eyes looked to the side at the other blond Lieutenant wordlessly as Toshinori continued.

"In the meantime, we're going to prepare for hostage rescue," his captain said, fully settled into his plan. "Everyone certified for S.W.A.T at U.A is going to get suited up, go over tactics and formations with squad leaders. We are going to go retrieve Midoriya."

His captain looked at him before walking up to where he was seated and held out a thick manila envelope. Katsuki frowned slightly before reaching to the heavy folder in front of him and feeling the heavy weight in his hand.

Blue eyes locked with red and an unspoken plea was translated.

_Get him back safely._

"Lieutenant Bakugou, you're second in command," Toshinori instructed and an ugly emotion coiled tightly in Katsuki's stomach. "Everyone will listen to Bakugou during this mission because I trust his intuition to nip this in the bud."

Katsuki looked down at the file bitterly and the phantom feeling of letting Izuku slip through his fingers like sand resurfaced.

He tightened his hold on the envelope.

"Sergeants Yaoyorozu and Iida, you're the next two in charge underneath Bakugou," Toshinori continued. Soon his words paused as he turned to look at the other congregation of officers in the room. "1B, you don't have to engage in this, but we cannot allow Midoriya to be lost to the clutches of Dabi."

All the U.A officer's eyes shifted to stare at the other uniformed policemen in the room.

Katsuki watched how all their eyes shifted between each other, clearly unsure what the call was going to be. But soon Monoma stood up with duty heavy on his shoulders.

He turned to Toshinori with a respectful bow.

"We'll help," Monoma's voice said in a solid tone. "I promised you when this arsonist first appeared, we could work together to take him down. As the Lieutenant in command at the 1B precinct I am offering my willing S.W.A.T certified members and myself to aid in the rescue."

"Thank you, Monoma," Toshinori said with a small, relieved smile.

Katsuki tried his best to be happy about what he was hearing but he couldn't find himself to be thankful past all the thick clouds of heavy emotions he was feeling.

Then slowly Monoma approached him with a deep regretful look in his eye.

The two rival lieutenants held eye contact for a passing moment, and no one said a word.

"I know what I did was wrong. I'm sorry for believing it was you who was working with the Hero Killer," Monoma said loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. "I'm partially at fault here because I allowed Dabi to bait me. Please, let this be my extended way of an apology for the stress and mayhem I introduced into yours and Midoriya's life. I can't help but think if it wasn't for the court case and all the unneeded distractors that maybe you could've figured out the anagram sooner than you did.

"I'll follow whatever command you give, Bakugou. From one Lieutenant to another, let's work together to finally put a stop to this." Monoma extended his hand in comradery. "Allow me to help get him back, Symbol of Victory."

The name that he had been stripped of settled into Katsuki's ears but this time, it had an entirely different meaning to it for the fallen Icarus.

He was always the Symbol of Victory for the city—for himself and his own personal accomplishments.

But right now, he needed to be it for _Izuku_.

The blond let a dedicated expression etch into his face. He was Izuku's Symbol of Victory and he _will_ get the other man back safely. Not a matter of if—_when_. The burning feeling sitting inside of Katsuki's heart flickered as he took the hand in front of him and held the firm handshake.

"Apology accepted if you tell Izuku the same," Katsuki spoke for the first time into the debriefing room. Monoma gave a nod of agreement and Katsuki solidified his nerves. "We're going to work together to end this. I won't allow Dabi won't get away with this."

Monoma smirked and slowly Katsuki felt his confidence fully surge again. His red eyes darkened with a plan as he stood up. The gears inside his rusted heart shifted and soon the lieutenant pushed back all his inner doubts about himself. He could beat himself up later—but right now Izuku needed him.

And Izuku came first above everything.

Crimson eyes looked over the room of all the officers with a single nod. He got a solid wave of confident expressions from all of his squad members.

A silent exchange occurred between him and Shouto as the youngest Todoroki's eyes flickered off to the side. Katsuki frowned at the action but pushed it down. Instead he turned to Toshinori with a new composed air.

"Let's go get Izuku. We officially have twenty-four hours."

. . .

The hours stretched by and when word returned back from Kuromata, it confirmed Shouto's deepest fear. Dabi's—_his brother's_—gang was inside of the small valley-like town. Waiting for them.

The firestorm of emotions that were ignited inside of Shouto were a mixture of self-hate for thinking Izuku had been exaggerating, but above all he felt the bitterness of betrayal for knowing all those years were a lie. All the tears their mother shed and how their family was torn apart because of Touya had been nothing but a falsity this whole time.

They suited up fully in their midnight gear and for the first time in Shouto's life—he was angry with Touya.

He always felt himself drowning in sympathies for his brother but knowing that Touya had masked himself as Dabi and committed countless crimes truly showed Touya was beyond the point of saving. His eldest brother had stepped over an invisible line that neither he nor Izuku could ever pull him back from.

All of Shouto's turmoil was only tripled as he watched his comrades load their guns with every intention of bringing his brother back to justice.

As they loaded up in the long line of black vans, Shouto watched how Katsuki counted his bullets with his brow furrowed pinched in deep concentration. The entire ride, all S.W.A.T officers were silent and watched both him and Katsuki carefully for entirely different reasons.

Understandable reasons. He could tell they were all watching their emotions on this operative.

Katsuki's emotions for Izuku.

Shouto's emotions for Touya.

It was a tormenting web they were all caught in and a foreboding sensation inside of Shouto's gut was screaming at him that everything was going to steer wrong. The cars were dispatched and made their way to Kuromata for a two-hour long drive. With each passing second, they headed up the narrow mountain side trail until they arrived at their destination.

The vans all came to a halt on the mountain side and the doors clicked open. As they poured out of the designated cars, Shouto was met with an orange and red sky. It was the same view that he, Katsuki and Izuku had gazed upon not too long ago.

But this time he felt all the more serious and terrifying for what was at stake.

Mixed colored eyes watched the golden sun slowly start to disappear into the distance behind the thick forest. Soon after, all the color was drained from the small town sitting in the valley.

When the final thread of bright color was no longer able to be seen, Shouto took a deep breath and hardened his nerves.

It was time to bring his brother back in handcuffs.

He turned his body to face all those in his squad who were under Katsuki's command: Kirishima, Mina, Monoma and several others from the 1B district. Every officer was in full body S.W.A.T gear adjusting their weapons and their earpieces accordingly.

Shouto's eyes focused on the ground underneath his feet as he battled the conflicting emotions sitting inside of him.

"I've ordered four squads of ten to be waiting at the bottom of the mountain side blocking all the exits in and out of Kuromata," Toshinori announced as he came into view. He held his military grade weapon in his hand as he adjusted the intercom in his ear. "The scout team that was sent out earlier did their best to warn the townspeople to evacuate in case this escalated due to the nature of Dabi's likelihood to use the The Incinerator."

As Toshinori began giving out orders and instructions, Shouto watched how Katsuki couldn't help but peer over his shoulder at the river. Shouto thought about what Toshinori had said about the roads being the only exit but as he stared at the coursing water from up above, something inside of him tightened.

His line of vision followed the coursing river that Katsuki was staring at and noticed the same thing. It was flowing out of the dark forest and down the valley out of view.

Shouto watched how Katsuki looked back at the entrance out of curiosity.

"Is something on your mind, Bakugou?" Monoma said and quickly the blond Lieutenant turned around.

The serious crimson eyed man glanced towards their captain before pointing to the river with his hand.

"Can we spare twenty or fifteen of those men to be stationed at the bottom where the river is?" Katsuki asked carefully. "It feels too easy that he chose here. He knows the narrow road up the mountain is the only way down."

All eyes then turned to gaze upon what he was seeing and Monoma hummed in agreement.

"Bakugou is right," the other Lieutenant said. "We need men stationed down at the edge of the river before it leaves the valley in case he tries that as an escape route."

"Good call," Toshinori said before his blue eyes glanced over to Shouto in a weary manner.

The youngest Todoroki frowned at this as he watched his captain clear his throat and then rip his eyes away from him.

"Before we go down, please know that Dabi and Nine are dangerous men," Toshinori continued in a hardened tone. There was a small pause. "They are responsible for the disfigurement of The Shigarakis, the death of Yotsubashi and the hundreds of murders that gave way to the day called The Red Dawn. Because of this, I am implementing mandatory kill shots on Dabi and Nine."

Shouto's breath hitched and his heart skipped a beat.

"I usually don't require this but, in this case, if we arrest either of them, they will more than likely be receiving capital punishment the same as the Shigarakis. Therefore, if you have a chance to take them down—you do it. No hesitation."

Toshinori pointedly stared directly at him again. "That won't be a problem for anyone, will it?"

Shouto's finger fiddled with the cold trigger of his rifle.

Everyone's voices around him chimed in unison with _'no, sir'_ but Shouto only could bring himself to a silent head nod. A vision of Touya's grey headstone appeared in his head. Next he re-lived all his family's hurt and pain that was squandered on what now felt like the wrong moment. Soon, the reality of what and who his brother turned out to be—or always was—was slapped into his face like cold water.

"Glad there's no objections. I'm going to head back down the mountainside and station myself with the squads at the exits. Bakugou and Monoma, you two are leading like planned," Toshinori said before dismissing himself.

Shouto furrowed his brow as he looked at the weapon in his hand.

It suddenly felt significantly heavier.

Everyone around him began strapping up their various assault rifles, knives, and equipment. Katsuki spoke out commands of their formation and plans as he instructed several people to form a barricade of the exit behind him.

The scarlet eyed man confidently assigned several people to go to the headquarters building in the business district and then selected a squad to head into the forest with him. Katsuki's finger pointed to Monoma, Kirishima, Mina, Sero, several other U.A and 1B officers before landing on Shouto.

"Lastly, Todoroki. You're with me," Katsuki said in a stern voice.

Shouto nodded once before putting on his helmet and walking over to the van to grab his flare gun out of the back. As he put several extra rounds of bullets into his pack, Katsuki stationed himself next to him quietly.

The Lieutenant didn't pay him any mind as the second in command cocked his assault rifle. A single red eye gazed through the sniping lens, testing the green laser on it.

"Shouto," Katsuki started with his eyes looking through the glass and finger on the trigger. "I wanted to say something to you privately before we go down there—"

"—If it's regarding how I'm feeling, I'll be okay," Shouto cut him off quickly. "I feel okay." The emotions inside of him were clashing around like a flock of sparrows trapped inside of his chest and he knew he desperately needed to compartmentalize.

Red eyes cut to stare at him dead in the face.

"Actually. That wasn't what I was going to say at all," Katsuki countered as he lowered his rifle.

There was a familiar tunnel vision look of duty that always settled into the blond's shoulders during an operative that Shouto recognized.

But determination in his eyes was different this time.

Shouto pressed his tongue to the roof of his mouth. "What were you going to say then?"

"I was going to tell you don't miss," Katsuki said in a low voice for only him to hear. Shouto's heart skipped a beat at the sudden challenging gaze. "If you screw up and don't take that shot—_I will_."

Their eyes locked in a wordless exchange before the second in command strapped an extra rifle to his back. He loaded his weapon while holding the youngest Todoroki's eye contact and the gesture was past cold—but the message was sent loud and clear: _don't choose Touya over Izuku._

"Move out," Katsuki shouted to the group with heavy bass in his voice. He turned away from Shouto and held his hand up to point towards the trail that led down to Kuromata. "Dabi isn't leaving off this mountain unless there's a goddamn bullet in his skull."

The trigger underneath Shouto's finger felt all too cold.

. . .

Izuku lost count of the drips of water that leaked into the dark room as he curled into himself. It had been hours. Hours with no light. No food. Only his own growing dread. He hung on tightly to the sliver of hope that this would all go away—or that he was somewhere caught up in one of his night terrors.

But the constant dripping of the leaking piping told him otherwise. Each droplet hitting the floor felt like an agonizing metronome of Father Time ticking past the seconds. All his life was drained out of Izuku's body as he thought about what was to come.

The bile in his throat reminded him that Katsuki was going to come here, to Kuromata, and be led straight into a trap where Dabi was going to attempt to kill him.

The door in the dark room flew open and light flooded in, making Izuku flinch and turn away. Two dark silhouettes stood against the bright light like twin moons eclipsing out the sun.

"It's time to get up, Izuku. Your friends are on the way," Dabi announced as he stalked into the small room and unchained the metal leash from the ground.

Izuku shook his head and tried to resist but a single harsh yank on the chain caused him to be dragged forward. Unannounced sobs spilled out from Izuku's lips because the rusted iron was beginning to burn around his neck. The jagged surface of the collar rubbed constantly against his injured throat imprinting more scars.

The trembling man said nothing as he was hoisted up and pulled out of the mystery room by the rattling chain. Dejected viridian eyes stayed locked downwards, focused on his dirtied white gym shoes as Nine without any word grabbed Izuku's hands. The silver haired man strung a rope tightly around his wrists and bound him from using his hands until the course material burned against his wrists.

As he was brought out into the light Izuku recognized the large infrastructure he was in as an old, abandoned train station.

He blinked several times at the rustic atmosphere that held large windows where the light poured into the cracked and dirtied building. The insides were stacked with several mechanical devices and wires. People were bustling around shoving replicas of what Izuku recognized as The Incinerator into brown crates.

Assembly lines for several shipments of drugs were formed and it took all Izuku had not to be horrified. But what he, Shouto and Katsuki had assumed before was correct. Dabi had stationed himself out in the middle of the woods in an old train station to build countless bombs.

_But where are they going?_ Izuku thought to himself as he was ushered out into the dusk colored wilderness.

The orange sun was shimmering through in speckled dots through the treetops onto Izuku's face. The green-eyed man felt his stomach churn as he watched Dabi and Nine talk casually as he was led somewhere deep in the woods.

Twigs on the forest's ground snapped underneath all the feet and the thick foliage brushed lightly against Izuku's skin until he was brought into a large opening.

"Tie him on that tree," Dabi commanded Nine and yanked Izuku forward. "I'm going to go check the parameter and escape route."

The freckled man stumbled forward as his chain was passed to Nine and Izuku clenched his teeth tightly as Nine roughly manhandled over to where he was told. The purpled eye gang leader shoved Izuku down on the dirt ground and removed the rope around his wrist. Izuku hissed as he was forced in a position to hug the large tree and Nine twisted his arms with little regard for his comfort.

"Why are you helping him do this?" Izuku asked through tears. "This is cruel. _Please_. Let me go—"

"—You can save the water works for someone who cares," Nine cut him off. The gang leader finished double knotting the rope on Izuku's slim wrists to the point the younger man yelped in pain. "Everyone here is loyal to Dabi _because_ he's cruel. He took down three big time gang leaders and doubled every single member's pay by taking two territories then halving the population of people getting paid."

Izuku squeezed his eyes shut as he rested his forehead against the rough bark in front of him. He winced when Nine moved to tie a rope around his ankles, restraining him from moving all together.

"I could give less of a shit if he's going to kill some cops," Nine continued as he focused on tying the rope. "However, I do know he's romantically infatuated with you. I can pick up on small hints. So—if him kidnapping you is what helps keep him satisfied emotionally—then _fine_. The Shigarakis and Yotsubashi raped for fun in their free time."

Izuku winced when the final restraint was tightened to the point it burned.

"You should be thankful Dabi wants you as a spouse and not some sex slave," Nine said without a hint of mercy. His lavender eyes gazed upon Izuku void of regret for what was about to occur. "I've seen people do _much_ worse things to pretty boys like you. I suggest you play the house husband role if you want to enjoy the rest of your life in a comfortable manner."

Izuku cried and he turned away when he was fully bound to the tree in front of him with no hopes of escaping.

"Everything checks out," Dabi called out as he came back from wherever he went. "The parameters is set to go and I got word from the lookout in town about the police coming this way in S.W.A.T gear. It's showtime."

Izuku felt the warmth of the sun above him slowly fade as it started lowering beneath the horizon. He lifted his dejected bloodshot eyes up to stare at the canopy of the trees above him and thought about Katsuki.

"He's going to rescue me," Izuku whispered slowly. He tiredly leaned against the tree he was tied to and turned his defiant eyes to both Dabi and Nine. "He _always_ does. He'll find me."

Nine let out a chuckle and a sinister smirk fanned across Dabi's face. The arsonist flexed his eyebrows like he was amused before crouching down in front of Izuku's face. The ringleader folded his hands as their eyes met in a powerful clash.

"That's the plan, Izuku," Dabi said with a hint of humor. "I _want_ him to come running straight to you so he can set off all the bombs we laid out encircling us here."

Izuku furrowed his brows as he wearily glanced around at the dense forest.

The very dense, _flammable_ forest.

_No—_

"This whole woodland is going to go up in a vicious wildfire that not even all your precious police officers are going to be able to escape," the revenant informed him as his face twisted in a light scowl. "They're going to be trapped inside the ring of hellfire as it consumes everything and we're going to round them all up together like cattle and slaughter them like the pigs they are."

The promise of an unstoppable wildfire made Izuku's limbs run cold.

He stared around at all the plants and trees. He took in all the flowers that were going to burn then finally he gazed down at the ties around his wrists and ankles. Izuku let out a shaky breath as his panic started to grow in his chest.

"Touya, no—that's too dangerous," the freckled man pleaded. Green eyes looked wildly at the arsonist in front of him as Izuku twisted his wrists and shook his head. He needed to get through to _Touya—_ "Y-You can't control that level of wildfire. W-We're going to die too. Setting a fire like that will kill _everyone_ here."

"I have an escape route planned," Dabi replied with a single shrug of his broad shoulders. "There's one thing here that can't catch fire."

Izuku gazed in terror as the sun behind the figure cloaked in all black finally fully set.

The bright star took all its light with it, leaving behind only darkness that sparked horror in Izuku's eyes. The shaking man thought about the hellfire that was soon to come and he felt his body struggle to stay afloat.

"Dabi, they're approaching," a new voice entered from a member in a gasmask. Behind him were at least twenty men from what Izuku could count and it made the captured man clutch harder onto his small silver lining. "S.W.A.T has parked on top of the entrance into Kuromata. The escape route is set to go whenever for everyone when we get your signal to retreat after we've finished trapping them in."

Dabi looked over his shoulder and gave a single hand motion of confirmation to begin. "Perfect, let's show 'em hell."

Ice-like eyes then cut towards Izuku again.

This time they were burning with a dark blue fire that Izuku had never witnessed as the arsonist pulled out his new lighter from his pocket. With the simple flick of his thumb, Dabi summoned the orange flame from it with the trigger.

Izuku felt his heart rate incline and his chest started to heave heavily. The heat from the flame was directly in front of him. It poured hues of orange across his face in the navy-blue darkness, and on the other side of the tiny spark was Dabi. Smiling at him like a blood thirsty wolf.

"But before we begin, I need to get you screaming, Izuku."

. . .

Katsuki cocked his rifle as he led his team of twenty-one into the dense greenery.

The dark shadows from the trees stretched long and wide, engulfing them all as the team worked their way inside the forest. Every officer tried their best to be carefully quiet following the hand signals from Katsuki that made them halt at the sound of footwork or rustling.

The lieutenant gritted his teeth because he knew damn well this was a trap, but the best they could do was to be on their toes. The video of Izuku's beaten face was stamped into his mind and was what kept him pushing on because this was their _only_ fucking shot.

This was his only chance at rescuing Izuku properly and he had full intentions of burying Todoroki Touya in the goddamn ground for good.

No matter the hesitant emotion he saw in Shouto's eyes.

They were locked into two single file snake formations with Katsuki leading one line and Kirishima leading the other. Both were listening carefully past the sound of running water. Katsuki was trying to lead the squad into the forest carefully when suddenly an ear-piercing screech pierced the silent night.

Everyone's heads whipped to the left to the source of the sound as a flock of birds flew into the night sky startled by the sheer volume of the cry. Katsuki felt his heart hammer against his rib cage when he processed the voice long enough to recognize it.

And he felt seasick like he was suddenly on an unsteady boat.

"That was Izuku's voice," Katsuki hissed and straightened his back. "Split into three groups heading that direction. Be careful of where you step and watch each other's backs."

Everyone nodded and evenly split into teams of seven with Shouto and Monoma sticking with Katsuki. The group made their way towards the call of Izuku's voice and the sweat gathered inside of his gear made it seem like Katsuki's uniform was an uncomfortable second skin to him.

Then a loud surprised sound from Kirishima in the darkness caused all three groups to turn towards his voice.

"Shit," Kirishima hissed into the intercoms. "Sorry, I tripped over something. It looks like a wire—"

Katsuki's eyes cut down at his feet when suddenly the same metallic wire was unearthed from the ground for _all_ of them to see. His mind panicked when he put the pieces together.

"It's the fucking bomb—get back _now_!"

But before anyone could properly react an explosion in the distance went off and triggered several larger vibrations directly behind them. The squad ran inwards away from the explosions as pieces of ground went up in smoke and soon the first several bushed were catching fire quickly.

The final explosion was closer than Katsuki anticipated and it rocked his team of seven off their feet as Monoma threw him on the ground safely and shielded him until the bombs stopped. Everyone held their breath as several distant booms went off and soon it was crystal clear that they had finally tipped off their trap.

And when Katsuki looked up from the bed of dirt and leaves beneath him, he saw a ring of small fires in every direction. Clouds of smoke were going up in the distance above the trees signaling that the silver wire had detonated more than the bombs closet to them.

"He's starting a wildfire," Monoma said in a ghostly tone as he stood up and gazed all around.

Katsuki gritted his teeth as he checked behind him to see a thick wall of smoke blocking off the direction they came. He glowered resentfully when he realized they were being forced to keep moving inwards.

"No. He's trapping us _in_ wildfire," he corrected. Katsuki pressed the button on his earpiece and signaled for his team to head directly in the direction of Izuku's screams.

"We need to quickly move so we can get to Midoriya and find an exit before the entire place is in flames," he commanded through the smell of smog. "Scatter outwards. Yaoyorozu, your team needs to scout for an exit. They must have an escape route unless they plan on dying in here—_find it._ Iida—head in another direction than my squad. They want us all together. Everyone, use your red flare guns to give your location if you find the targets and green if you find Midoriya."

The team quickly scattered and Katsuki led his squad in the direction of where Izuku's cries had echoed inwards from. But as they pushed forward, the voice of his lover died off and the threatening sound of wood snapping from flames increased. The blond felt adrenaline flood into his veins as they cut through all the foliage.

Everyone in the squad watched the igniting fire behind them carefully as they wandered deeper into the dark woods. But suddenly the sound of bullets whizzing past their ears caused everything to shift into high alert.

Katsuki heard Monoma curse and quickly shifted his own feet to enter into the pie slicing tactic. Katsuki fired off in the direction of the opposing gunshots and gave the command for the other members of S.W.A.T to follow suit.

"Everyone, get down and take a defensive position!" Katsuki commanded loudly. "They're in riot gear—"

His words were cut off with a loud grunt by a stunning string of loud gunshots. Katsuki immediately ducked behind the nearest tree and crouched low with his rifle in both hands. The commander tilted himself from behind the tree to fire off in the direction of the assault. He peered into the blackness as the night lit up with tiny sparks by the clash between the sides.

"Bakugou—" Momo's voice cut in on the intercom. "—They're coming in all directions!"

"Immobilize every single one the best you can," Katsuki replied in between firing and ducking. "Keep looking for the escape route."

As he said this, quicker before he could think, a sudden orange flare gun was fired off by their ambushers. Red eyes cut up towards the night sky to see the bright light illuminate their position followed suddenly by the ominous sound of a rush of footsteps headed directly for them.

"Break formation and take them down separately—everyone chose a mark and stick to it," Katsuki instructed quickly. "They're coming in this direction—they're trying to zero in on us."

The lieutenant stood up and launched several stun grenades into the dark to disorient their attackers, being mindful not to hit his own team. He rolled and ducked behind all the thick trees and bushes until he reached Shouto, who was ducking and firing at an assailant doing the same.

Katsuki gritted his teeth and crouched low to the dirt. He steadied his breathing as he took careful aim at the body across the dark woods firing at Shouto. Katsuki pulled the trigger with precise aim and lodged a bullet in the man's arm as a scream echoed out into the night.

Shouto snapped his head towards Katsuki and the lieutenant motioned for him to quickly join him behind the tree. The Todoroki sergeant made his way over to his crouching lieutenant, avoiding bullets flying his way to dive behind the tree next to Katsuki.

"We need to get past them," Shouto hissed as his eyes darted all around. "They're closing in on us with a hammer & anvil tactic and there's more coming. We need to break them up."

Katsuki cursed when he could feel the smell of smog growing stronger by the passing second. His red eyes peered behind him to see the rapidly approaching hellfire behind them.

It rolled in viciously, consuming everything in its path as trees began toppling down. His anxieties shot through to the moon above them and he quickly snapped his eyes to frantically search at what was ahead of them. There, he only saw smoke slowly rising out of the treetops in the distance and orange embers rising to the sky.

Another of Izuku's screams echoed out into the night above all the madness and it only added to the increasing amount of foreboding.

Katsuki's heart clenched agonizingly tight as he nodded to Shouto to head in the direction of the cry of pain. Determined scarlet eyes set sight on a distant clearing on what looked like a set of suspended train tracks that led deeper into the forest.

"I need everyone not searching for the escape route to head north east on your right," Katsuki said into the intercom. "Another cry in that direction just came in."

He got several affirmatives in his ear and in that moment Katsuki calculated all the things that could go wrong. But out of all the scenarios, the one of whatever was happening to Izuku to make him scream that _loud_ was the most unsettling. He bit his cheek hard to distract himself from the crippling thoughts of Izuku being harmed. He repeated to himself that this wasn't the end for them.

There was still so much they needed to do-so much he still needed to _say_.

Katsuki's heart clenched at the thought of never getting the chance to tell Izuku he was wrong. The possibility of all the words left unsaid-all the words he wanted to take back-dying in this inferno of Dabi's design brought a chill to his spine, despite the all-encompassing heat.

But he refused to allow that bastard to snuff out the blinding, beautiful light that Izuku shared with this undeserving world.

He couldn't fail the one person that meant more to him than the entire world and everyone in it.

Katsuki confidently gave a hand signal and led ahead of Shouto while running towards the bridge. But as they tried to approach the train tracks, the smell of gasoline thickened, and it made Katsuki hold out his arm to halt his and Shouto's running.

The youngest Todoroki came to a skidding stop as his heels dug into the moist dirt. They both quickly snapped their heads down at the dampened ground and suddenly the loud cry of _'fire in the hole!_' erupted from a masked gang member from beside them.

Shouto quickly used his reflexes to grab the lieutenant by his bulletproof vest to throw him unceremoniously off the dampened soil towards the tracks at the same moment the assailant slammed two fully lit Molotov cocktails to the ground.

Katsuki grunted loudly as he was vigorously launched to the other side of the ground.

Pieces of dirt painfully dug into his chin as his head slammed onto the hard soil. His world was flipped upside down as he tried to reorient himself and frantically looked behind him.

"Shouto—"

He saw the youngest Todoroki stumbled backwards as a tall wall of fire was ignited between them at an unnerving rate. It radiated intense heat and grabbed onto all the trees and plants, crept up the bark. Katsuki crawled quickly away, grabbing his gun when Shouto began fighting off the fire-starting man.

"_Go_!" Shout shouted desperately from the other side of the flames as more gun shots fired off. He slammed the blunt end of his rifle into the man's skull knocking him out cold before wildly looking at his commander beyond the thickening flames. "Get to Midoriya! They're trying to block us from going that direction for a reason!"

Several distant yells could be heard from his other team members as Katsuki stumbled upright, trying to dodge the hungry fire that was clawing its way towards him.

"But—" he started but got cut off by Shouto firing off more rounds at the men and women trying to ambush him.

"I said go _now_!" Shouto yelled while gritting his teeth as he took down another man with two precise bullets in his opponent's shins. "I can hold them off but you need to get out of their line of vision. They are coming _here_ because of that flare gun—I'll find a way around and be right behind you!"

Katsuki cursed under his breath when he realized Shouto was right.

They needed to scatter and find that damn exit before it was too late.

Father Time was not on their side and the minutes surging past allowed all-consuming flames to get closer to taking everyone's lives. He backed away quickly and tightened his hold on his weapon as the destructive flames approached closer to him.

He gave Shouto a single hand gesture of affirmation before turning on his heels and running in the other direction. He quickly dislodged his empty rounds out and expertly reloaded his rifle as he ducked under several branches and jumped over logs or large rocks that were becoming more frequent in the woodland territory.

He ran with intense speed letting his hopes carry his feet as he headed towards the direction of Izuku's voice. But he hesitated when he arrived at a large cliff that he wasn't expecting. He came to a hard halt that caused his black combat boots to dig into the ground.

He cursed loudly as he barely stopped his body from flying over the ledge.

Red eyes glanced down at the deep descent when he accidentally launched several small rocks down into the coursing river. The tides were rapid and fierce as the river flowed down stream. He quickly looked ahead of him and saw that the river was bigger than he gauged.

The raging current filled his ears and it was contradicting the heat behind him as several trees fell onto the ground. He cut his eyes to the side at the suspended train tracks that led into the obsidian black shadows of the forest. A wrathful expression bled into his face.

The lieutenant took off at full speed across the tracks and headed straight into the other side of the woods. He carefully drew up his gun and began slowing his motions when everything around him felt calm.

Almost too calm.

The distant gunshots and mayhem on the other side of the bridge carried to his ears as he inspected his surroundings in the dense, green woodwork.

He headed in deeper, putting himself on high alert as his intercom was firing off with his teammates communicating amongst themselves. In his view were trees sitting unburnt. Katsuki cursed under his breath when he didn't see anything telling and there wasn't another cry of Izuku's for a stretch of time.

As he was searching frantically around the shadowy forest, a small whimper carried with the wind to his ears. Katsuki perked up and he whirled his body around in that direction. His heart pulled him towards the sound as he carefully crouched low with his gun fully ready to fire off.

He pushed past a layer of verdure as the sight of a small figure tied to a tree came into view. He saw Izuku leaning against the bark of the tree he was forcefully bound to, gagged and crying with his head hung low.

Katsuki's heart stopped when he could fully hear the heart wrenching sobbing and took off in the direction of the other. He strapped his rifle to his back quickly and shifted to grabbing his tactical knife.

"Izuku—" he whispered out his lover's name desperately. Green eyes immediately snapped open to search around and the second they landed on Katsuki's approaching figure—the captive man shook his head frantically.

The lieutenant's heart broke in several fragments as he kneeled down in front of the other, crunching old discarded leaves underneath his body weight.

"Izuku, I'm here. It's okay. It's going to be okay," he tried to comfort as he held up his steel knife for Izuku to see. With deliberate precision Katsuki cut the ropes clean off Izuku's hands and ankles and ungagged him. The millisecond the white cloth left Izuku's mouth a tidal wave of cries and pleas spilled out.

"K-Katsuki, you need to turn back and get out," Izuku cried as he pointed desperately in the direction that the officer came in. "It's a trap for you—"

"_I know_," Katsuki hushed as he grabbed Izuku's shaking hands to steady the other's nerves. "I'm well aware but traps can be escaped. It's my job to escape them. I can outmaneuver this bastard with my eyes closed."

He steadied the other's wobbly figure as Izuku staggered upright. Fear sunk into his bones as he watched the smaller man struggle to stand on his legs and use the tree for support. The green eyed man winced with a loud groan as if he was in extreme pain as he tried to speak.

"Katsuki," Izuku heaved breathlessly and his hands reached out to grab Katsuki's uniform desperately. "Y-You're in danger. Touya is sick in the head—_past sick_. H-He wants to kill you."

"Don't worry, the feeling is fucking mutual." The blond glowered dangerously as he wrapped an arm around Izuku's figure and held him up right.

The worried lieutenant frantically searched Izuku up and down with his hands for damage and when his eyes zeroed on the fresh burns seared into other's exposed stomach, he nearly lost it.

"What the _fuck_ did that bastard fucking do to you—"

"—H-He's coming back," Izuku warned once his body was steadied. "Touya—H-He went out into the fire trying to hunt you down." Green eyes were terrified—horrified. But above all, Izuku's eyes were locked in the direction where the smell of smoke was being carried in with the wind on the other side of the woods.

Katsuki cursed under his breath when he realized they needed to move and move _fast_.

He interlaced their fingers and started to pull Izuku along with him at a quickened pace. The green haired man shifted himself into escape mode and soon the pair was running into the night together, looking for a way out of the wood. They weaved in and out of the trees towards the fire that was closing in towards them.

"I retrieved Midoriya," Katsuki spoke steadily into his intercom and he gripped the smaller hand inside his tightly. "Any word on an exit yet?"

"We can't find an exit route," Momo's voice chimed in. "The fire is everywhere and it's rapidly spreading."

Katsuki cursed himself as he looked all around him in the darkness they were aimlessly wandering in until they came to another halt at the steep edge of another cliff. Fire on their right trickled in and Katsuki growled lowly and cut and ran to the left with Izuku. He quickly put together that the bombs created a cage of flames—boxing them in tightly.

It was a fiery death trap and they were mercilessly caught inside.

"It's the river," Izuku panted out as they ran. Katsuki looked over his shoulder at the stumbling ex-detective who seemed as if he was struggling to keep upright. "T-They're planning on escaping on the river in several delivery boats. I overheard them w-when I was tied to the tree."

Katsuki stopped their running altogether and looked at Izuku with wide eyes at the information.

The green haired man groaned out in agony and stumbled forward as if he was about to faint. Out of reflex Katsuki quickly caught the smaller figure in his arms. Izuku's hands clung to his arms and all the urgency surging through Katsuki's body tripled. He looked around all the flames closing in quickly and pressed his finger to his earpiece.

"Everyone, they're planning on escaping through the river," Katsuki said as he shifted to quickly bend down and pick Izuku up in his arms. The near faint man grabbed onto him as they started off in the direction of the river. "You all need to get everyone to the downstream right away to stop the boats that'll allow them to escape—_fuck_!"

Splintering pain blossomed in Katsuki's calf as a bullet tore clean through his muscle, sliding inside past his leg gear.

Both men went toppling down to the ground as Katsuki lost all balance and screamed out in pain. Izuku was launched forward into blackened dirt and Katsuki hissed as he rebounded and reached on his back to quickly draw his gun.

"Katsuki, _watch out_! He's behind you—" Izuku screamed and the blond turned around what felt like a hair almost too late.

The officer skillfully dodged within the second when he saw the endless barrel of a gun pointed directly at him. The metal bullet clipped his helmet and to counter the officer cocked his assault rifle and pointed it to Dabi with the intention to kill.

He stood up on his feet quickly, ignoring the burning pain in his bleeding leg as he ducked behind a tree. He took a deep breath in as he began firing at the gang leader hiding in the shadows of the trees. The Lieutenant cursed several times when he saw a petrified Izuku lay low on the ground trying not to get caught in the crossfire while cowering away at the flames that were enclosing dangerously close to them.

Several more shots caused him to tilt away and lose sight of Izuku again. The metal bullets cut through the bark on the tree sending shattering pieces of wood flying in the night.

The moment Katsuki took aim again, his finger froze on the trigger at the sight of Dabi dragging a screaming, kicking Izuku. Then all the blood in his veins went ice cold when the black gun was pressed into Izuku's temple and a frigid expression of ruthlessness flashed in Dabi's eyes.

The lieutenant stopped all motions as the temperature surrounding them increased tenfold.

"Hey there Goldie," Dabi taunted as he forced Izuku to stand upright by a choke hold. The greenette clawed at the arm strangling him and squeezed his eyes shut when the nightmarish man pressed the gun harder against his skull. "Make the wrong move here and I'll kill him. Then we'll both have _nothing_."

Katsuki gritted his teeth as he steadily lowered his gun.

He eyed the hellfire that was now uncomfortably close to them. The trees were catching fire and the orange flames surrounded them in a final dance as if the wildfire was watching what decisions all three of them were about to make.

Katsuki cut his darkened scarlet eyes back to Dabi.

"Let him go," the lieutenant demanded. "We both know you're not going to harm him, and time is running dangerously thin for _any_ of us to make it out of here alive."

"And we both know you'll do anything to keep him safe," Dabi retorted back with a smirk. "_Get on your knees. _There's a bullet with your name on it and the exact person I want to witness your fucking skull blown open is right here with us."

In that moment green eyes met with red and slowly Izuku's heaving chest evened out.

Izuku's viridian eyes with lightning speed flickered to the growing fire beside them and Katsuki's eyes widened when he saw Izuku make a split-second decision. Without warning, the captive man shouted out in both pain and determination as he threw his body weight forward to topple Dabi onto the ground in a full body slam and Dabi reacted instantaneously.

The two ex-lovers scuffled onto the ground with Izuku pinning the man underneath him. Katsuki cursed as he lifted his rifle again to aim but found it hard to aim correctly at only Dabi. The two tossed around in the dirt with years of fury built up.

There was a small snapping of wood from beside them as Katsuki tried to take his shot to kill. Scarlet eyes looked up to the orange flames wearily and he found a large tree fully ignited leaning dangerously directly over the two men battling it out on the ground.

He watched with growing eeriness when Dabi managed to stagger upright. However, within the blink of an eye, Izuku gave a sickening clash of their heads with a loud crack that elicited a hiss of pain from the raven haired man.

The violently shaking man, who had clearly pushed himself into overdrive, stood up to his full height and gave a hard shove to the black haired man into the flames.

Then all too quickly the tree above them snapped again and came toppling down.

"_Izuku_!" Katsuki cried out as a warning and the green eyed man looked up.

The disheveled man staggered backwards, barely missing the falling tree and Dabi rolled out of the way as well, while attempting to stop himself from catching fire.

Katsuki cursed when he realized he was effectively cut off from Izuku—_again_. He stared all around him for a route around because there was no way he could jump through those flames. He caught sight of a downwards slope heading downhill but hesitated as he stared at the two ex-lovers on the other side.

His feet remained rooted like the trees around him as he watched his lover stand on the other side of the flames with Dabi. Then slowly the man cloaked in all black stood tall, holding his almost burned body.

Through the heat of the mirage Katsuki could see an emotion inside of Dabi's eyes was lost.

It was something vaguely lukewarm—something close to want. It was that crazed expression in his eyes as he gazed upon Izuku. It was always present but now it was suddenly gone. Drained just like the life inside of the forest that was being devoured alive.

This time when blue eyes stared at the object of his fixations there was an emptiness that even caused Katsuki's spine to chill.

"You tried to push me into fire to burn to death for him," Dabi spoke slowly and Izuku began to slowly back up. "You never will love me more than him…will you?"

"You didn't give me a choice, Touya," Izuku hissed as the blue eyed predator approached him and that's when Katsuki saw it.

He saw malicious intent strung tightly in the gang leader's body language and it made his heart stop.

_No—_

"Dabi—I told you it's fucking _Dabi_," the raven haired man hissed, slowly becoming unraveled. He groaned and cracked his neck as his eyes narrowed in on Izuku while reaching for his gun. All three sets of eyes honed in on the hand that clenched before drawing the weapon and pointing it directly at Izuku.

"You know...I always wished Bakugou knew what it was like to have something ripped away from him. And I always wanted to be that person to do it."

Katsuki screamed out from the other side of the flames for Izuku to run and his own eyes frantically turned towards his only way around the burning tree.

Izuku took off at full speed into the flames and Katsuki frantically rushed to find another path to him.

. . .

Shouto screamed out in pain as he tried his best to avoid the searing fire.

"The area is secure!" Monoma's voice cut into his intercom. "We currently have all the attackers in custody and we're forcing them to lead us to where the boats are. Time is up and we need to leave _now_. I'm signaling Toshinori that we're retreating outwards."

Shouto frantically looked around the burning forest when he realized neither Katsuki nor Izuku had returned from deep inside the woods.

He tried calling out to Bakugou over the intercom but received nothing and his heart began to drop in his stomach.

His eyes stared at the hellfire directly in his face before solidifying himself in his resolve.

He reached up to his ear with a shaky hand and pressed his earpiece. "I'm going to go retrieve Bakugou. He hasn't returned with Midoriya and his intercom is out—"

"—Todoroki, there's no more time left," Iida quickly corrected with an edge in his voice. It was a mix of disappointment and hurt but it was focused on the team's safety. It was what he needed to do, but Shouto couldn't focus. He kept thinking about Izuku and Katsuki lost somewhere inside the flames. "Todoroki, do you hear me? The fire has spread _everywhere_. Even the assailants are begging us to leave at this moment. There's no getting out if you go further in—"

Shouto shook his head and ignored all the warnings that begged him not to go.

The youngest Todoroki allowed himself to be fueled by the need to find his friends but above all there was another driving force. It was the feeling of responsibility—for this.

For _all_ of this.

Shouto found a way through all the burning woodwork as if it was like being trapped in a dangerous maze of fallen trees and destroyed wildlife. He carefully dodged all the toppling trees and hissed whenever the heat got too close to his face.

Something in his heart sang low looking at all this destruction because this was his _brother's_ doing. Touya was setting a whole forest on fire with the intention of mass murder.

Shouto's Todoroki colored eyes looked around at all the fire that was now fully blossomed in every direction uncontrollably—and that's what it always was with Touya, wasn't it?

Control.

His brother yearned for control—for _power_. Touya had craved control and power so desperately that he would never again be at the mercy of an abusive tyrant but in achieving these things he became the oppressor himself; wielding his power over helpless victims.

He was drawn to the flames like a doomed moth because it gave him both of the things he craved. But this—_this_ level of fire was a testament of how far off the deep end Touya had dived. He had gotten out of control to believe he could use fire in his way. He had become too power crazed, just like their father.

And now it would be the unknowing downfall of all four men to plunge into the depths of their regrets.

Shouto came to a halt when he approached the ledge of a steep cliff. He peered over it to see the tides of the river far beneath his feet and winced at how far of a drop it was.

He carefully backed up and stared at the railroad tracks spanning across the flowing currents. The sergeant carefully clutched his rifle in his hands as he began to cross the makeshift bridge.

But he froze mid-stride when the echo of gunshots grabbed his attention in the worst possible way. He stared at the hellfire on the other side of the crossroads and out came Izuku running full speed, feet carried by sheer desperation alone.

His eyes widened as Izuku glanced behind himself, not paying him any mind. The green eyed man ducked swiftly when a bullet whizzed out from the flames but Shouto's heart stopped when another shortly followed and clipped Izuku's shoulder.

The green haired man cried out in pain as he fell onto the track and clutched his bleeding shoulder. Shouto sprang into action with urgency and ran full speed towards the other. He squatted to use his body that was padded with bullet proof gear to take the hit of several bullets that knocked the wind out of him. He clenched his teeth and continued to use his body to shield Izuku's body while quickly drawing his rifle.

"Izuku, get back," Shouto hissed and quickly the bleeding man did as he was instructed.

The smaller man clung to the officer in front of him and they began to defensively stand up together—but when the second body emerged from the flames, Shouto's world came to a vicious stop.

The jarring visual of Dabi's face made every nerve inside of his body dive into coldness.

The way his burns bent around his devil-like frown was a visual Shouto's mind could never think of. His rageful blue eyes were eclipsed by the reflection of the orange flames that birthed him and the look of murder was covering his face heavily.

The gang leader pointed a gun directly at him and the two brothers stayed all too quiet in the stand still. They silently stared at each other on the other side of the crossroads and the gap in between them reminded Shouto how exactly different the paths they chose were.

Same house. Same parents. Yet somehow their lives were so vastly parallel to the point it brought them to this dividing moment in time.

The flood of emotions that swarmed Shouto's heart was indescribable. It stung inside of him, reopening fresh wounds he thought had scabbed over but now they were all rebleeding from seeing his brother very much alive in front of him. He stared at his family's ghost who he only ever wanted to _save_ and suddenly felt—

—_livid_.

But his trigger finger was immovable, and it seemed like Touya's—_Dabi's_—Touya's was the same way.

But this lasted for no longer than a delicate moment. Both the raging flames and the roaring river reminded them both they couldn't savor the reunion.

"Move, Shouto," Touya's angry voice spat out and it felt like a gut punch. "This isn't your battle."

That was a voice that should be buried and ash, but it wasn't. It was here—standing in the middle of all its destruction pointing a _gun_ at him. The furrow in Dabi's black eyebrows was both familiar and foreign and it made an angry taste arise on the back of Shouto's tongue.

"It is my battle," Shouto chided. "It's as much my battle as it is yours."

"You're not my target, Shouto. But don't test me—I _will_ gladly kill you too if it's what I have to do," the ghost informed him and it only hardened the youngest Todoroki's resolve.

He sourly looked upon his twisted brother and decided in that split second it was time for Touya to come home.

Shouto watched how Dabi gritted his teeth before seething.

"Fine, have it your way, Shouto." And with that the trigger was pulled several times and Izuku's loud cry from behind him mixed in with the raging sound of water beneath them.

Shouto cursed as he ducked down to a defensive position and yelled for Izuku to get back and the green eyed man did his best to. The sergeant kneeled down quickly and took sharp aim to land two bullets directly in his brother's unpadded shoulders.

A loud yell spilled out into the night as Dabi went down and time stood still for a visible moment. Shouto quickly snapped himself out of his freeze as he ran to approach his brother who was attempting to grab for his fallen gun. The sergeant dug his boots into the lethal hands before they could do any more damage.

Shouto gritted his teeth as he witnessed the revenant's face twist in pain and begin bleeding out at the shoulders.

With mixed emotions the youngest Todoroki held the rifle up and pointed it directly down at his elder brother with all his anger and hurt. He aimed the long barrel of the assault rifle in between the blue eyes he used to look up to all his childhood.

The same familiar eyes stared back up at him.

Shouto's finger once again went cold on the trigger.

Dabi's bloody smile flashed up at him. "You can't do it either," his brother taunted manically. "Ah, _my_ _little_ _Shouto_. Still trying to help your big brother as always."

The sergeant's features distorted into a raw, pained expression when he heard his mother's crying in his ears all over again. He lowered his rifle steadily when the man pinned underneath his feet began laughing. Dabi tilted his head to admire the fire around them and slowly a small smirk appeared on his face—as if he was proud of himself for all the wreckage.

For some reason, seeing that happy expression snapped Shouto to nearly yell. His heart swelled with hurt, anger and bitterness. They all collided in a rageful hurricane that picked up speed faster than anything he ever felt.

For so long he blamed their father for Touya turning to a life of crime, but he realized now that his eldest brother had made this choice for himself. Izuku had tried, his mother had tried, even he had tried to pull Touya away from the darkness but ultimately, he decided to adopt it. There was no one else to blame for his decision that had led them here.

Running on pure emotion alone, Shouto turned his rifle on its blunt end. The other two sets of eyes went wide as Shouto used all his strength to bash his weapon upside his brother's temple and knocked Dabi unconscious in one single hit.

Shouto clenched his teeth to hold in all his shame as the body underneath him went temporarily limp.

Shane boiled at a molten temperature as he hung his head away. He realized he couldn't do what was asked of him: he couldn't take the shot.

"We found the boats," Iida's voice cut through in his ear. It was a heavy reminder to Shouto that they needed to hurry, and this wasn't the time for his emotions to get the better of him. "Follow the route of the river and we'll hold off for as hold as we can but we cannot wait much longer."

In that moment, Katsuki came bursting through the flames with a wild expression. Frantic blood red eyes were honed in and the lieutenant was gripping his rifle with lethality.

But Katsuki stopped at the ruinous sight before him.

The disgruntled lieutenant's expression went deathly still at the sight of the unconscious Dabi on the ground bleeding out pinned under Shouto's combat boots.

Katsuki then wearily glanced towards Izuku on the other side of the bridge who was holding his shoulder and back to Shouto whose chest was heavily heaving. Shouto knew what was on his mind and he knew he was going to be judged for it.

"Shouto...is he—"

"—No. He's unconscious," Shouto bit out without looking at his commander. He couldn't bring his gaze up to stare at the red eyes and tell him he wanted to bring in his brother. "I'll handcuff him and we can drag him to the boats. Iida just stated on the intercoms they found the escape route."

Katsuki glanced between the two Todorokis once before exhaling roughly and leaving it be.

Shouto found himself thankful and thought maybe mercy had returned to Katsuki's mind—but couldn't hide the rising of some level of distaste for himself.

He resentfully took in the intense heat of Touya's mayhem against his face.

Everything that was happening around him was _because_ of Touya just like it had been with his father—yet he had the power to pull the plug on one and not the other. And the big difference was how Touya had geared up to kill all _three_ of them without an inkling of hesitation.

Yet Shouto couldn't take the shot—despite knowing his brother way beyond help.

Despite knowing Touya no longer could be saved.

The saddened sergeant looked over his shoulder with some level of relief that it was over. All they had to do now was escape. He watched how Katsuki limped past him to head towards Izuku. The green haired man was stumbling to stand up while simultaneously attempting to stop the bleeding through his soiled white shirt.

Shouto turned back around to grab his silver handcuffs. He placed his rifle down on the ground before he leaned all the way down to restrain his brother.

However, when he reached down two burned, scarred hands wretched forward and grabbed him by his wrists in a bone snapping tight hold. Blues eyes flung open like an undying being and sitting inside was nothing but hurt. The expression that blossomed on Dabi's face was that of a person who had lost the very thing that was important to him.

The spiteful gaze below him made everything in the sergeant run cold. Shouto tried to yell out as a warning but soon a powerful uncut landed in his jaw.

Shouto yelled out as he was harshly kicked in the gut and sent stumbling backwards off Dabi's body. All eyes turned towards the sound frantically, not expecting it.

The world slowed for Katsuki as both red and green eyes widened the millisecond Dabi reached for his gun. It happened in a split second. It was a split moment that happened too fast. Too fast that Katsuki couldn't shift his body and Izuku couldn't either but in a split moment in time, Touya's final act of resentment let a single bullet fly directly towards the two men.

And it flew directly past Katsuki and landed swiftly in Izuku's abdomen.

Everything slowed down as Katsuki's breathing stopped. Izuku stumbled backwards and Shouto yelled out. Izuku's feet lost balance because of the powerful impact as he staggered backwards towards the edge of the suspended train tracks.

"_No_!" Katsuki's hoarse voice broke and he took off at full speed towards the other side of the bridge, but he was too late.

Izuku clutched his bleeding stomach as all the feelings inside of him poured out in crimson red.

Tearful, forest colored eyes locked with hurt blue. The moment froze and Izuku hiccupped as his heart shattered a final, permanent time while staring at the bright scarlet blood on his hands. His soul fragmented in a way he didn't think was possible. He examined briefly how there wasn't an ounce of regret in his old flame's ice-cold eyes. It took that moment for Izuku to fully realize what their relationship always was.

And what it forever would be.

"Touya..._why_?"

Izuku's vision faded in and out through a starburst of vibrant colors until it settled into a faded black. His body buckled onto itself, too spent. Jade colored eyes rolled back and the last thing he saw was rose colored hair mixed with golden blond while the sound of Katsuki's voice yelled out his name.

In the same breath with the raging wind, Shouto quickly grabbed his rifle. Dabi looked over his shoulder with a bloodied smile at the sound of the gun cocking and held his hands up. However, this time around Shouto's brow was creased and his aim was true.

The trigger was warm as he landed three bullets directly into his brother's heart. Dabi fell backwards on the tracks with wide eyes, his entire body convulsing.

Shouto clenched his teeth as he turned his eyes to see the very last thing he wanted to happen.

Katsuki made it to the other side of the bridge too late as Izuku's body fell off the suspended train tracks. He cried out as he reached his hand out only to fall short a second time as Izuku unconsciously tumbled into water below them with a loud splash.

The commander's vision went hazy as quickly stripped himself of his helmet and gear, throwing down his guns too. He dived in headfirst after his lover with a single breath of air.

The wind cut his skin on the dive down and Katsuki closed his eyes upon impact. His whole body was submerged in cold water and the dense pressure of the river contrasted the hellfire he had been in. Red eyes snapped open as he searched around frantically in the deep blue for Izuku.

He swam until he found a floating line of red blood in the water and whipped his head down to see a sinking Izuku with his eyes closed. Gentle air bubbles escaped from the unconscious man's mouth as significant blood leaked out of his chest. It poured out like ribbons into the river and led a trail directly to the drowning man.

Katsuki pushed his body past its limit as he swam frantically down for the other until he reached Izuku. His face was deceivingly angelic floating in the blue as all the life was being stolen from his body. The crimson colored blood encircled the two destined men as they were suspended underwater with light spots from above hitting their face.

Red eyes snapped up to the orange stained surface and wrapped an arm around Izuku's body hurriedly. He kicked his legs and hoisted himself and Izuku up to the surface. Katsuki broke above the water with a hard gasp but instantly coughed when gagged by the smoke. He looked down at Izuku's unconscious wet face and cradled it desperately, pushing water droplets out of his black eyelashes.

Katsuki stared up at the sky horrified. It was now an unrecognizable mix of ash black smoke and fully ignited wildfire. The flames stretched up towards the sky like they were praising the moon and the lieutenant quickly found himself swimming back to the shoreline that was still safe at the bottom of the river.

Red eyes looked up at Shouto who was calling in on his intercom and hoisting up Dabi's limp body. Katsuki frantically returned his vision back down at the man in his arms who was also the same type of deathly still.

With all his left over strength Katsuki pulled Izuku's body to the shore line. Dirt and mud mixed into their bodies as he desperately hauled the drenched man onto the ground.

"_Izuku_," he tried to call as he positioned himself above the unconscious man. But the other remained unmoving. "I-Izuku—Izuku, _please_—w-wake up."

The sinking feeling of failure sunk into Katsuki as he whispered a litany of pleas while trying to shake the other awake. The water from the river mixed in with his own tears and he cursed when he looked down at all the blood pouring out from Izuku.

Katsuki quickly tore the sleeve off his black shirt with new desperation and began to bind it around Izuku's bleeding abandonment to stop the bleeding and begin CPR. He tried desperately to breathe life into the other. Katsuki frantically counted the chest compressions through teeth clenched so painfully tight his jaw started to hurt.

The memories of their time spent together went up in flames in Katsuki's mind even as the world around them burned. He would never again be able to hold Izuku in his arms and chase away his nightmares, never again watch in wonder as he painted yet another masterpiece, never again kiss those soft lips with his own. So many moments he had taken for granted. He choked on his own tears as this terrible new reality barreled into him without a shred of mercy.

When he felt like he was about to break once more—Izuku began to cough violently.

Katsuki let out a shaky breath of relief before he breathed one more kiss of life into the other and received the same reaction. Slowly green eyes fluttered open—but the light inside of them was weak.

"K-Kacchan?" Izuku's weak voice rasped and his forest colored eyes gazed upon all the fire and destruction above them.

"Y-Yeah, it's me. I'm here, you're okay," Katsuki quickly reassured when Izuku began to cough up blood. Red eyes widened as he looked down at the gunshot wound that was significantly still bleeding through. He snapped his eyes towards the flow of water downstream. "Grab onto me—we need to leave. I-I need to get you to safety."

He quickly swooped down and hooked his arms underneath Izuku's knees and back to hoist him up with all his strength. Katsuki knew how dangerous it was to move an injured body, but he couldn't wait for help to arrive. He lifted Izuku as carefully and gently as he could, drawing from the medical training that they all had received. Pain sparkled all over his own body like hot charcoal against his skin as he ignored the smell of gasoline and burnt wood filling the air.

The two drenched men stumbled into the night, following the rush of water out and it took all Katsuki's emotional training not to break down.

He wearily glanced at the fading Izuku whose hands were clinging to him more and more weakly by the second.

"You have to stay awake, 'zuku," Katsuki said desperately as he shook the other with deep need. His face twisted in his anxiety as he watched Izuku's beautiful eyes struggle to stay open. "P-Please—Please don't close your eyes."

"I-I…I'm sorry," Izuku started but slowly blinked in an extended lag. His half-hooded eyes looked up at Katsuki's face and then to the fire above them. "I can't focus. E-Everything is blurry."

Katsuki cursed and quickened his pace. "Talk to me," He commanded, and he shook Izuku lightly a little more. The greenette furrowed his brow and his hands clung tight to the man carrying him. "Don't focus on the fire—look at me and talk to me. Do that mumbling shit you always do. I'm going to get us out of here, o-okay?"

"Okay," Izuku said gently as he curled his head inwards to Katsuki's chest.

The breathing of the man in his arms began to even out to unsteadily inhale and exhale.

"List those nerdy ass colors for me," Katsuki supplied as he tried to grasp for anything—absolutely goddamn _anything_ at all to keep Izuku with him. "Y-You know the fake ones like blood orange, purple violet—all that shit."

"Those are real colors, Kacchan," Izuku's sweet voice said with a hint of amusement. Katsuki felt the flicker of pain ignited in his heart.

"Okay, you're right. List them for me but just d-don't fall asleep 'zuku—"

Red eyes frantically looked around and quickly saw a small boat coming from downstream behind them. He signaled them over in haste and yelled out for help until his voice cracked. He stood still desperately and wanted nothing more to escape this hellish nightmare—but he wanted to escape it with Izuku _alive_.

However the dying mutterings of the wounded man in his arms began to give him doubt.

He choked back a heavy sob and fell to his knees as regret wrecked through him. He held the one person dearest to him close as he listened to Izuku's delicate voice until the boat arrived.

"There's flaxen...marigold, currant...and scarlet like your eyes," Izuku listed weakly and Katsuki nodded sadly as he pulled Izuku in close and rested his damp forehead against Izuku's. "I always loved your eyes."

"Pretty like roses, right?" He smiled through his tears and Izuku gazed up at him with a distant, unfocused look. The artist's hand lifted to wipe away Katsuki's tears.

"No. Beautiful like embers."

Dim green eyes were full of love and it shattered the last of Katsuki's being.

. . .

By the time the boat arrived Izuku was unconscious—_breathing_—but unconscious.

The wounded man's limp body was an experience Katsuki never in his life wanted to feel as he took a seat on the small blue and white delivery boat. His body shivered from the chilled river water as Iida reported to him that he had retrieved word back from all members of the rescue team had been fully accounted for.

Shouto had even found a way down with his brother's body and another boat retrieved him.

The blond lieutenant nodded emptily and took a tiresome seat on the floor. He leaned his body tiredly against the side of the boat. All his muscles were in pain, but he couldn't stop to think about himself.

He only thought about Izuku.

Katsuki listened to the current of the water as he kept his eyes trained on the rise and fall of Izuku's chest. He counted each and every single shallow breath. He listened to the all too delicate heartbeat of the other and he kept his hand firmly pressed on the gunshot wound. All the squad members were looking at him with worry, but he kept his eyes trained on Izuku's eerily unconscious figure.

When the fate of currents decided to push them all the way out of the burning forest, Katsuki took a single, bitter look back.

There, he saw a vortex of hot and cold and it was a hell of all their own creation. His body was trapped by the wind chilling his drenched body and the heat emitting from the burning wildfire. The uncontrollable flames would without fail consume all the entire lush greenery until there was nothing left.

There, he saw a vortex of hot and cold and it was a hell of all their own creation. His body was trapped by the wind chilling his drenched body and the heat emitting from the burning wildfire. He saw what seemed like the end of days as the bright, orange flames ate away at all the flowers, trees, and life in Kuromata. The reflection of the vengeful flames reflected in the river and made it all blend together.

Katsuki knew without a doubt the uncontrollable fire would without fail consume all the entire lush greenery until there was nothing left.

Just like Touya had done.

Katsuki had a distant thought of gratitude that they had evacuated the nearby residents. At least those innocent people wouldn't pay for Dabi's crimes. He glanced down into his arms and gently brushed Izuku's damp, dark green bangs out of his face. Several of his own tears spilled onto Izuku's cheeks as he made a silent vow to him.

And as he did this, the silver puzzle piece charm hanging from his wrist caught the light.

* * *

Thank you so much for reading and commenting! I hope you enjoyed!

Please let me know what you think about this chapter and your feelings about how everything climaxed and collided all together. I spent a fairly long time re-reading and re-working this chapter hoping to capture all three character's emotions. I'm a little nervous presenting it to everyone because its like *the* big moment, but I hoped it showed all the growth and character development that has happen thus far.

Also check out the songs! I also have been sitting on these for a year, super eager to share them with all of you lovely people.

Fun fact: I cried a little at the end scene lol which shocked me a bit because I usually don't cry very easily.

Thank you so much again for reading! Have a great day and stay safe


	29. Soot

**Hello! Welcome back to the next installment! Thank you so much for reading up until this point and thank you all for the lovely reviews! Every single one of them makes me smile very brightly.**

**I hope you enjoy the next chapter!**

_Song: Build It Up – Ingrid Michaelson_

* * *

**Chapter 29 - Soot**

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"Look at that wildfire," a hushed voice in the waiting room exclaimed. "The flames are everywhere."

Katsuki squeezed his eyes closed tighter and leaned back further into the creaky E.R waiting room chair.

He was surrounded by the background noise of the television reporting live from Kuromata. It consumed him, feeling all too surreal to be somehow transported from that forest to this terrible place.

On the wide screen above him was a helicopter shot displaying the vast destruction of the wildfire they were all responsible for. It spread wide and far, consuming absolutely everything furiously. First-control was attempting to shower water on the raging flames and slowly, but surely, the dancing fire was dying out. But in its wake, a blackened land that was scorched until there was barely anything remaining was left behind.

The hostage rescue team had split up to rush Izuku and others who needed medical care to the nearest emergency room for help. But before this, the excruciating seconds passed by. Each second felt like a minute when Katsuki realized how long it took to get off the mountain in the boats.

When they reached the bottom, the amount of time that had passed worried the already nearly grief terrified Katsuki. It worried Shouto and Toshinori too to watch how still Izuku's body had become in Katsuki's shaking arms.

Katsuki kept his ember colored eyes stayed casted down and did his best to ignore the terrible damp feeling on his chest where Izuku's blood soaked through his shirt. The blue-grey hospital he, Shouto and Toshinori were inside of was all too cold in comparison to the hellfire they were recently bathed in. It was like a frigid winter waiting for some stroke of warmth but there was none.

There was the foreboding chill in the air that Katsuki could only describe as death.

Somewhere behind those worn-down double doors someone was whispering a deal with the grim reaper and walking into the darkness with her—and Katsuki prayed to all the deities above that it wasn't Izuku.

But now, hours later after they all got their own treatments, Izuku was _still_ in surgery.

Katsuki was beginning to feel increasingly hopeless.

"He'll be okay," Toshinori said in a horse whisper. His forehead was leaned against his palms and the Captain's blue eyes were red from crying. "H-He has to be."

"Hi there, are you three here for Midoriya Izuku?" A soft voice called.

Katsuki, Shouto and Toshinori all whipped their heads up to stare upon the figure that was in front of them. It was a woman, with a kind aura radiating from her.

She had short cinnamon brown hair and dusted pink cheeks. Her black framed glasses were sitting gently on the bridge of her nose and she was dressed in lilac purple scrubs. Katsuki studied her face and found a sincere expression pinned across her soft features.

"Yes," Katsuki rushed out. "The three of us are here for him." He stood up quickly, nearly pushing back the chair along with the force he sprung forward. Toshinori and Shouto followed suit and they all ignored their own battered bodies.

"So nice to meet you all, I'm Dr. Vee," she spoke gracefully but her eyebrows pinched slightly with premonition. "Are any of you family?"

Katsuki, Shouto and Toshinori all looked in between each other. Toshinori opened his mouth slightly and Katsuki could see a reluctant 'no' beginning to form but quickly Shouto turned to the doctor with a serious expression.

"We're all family," Shouto said solidly and Katsuki felt his heart rate double. Dr. Vee smiled softly and gave a calm look as she looked between them all.

"He's going to be okay first and foremost," Dr. Vee said and all three men shared in a relieved sigh. "The bullets in his stomach and in his shoulder severed several arteries then nicked some of his vital organs. But we managed to stitch him all back up together."

"He's going to be okay in the long run?" Katsuki pushed nervously. "Even with the amount of blood loss?"

Dr. Vee's brown eyes flickered down to the motion and she pressed her lips in a thin line.

"Even with the amount of blood loss," she reassured—but only slightly.

It was then Katsuki saw her eyes skirt off to the side. He knew that was the cue for bad news.

"It may be several days before he wakes up. His body went into shock from the amount of blood loss," she explained slowly and Katsuki's heart sunk further into the darkest pit. "It may be awhile before you can all talk together again, but he will have to be in a hospital for the standard eight days for gunshot wounds—maybe longer considering everything. I can schedule a patient transfer to Shizuoka City in the meantime."

"Okay, that's good," Katsuki responded hollowly. "That makes sense."

Katsuki's voice was hoarse and his tear ducts stung as he blinked rapidly in an attempt to push back the sudden oncoming tidal wave of intense emotions.

Days. It could be days before Izuku woke up.

Maybe even longer.

The doctor continued talking, and Shouto and Toshinori went back and forth asking her important questions but white noise filled Katsuki's ears. He nodded distantly as the conversation continued to swarm around him and there was nothing he could do except worry about Izuku.

He absently touched his blood soaked stomach.

. . .

When Izuku blinked open his eyes, it was bright. Too bright and too sunny. He glanced around in confusion when the entire room was sideways and his balance was off kilter. His dizzy eyesight took in the empty, white hospital room and the bright television screen hung on the other side. Next he saw the blurry visual of the heart monitor pulsing in and out with his own rhythmic heart in his chest.

Then finally the last thing he saw was the date on the news and it was a full week after the Spring Festival. Izuku's body fell into shock.

A week. A full _seven_ days.

He had lost seven days. His breathing panicked as his chest felt convulsed at the reality he had been unconscious again for a week _just like when his parents_—

However, before Izuku could process anything fully, all the torturous memories of Touya's hellfire came burning through his mind. The visions of wildfire trickled in and the last thing he remembered was being held tightly clutched in Katsuki's arms surrounded by embers.

Then he heard the fatal gunshot all over again and a tight pain coiled in his stomach.

"Ah, you're awake," Shouto's even voice entered along with the click of his hospital door. Izuku turned his head to the new sounds to see his friend enter into the room with a melancholy aura cloaking his figure. The youngest Todoroki had a sad smile on his face. "Good to see you finally pulled through."

"Shouto—" Izuku exclaimed loudly as he sat forward a little too fast. He cried out in pain and clutched the light blue hospital gown over his stomach when the hot sparks of pain flickered all over his body.

Duo colored eyes went wide and Shouto stepped forward quickly. "Izuku, you can't strain yourself like that—" Izuku cut him off with a groan and shook his head desperately.

"—I don't care! W-Where is everyone?" Izuku panicked. Urgency filled his veins as he was ruthlessly assaulted with the stinging feeling of blood loss, gunshots, and fire nicking at his skin. "Where's Katsuki? Where's Toshinori? Kirishima—Mina—where's—" _Touya_.

Izuku blinked once and took a deep breath when he glanced around in the all too empty room again that was dancing in and out of focus in his vision.

"Please...I-I need to know if everyone is okay?"

"Yes. Everyone is fine," Shouto hushed and Izuku's breath started to even out slowly. Shouto carefully put his hand on Izuku's chest and pushed him back onto the bed with a look of sorrow and kindness. "Everyone from the rescue squad made it back in one piece. Nine and all the other gang members have been arrested. All drugs and bomb shipments in the boats were confiscated. It's over, Izuku. It's finally all over."

Something in Izuku's gut twisted hollowly when he saw an underlying inkling of foreboding in his friend's eyes. Then he thought about the frightening ghost with ice-blue eyes he had yet to fully process.

Izuku licked his dry lips and shallowly scratched the bandage wrapped tightly around his stomach.

"I-Is Touya...Did Katsuki..."

Shouto hung his head away and Izuku watched how his friend's fist clenched by his sides painfully.

"Yes, but Katsuki didn't—_I did_," Shouto confessed in the smallest voice Izuku ever heard him use. The freckled man froze, and the words crept into his reality until his heart clenched when he realized what that meant.

Shouto killed Touya.

"I put three bullets in his heart," the youngest Todoroki elaborated with a pained expression. "He bled out rapidly and his heart stopped beating shortly after."

Shouto lifted his eyes to look at Izuku and they both shared the same mix of emotions. Hurt. Confusion, a strange hint of grief neither of them were too sure they should be feeling. But the mirrored emotions made them both feel tied in a way neither could verbally explain.

"He's actually dead?" Izuku whispered as if he was a phantom in his own body. He touched his stomach again and an emotion close to numbness settled into his gut.

"Yes." Shouto nodded apprehensively. "I had him cremated yesterday."

Izuku studied the wrinkles etched onto his friend's face. He noted how some were old, but most were new like the dark circles underneath Shouto's eyes. A new type of sadness.

"Shouto…" Izuku whispered as he placed a comforting hand on top of his friend's.

The warm skin contact caused both of their eyes to water slowly. Izuku could feel their hearts humming in synchronized desolation and neither had the strength to explain.

"I'm so sorry you had to be the one to do that." Izuku choked slightly as he held Shouto's hand tighter. Shouto squeezed the smaller hand back and forcefully blinked away tears in his eyes. "It shouldn't have been you."

"No, it's okay," Shouto replied back with a crack in his voice. He lifted his other hand up and wiped away his own tears that were pouring down rapidly. "I'm happy that it was me in the end. It had to be done. I should've done it before he took that shot at you. I had every opportunity to take it but I didn't and now you're hurt like this. I hesitated and it nearly killed _you_."

A deeper grieving for Shouto than the person who had passed rooted inside of Izuku's chest. "He was your family, Shouto. I don't blame you for being hesitant. No one should be tasked with killing their own brother."

"But at the end of the day you're more my family than whoever that was who set that wildfire," Shouto hissed. His words were drenched in an emotion close to anger but closer to disappointment. "Dabi wasn't our Touya. He wasn't the same person we knew and it's strange to say...but I don't feel like I thought I would."

"What do you mean?" Izuku questioned but deep down, he knew exactly what Shouto was saying.

"I'm not as sad as I thought I would be," Shouto confessed. A look of worry spanned across his face as he said the words. "I'm more disappointed than sad. It feels as if I'm stuck there because when I pulled that trigger, I didn't get a chance to fully feel like I had gotten my big brother back."

"That's because Dabi wasn't your big brother," Izuku whispered exhaustedly. Green eyes flickered up to the stale white ceiling above him as he thought about rose colored hair. "Just like Dabi wasn't my first love. He was something we tried so hard for Touya not to become but he _did_."

Shouto nodded absently and finally took a seat next to Izuku on the hospital bed.

"We couldn't stop him from feeding into that lifestyle no matter how much we loved him, Shouto." Izuku turned his eyes up at his friend with a crestfallen expression. "Touya becoming Dabi was inevitable."

"I know," Shouto said softly. The sound of the TV echoed in the background and Izuku noticed how the youngest Todoroki never let go of his hand. The green haired man shifted upright in his hospital bed without breaking their hands and interlaced their fingers to pull Shouto out of his thoughts.

"I tried too, if that makes you feel better," Izuku confessed. Shouto snapped his eyes up, fully surprised, and Izuku only shrugged. "I pushed him in fire when I thought he was going to kill Katsuki. I don't regret it either."

Shouto nodded his head again and this time Izuku shifted over in the hospital bed for the other to join him. The youngest Todoroki climbed into the tiny mattress with his grief that matched Izuku's and they both sat there side by side silently staring blankly at the news.

Izuku watched the news coverage and was mildly amazed at how much had happened while he was under.

The majority of the news pertained to the unraveling of the Shizuoka City police department. Dozens of cops and politicians connected with Todoroki Enji were being exposed and now the whole department was nearly shut down in a complete freeze.

His eyes stayed glued to the screen with a surprised expression as endless scandals, cover ups, and more were unearthed by internal affairs. Coupled with this, there were powerful protests in the streets demanding major reform of the whole city's department after it was revealed Enji, the Chief of Police, was working side by side with the Hero Killer.

And with push from Commissioner Nezu, the reform was officially happening.

Then the next story that appeared was the scorched down Kuromata. The entire forest was blackened as if Satan himself had walked the land.

Izuku's stomach did a strange knot when the mugshots of Dabi and Nine appeared on screen.

"Did you tell your family that Touya was Dabi?" Izuku asked in a cautious tone.

"No, absolutely not." Shouto replied back just as softly. "I can't even fathom explaining all that to my mother, brother or sister after my father's arrest. They all think Touya is dead and I can't reset that grief for them. After basically forcing me to take the next two weeks off, Katsuki threatened everyone on the case to keep their mouths shut for me. So it's a close knit secret."

Izuku chuckled slightly at the image of Katsuki being forceful with Shouto and making him take a rest period. It was endearing in an ironic manner.

Slowly, Izuku glanced around the empty hospital room and finally noticed the endless green roses by his bedside. They were piled on top of each other tied with orange ribbons and tiny red notes attached to each one.

"How is Katsuki?" Izuku whispered, his heart pulled longingly. "I-Is he doing okay? He wasn't hurt too badly was he?"

"He's physically okay. Emotionally, he's been extremely unreadable," Shouto said with a distant shrug and Izuku's heart nearly broke in two. "He's been in here every minute he's able to, but he's fairly tied up right now with Lieutenant duties. Between firing dirty cops, and interviewing all the gang members to finally seal the arson case shut, Katsuki hasn't gotten much rest."

"He's burying himself in work again," Izuku said distantly.

"Like always."

His imagination painted the vivid picture of Katsuki bustling about, giving out orders and keeping everyone in check. It was something he was always good at and it's where he was right now.

Green eyes looked around the empty hospital room in a dejected manner when all the issues from before the kidnapping bubbled to his surface.

"_I'm going to lose the one thing that's important to me in my whole life because of you!"_

Izuku looked down at his broken body in deep thought. His eyes caught sight of his bare wrist and his heart twisted slightly.

"Where is he now?" He asked softly when an anchor attached itself to his chest.

"Well, actually, he should be on NHK," Shouto commented in a lighthearted voice. Izuku titled his head curiously when his friend picked up the remote and turned the channel. "There's a reward ceremony today put together by the Commission for the rescue mission's success, apprehending Nine, putting the arson case to rest finally."

The visual on the television changed and Izuku blinked in surprise at the loud applause that filled the tiny hospital room.

Standing there on screen in all their hero glory were the U.A and 1B officers side by side in their formal ceremony policeman uniforms. They were all pinned up with tiny golden stars that shone against their navy blue uniforms in a mimicry of the night sky. The badges pinned against their chests were displayed proudly and everyone's face was glowing as they stood behind Commissioner Nezu.

The small white haired man was giving a moving public speech about safety and making valuable changes going forward. The crowd clapped and cheered as the different officers, captains, and lieutenants all clapped along as well.

"Why aren't you up there?" Izuku asked Shouto. "You deserve as much recognition."

"Ah, I don't really want to be recognized for putting three bullets in my terrorist brother."

Izuku winced. "I'm sorry—"

"—It's okay," Shouto hushed him. "It's one of those things."

Izuku tried his best to focus back on the screen and to what the Commissioner was saying, but all the words were drowned out in his ears. All he could do was stare at the expressions written on everyone's faces. They all looked overjoyed, relieved and as if they were relaxed. Well, all but one person.

Katsuki's face was nearly blank.

He stood next to Toshinori with the second most prestigious pins, and the second most sparkly gold and navy uniform. There were endless esteemed badges attached to his blazer, and there was a large, pure gold metal medallion slung over his neck. It rested neatly against his perfect red tie and matched the golden stripes running down the sleeves of his uniform.

However, even with all the shiniest awards, something was off. Izuku frowned when it seemed like Katsuki was wearing the medal as if it was heavy around his neck rather than he was proud to have it.

"Katsuki is also being recognized for helping in the investigation with Toshinori on the police department's corruption," Shouto commented as another gold and red pin was tacked on by Toshinori to Katsuki's chest. "Our beloved hothead has been using that unchecked aggression of his to put his foot down everyone's throat and pluck all the dirty cops like weeds."

Izuku didn't say anything as he studied Katsuki's sullen expression on screen that no one else was seemingly paying attention to.

"...He looks so sad," Izuku murmured. He couldn't tear his eyes away from how Katsuki's scarlet eyes were glued to the ground.

"Really?" Shouto said curiously and tilted his head. Izuku nodded and the youngest Todoroki pressed his lips in a thin line. "To be honest, I can't tell. I thought that was his resting face. He's always looked like that ever since I've known him. Even back on the first day he took the internship with my dad."

Izuku frowned deeper at the new facts, but didn't say anything.

He thought of all the lively expressions Katsuki had shown him since the first day he encountered him. His ember eyes were always curious and sparkled to life with something more than underlying sadness whenever the blond gazed upon him. He looked happy whenever they were together if Izuku's memory was serving correctly. He didn't look like _that_.

The pair watched the award ceremony out in silence as Izuku leaned his tired head against Shouto's shoulder.

"So, that's really it, isn't it?" Izuku said through his worn down throat.

"Yup...that's it."

All the words left to say were gone and there was nothing more he could think of as he tried to wrap his mind around all the events.

Everything about Touya had finally come to a peak in an ironic, but fitting way. Izuku couldn't say anything but he examined in mind how everything around him had once again been burned down. Now all that was left was to sort through the soot.

His first love had reappeared and disappeared out of his life so quickly it felt surreal. It was as if he was waiting on whiplash that never came. Or trying to catch a glimpse at a tornado that had passed by in mere seconds that destroyed everything in its path. But all evidence of the natural disaster itself was too far gone to get a good, memorable look at it.

All Izuku could do was sit dazed, numb and struggling to grasp what was real alongside Shouto who no doubt was feeling the same.

Neither man in the hospital bed spoke a word.

Izuku glanced out at the window beside him to see the vast city of Shizuoka City, soaking up all the spring sun. Buried inside of his gut, Izuku couldn't escape the empty feeling in his core as he gazed upon all the tall skyscrapers.

He subconsciously placed his hand above his gunshot wound again.

. . .

"Lieutenant Bakugou! Over here!"

"Lieutenant Bakugou, what's the next move for the Symbol of Victory?"

"Is it true you and Lieutenant Monoma have patched things up and your squads are now sharing a precinct?"

Katsuki forced a painfully hollow smile across his face as all the different fake-stick-up-their ass reporters, politicians and fellow officers all spoke to him.

He was currently standing in the middle of a large exquisite banquet hall that was draped in expensive red curtains, gold awards, and press was stationed everywhere. But the Lieutenant could only mildly enjoy it.

Nine months ago he would have been salivating at the mouth for this but this time felt different. It felt as if he was some trained puppet in a staged performance as they all took pictures, did interviews and he gave the obligatory hand shakes or whatever to keep Toshinori happy. Katsuki restrained himself from groaning out loud when the damn ceremony's after party was dragging on.

He was supposed to be fucking _gone_ by now.

He anxiously checked his silver watch several times because his heart wasn't in this bullshit _at all_. No, not at a single bit. Instead, his heart was currently unconscious in a hospital bed for the seventh day in a row and it worried him to no end.

The distracted Lieutenant ran his hand over his mouth without realizing as he found himself standing in, yet again, another small social circle discussing the future of the department. This time it consisted of Toshinori, Commissioner Nezu, and several other higher ups in the police department.

All the decorated men and women surrounding him chatted about the new reform plan and how bright the future was going to be for Shizuoka City. But Katsuki couldn't care to pay attention.

Just when he was about to check his phone for the umpteenth time, it buzzed several times in his pocket. The distracted blond perked up as he snatched the device out of his pants and desperately stared down at the message that flashed on his screen.

**[S. Todoroki]: Izuku's awake and chatting. Doctors are doing some blood tests on him now and looking at his wounds for stabilization. If you're free you should come.**

Katsuki's heart flew out of his chest and he didn't think twice.

"Excuse me, I'm so sorry but I have to go," Katsuki rushed out with a look of relief on his face. He thought about the melody of Izuku's laugh and quickly felt his feet scream at him to run out the door with intense need. He only wanted to be at the green eyed beauty's side.

All the police department higher ups looked at him in a surprised manner and Commissioner Nezu seemed disappointed.

"Go?" Nezu said with a frown. "Go where? We were just about to discuss something important."

But Katsuki only offered an apologetic smile as he gave Toshinori a knowing look of happiness.

"Sorry, but Midoriya finally woke up and I need to be there." Katsuki held up his phone for emphasis and Toshinori's face lit up.

"Oh! Yes, go!" Toshinori chuckled as he smoothed out his blue tie with his palm. "I'll catch up with you later, son. I need to finish speaking with Nezu about the reform plans."

The short Commissioner frowned and looked disapprovingly at the retreating Lieutenant as he tried to call out for Katsuki. "W-Wait Bakugou! I wanted to speak with you about possible shifting—"

But with the blessing from Toshinori, Katsuki was out of ear shot before Nezu could finish his sentence.

The harried blond gave quick waves and smiles to all the decorated people in the hall before pushing open the doors and allowing the gentle spring breeze to rush through his hair. He pulled off his navy blue hat and tucked it under his arm as he paced quickly down the busy sidewalk.

Katsuki's heart pushed and pulled with longing like the tides as he followed it's calling all the way to the downtown hospital.

When he arrived, the nurse immediately recognized him and waved to him as he hurried down the hallway to the tiny corner room he had been inside of every free minute. He opened the door and the sun from the adjacent window hit his eyes, but it wasn't as nearly as bright as the visual of Izuku smiling and laughing with Shouto by his side.

In slow motion, large forest green eyes turned to face him and Katsuki felt time cease to exist. Izuku's face faltered briefly from a small smile to quickly transform into a large grin and look of love.

He cracked a smile that mirrored Izuku's and quickly he let all the bottled up emotions inside of his ribcage burst through the half-knit seams. Tears began to stream out one by one down his face as he carefully untucked his police officer's hat from his arm and sat it on the foot of Izuku's hospital bed.

"You're okay," Katsuki whispered while he thanked all the deities above for the sound of Izuku's voice.

Viridian colored eyes were full of passion and happiness as Katsuki gently pushed Izuku's hair out of his forehead to place a gentle kiss on his forehead. Katsuki smiled through the wet tears on his face as Izuku's hand reached up to hold his.

"Hi to you too, Kacchan."

Katsuki let out a shaky chuckle with Izuku as he leaned back to see the freckled man smiling up at him in that signature saccharine manner. Then a spare, short laugh from beside them filled the room and Katsuki could hear Shouto clear his throat.

"Well, I think that's my cue to leave you two to have your moment," Shouto said as he threw a small smirk to Katsuki. "Plus, I promised my sister I would help her out today with her classroom anyways. I'll see you two tomorrow."

"Alright, Shouto. See you tomorrow," Katsuki laughed as he and Izuku waved goodbye.

The door shut behind them and Katsuki carefully situated himself beside Izuku on the bed. The greenette sat upright against the plush pillow to meet Katsuki at near eye level and red eyes took that moment to examine the injured man in front of him.

Izuku's left arm was wrapped up and various small nicks and scrapes were littered across all the exposed parts of his skin that the short sleeved hospital gown didn't cover. There was a look of love in Izuku's green eyes—but there was something distant inside of the longing gaze as well.

"How do you feel?" Katsuki asked and reached to hold Izuku's hand. He noted how warm it was as he stroked his thumb over Izuku's soft skin.

The younger man paused notably for several long moments.

The grip on their hands tightened as Katsuki watched Izuku's tired eyes flickered around the room and with every passing second Katsuki's gnawing worry only grew.

"...I don't know," Izuku's soft voice whispered and Katsuki felt his heart break. Izuku's dark green eyebrows knitted together before he looked back up at Katsuki with a softer expression. "B-But I'm happy to see you. I'm so glad you're okay. You're not hurt anywhere are you?"

Katsuki chuckled slightly and gave a half smirk.

"Of course you'd be in a hospital bed worried if _I'm_ hurt, Deku," his raspy voice replied tenderly as he leaned forward to place another kiss on Izuku's forehead. "I'm fine. I have a couple new additions to my body but I don't care. What matters is that you're safe and you're okay."

Izuku gave him a smile before glancing down. Sullen green eyes skated all over the crisp white bed sheets as if searching for the right words to say.

"I-I'm so sorry for all of this, Kacchan," Izuku whispered as he retracted his hand to nervously wring his hands together. "I brought so much chaos into everyone's lives by coming here."

"What? No, you didn't," Katsuki retorted in shock. Was Izuku really blaming himself for this? "None of this is your damn fault—"

"—But_ it is_," Izuku hissed. He squeezed his hands tighter and screwed his eyes closed. "Touya followed me _here_. He burned down a significant chunk of this city and a whole forest because of _me_. S-Shouto had to _kill_ his brother because of me. All the U.A and 1B officers' lives were at stake all because I allowed myself to be lured to that goddamn precinct and I couldn't fully get past my fear of fire to get out—"

Izuku's words were choked by his own tears as he sunk his fingernails into his palms unforgivingly.

Katsuki didn't say a word and allowed the crestfallen man to weep and purge all of his emotions. He could only speculate how the guilt inside of Izuku was compounding at an alarming rate. His parents' deaths. The Incinerator. Maybe Izuku was even blaming himself for The Red Dawn and all the lives lost at Dabi's hands. It was a lot, and Katsuki could only hope Izuku was properly separating himself from what Touya had done willingly.

"I-I'm not worth all of this, Katsuki."

Red eyes studied Izuku's shaking shoulders.

He noticed how they were sagged forward with the weight of the world and the guilt of over a thousand men. He imagined the burning burden must've been too much after discovering his first love was behind all the destruction in his life.

"There's a lot to unpack there but that's all not true," Katsuki said carefully as he placed his hand over Izuku's again. He beckoned for his lover's attention again until the tear-filled eyes glazed back at him. Katsuki gave a glass fragile smile as he lifted his other hand to cradle Izuku's cheek. "You're precious, Izuku. The circumstances were, yes, really fucking shitty, but everyone you mentioned is in the line of duty.

"If my purpose as a Lieutenant meant that I trained my whole life for the moment that I needed to save you, then every bullet, burn and more I suffered was worth it because you're _safe_. And I know from this past week all the other officers feel the same."

"You're being too sweet," Izuku whispered when Katsuki wiped away several of his tears.

"Naw, I'm not being sweet enough."

"I'm sorry about all of the other things then," Izuku said in a downhearted manner. "The sex tape, you getting nearly branded as a predator and that stupid kiss with Mirio. I really didn't kiss him and I never meant to make you feel disrespected—"

"I know. I know you would never—it's okay. None of that matters right now, Izuku," Katsuki reassured. "Not that it matters but he called me to apologize several days ago and explained it all. But that's all in the past and it means nothing. Not my reputation, not the trivial ass misunderstanding with Mirio nor all that stupid shit with the media. Fuck _all_ of that."

Izuku looked at him perplexed and Katsuki took a deep breath as he thought about all the things he wanted to say to Izuku.

He had several elaborate speeches memorized in his head that he practiced repeatedly for the last seven days. However, as he looked at Izuku's beautiful—_lively_—face it all flew out the window.

"I should be apologizing to you right now for that shitty thing _I_ said to you at the courthouse," Katsuki said and he could feel his own heart rate triple at the surprised expression leaking into Izuku's face. "I'm _so_ fucking sorry for lashing out at you like that and it won't ever happen again. I know I can have a temper and lose it sometimes but what I said wasn't okay in the slightest."

"But Kacchan, I understand why you were upset and why you said what you said. I nearly had cost you your job. I know your work means everything to you."

"No. Work is not the most important thing to me, it's _you_," Katsuki emphasized and Izuku went still. Stunned green eyes searched his face and Izuku double checked to make sure he was hearing correctly. Katsuki gave an apologetic smile. "I never want to make you feel like you're second place in my life like that ever again. My work will never be more important than you—than _us_."

"...Really?" Izuku asked carefully. His watery green eyes were full of longing and hope and Katsuki nodded with conviction.

"Absolutely."

The lieutenant pulled back his hand to reach into his uniform's pants pocket to reveal Izuku's small puzzle piece bracelet that was now fully repaired. Izuku let out a short, happy laugh that mixed with his joyful tears.

"You still have it," Izuku exclaimed in shock as he placed his hand over his mouth. "I-I thought it was lost."

"I never let it go." Katsuki smiled wider as he pulled back the long sleeve of his jacket to reveal his own. The bright sun caught the silver surface and it sparkled in the room. Katsuki could see the warmth inside of Izuku's heart overflow as he carefully placed the matching piece of jewelry back on Izuku's wrist.

And it still fit perfectly.

"I love you," Katsuki said finally, looking into Izuku's eyes.

"And I love you too." Izuku smiled and bent forward to give Katsuki a deep kiss and they embraced tightly in a long-awaited hug.

"I can't wait to get you out of here and back home."

"Y-Yeah," Izuku said into Katsuki's neck and his lover squeezed him more. "…Home."

Katsuki relished the feeling of Izuku's beating heart and warm body heat against his own and promised himself he wouldn't do anything to jeopardize their relationship again. While hugged into the embrace, Katsuki missed how green eyes skated off to the side.

They stared thoughtfully out at the window to Shizuoka City.

. . .

Izuku tried his best to go back to normal.

The number of charred pieces of his life left over from the hellfire covered him in thick soot. It felt like no matter how many times he showered or bathed—it never fully washed off.

It was as if an invisible char caked against his skin as he tried his best to navigate through his old life before Kuromata's wildfire. But several events occurred that ended up causing Izuku to make the single most important decision of his life. It was a decision he normally would have never taken, but it was one that he had finally had to.

The days after he woke in the hospital allowed his body to return to full strength. Katsuki was there every morning talking with the health professionals and helping him with the minor physical therapy he had to go through. It warmed Izuku's heart to hear Katsuki's laugh and feel his kiss again. It was gentle and loving and everything Katsuki did, he did with significant care.

When they returned back to the apartment, it was exactly how he left it before the chaos entered their lives.

It was still full of pictures of him, Katsuki and all the U.A officers and a welcoming atmosphere. Akira rushed up to him and smothered him in lovely tiny wet kisses and snuggles that made him laugh. Even his art studio looked as if it was frozen in time until his return. The cap on his burnt sienna oil paint was left off just like how he remembered, and the colorful palette had dried over from being abandoned for over a month.

Everything was the same from before the court case but Izuku couldn't place his finger on why the atmosphere suddenly felt different to be inside the luxury loft. He kept finding himself feeling empty and absentmindedly placing his hand over his stomach's gunshot wound.

Katsuki would notice this and ask him if he was okay or if his body still hurt.

"I'm fine," Izuku would rebuttal with a tight smile. "I swear, I think I'm still adjusting the feeling of the scar on my stomach."

Izuku could tell Katsuki only half believed this. Red eyes were skeptical and worried.

"Okay," his lover would reply slowly. "Be sure to let me know if you do need anything, alright?"

"Alright."

The next week came after his discharge from the hospital and Izuku felt his heart healing, but it healed around a wound he couldn't place his finger on. It was open and it hurt. It caused tears to be tethered to the edge of his eyes, but he was never distraught enough to let them fall. It was a terrible limbo he knew he would be stuck in unless he figured out what was wrong and properly addressed it.

At first, he thought the pain stemmed from Touya. His first love that he willingly let into his life over and over had tried to kill him but for some reason that wasn't as shocking as Izuku thought it was as he mulled over it. Kai had bitterly warned him so long ago, and Kai was right.

The narrative of his and Touya's tragic ballad ended with him brushing shoulders with death and Touya being fully taken away into the darkness.

The burn of Touya reappearing then disappearing all over again was scalding hot and hard to digest—but like Shouto had said: Izuku realized he was settled in feeling disappointed.

All his grief for his first love had been bled dry.

Izuku realized this when the day of Touya's tiny, secret funeral came. It was organized by Shouto who asked Katsuki to pull some strings to properly bury his brother's ashes in the tomb his mother believed he was inside of.

"She deserves to be paying respect to the correct remains," Shouto had explained. Izuku and Katsuki nodded in agreement, feeling as if it was the right choice.

Originally, Shouto hadn't told either of them about the funeral, nor that he was even planning on holding one. It wasn't until Izuku pried it out of him over their first dinner together after his release from the hospital that Shouto confessed he was going to pay his final respects.

After that, Izuku realized that Shouto shouldn't go alone. No one should be doing that alone, especially after what Shouto had to do. Izuku pushed that all three of them should venture together.

Part of him was hoping seeing Touya in his final, actual, resting ground would also put to rest the growing feeling of numbness in his core. It was spreading from the nearly fatal gunshot wound.

They all dressed in all black, and just like the day of Touya's original funeral, it was gloomy and raining. The trio arrived in Shouto's car at the Todoroki grave site with pitch black umbrellas that the rain poured down against. Katsuki had his arm protectively around Izuku's shoulders and Izuku's green eyes studied the cigarette Shouto lit.

The youngest Todoroki took a deep inhale of the nicotine as they walked down to the grave. When they arrived, sitting there just like it had been nearly four years ago now, was the gray headstone that haunted Izuku's dreams.

But now, it didn't.

Izuku felt close to nothing as he stared upon that fateful name that turned his life upside down. He thought maybe something inside of him was broken because despite knowing Touya's real ashes were inside finally—Izuku's heart did nothing. It stayed utterly still.

Green eyes studied all the new wear and tear on the tomb. It had nicks and scratches on it, clearly neglected and worn in comparison to the other headstones in the family grave site. The others had colorful flowers placed all around and were clearly tended to with care.

"No roses this time?" Shouto asked as he carefully studied Izuku out the corner of his eye.

The youngest man shook his head. He realized in that moment when everything stood still, that he had finally moved past all the hurt that had been living inside of his soul for years.

"No. No more roses for him."

Shouto smiled slightly.

Katsuki's arm around him rubbed his shoulder affectionately and a loving kiss was delicately placed against his curls. Izuku smiled slightly, feeling proud of himself and proud of Shouto as well who said a handful of short, kind words that were limited.

Then when Shouto was done, he took one long drag of his cigarette before leaning down and putting it out on top of the wet headstone.

"Stay in there this time, big brother."

When they went back to the car, the trio took one last final look at all their shared ghost before Shouto put the car in drive. Izuku watched as the graveyard steadily became smaller as they drove away in the vicious downpour. The pitter patter of the rain against the window turned into a sullen melody when no music was played the entire drive back.

As Izuku stared at the grave until it was no longer visible, he left all his past baggage behind with Touya.

It faded into the grey background with no emphasis, no beautiful metaphor nor memorable anecdote—and that was exactly how Izuku wanted it. He accepted not all endings had a magical finish or fit into the way he ideally wished the world was. Sometimes endings were as bittersweet as the pain of remembering the beginning of the end, and that was okay.

But as he sealed the chapter on Touya for good, the unnamed feeling of hollowness still remained, and it made Izuku worry.

. . .

The next month and a half passed, bringing them fully into blissful summer all over again. The sun was shining bright in Shizuoka City just as the same day he had arrived nearly a full year ago. The trees were blessed with vibrant green foliage and laughter of families hummed into the gentle air.

Izuku found himself in the middle of a hot May happy with Katsuki and the past almost washed away.

Almost.

Katsuki's 28th birthday had passed in April and Izuku threw the largest party he could manage down at the new U.A/1B district station. All the officers were pooled together until the new U.A precinct could be rebuilt and Izuku found it fun to watch all his friends at the station blend in with new people.

He witnessed a new, budding friendship between Kirishima and a detective named Tetsutetsu take flight. They exchanged all their skills and 'manliness' talks while other officers chatted and smiled. The rivalry between the two stations had finally come to a close when both squads could relate to having a hard-ass of a Lieutenant down their backs all the time.

Every police officer sang happy birthday to a reluctant Katsuki who huffed but participated nonetheless because Izuku baked him his favorite flavor of spicy cinnamon cake.

The now ex-detective remembered how it felt like watching all his friends laughing and chatting in their uniforms with other officers. And it wasn't the bubbly, welcoming feeling he was expecting.

He felt like an outsider almost.

Izuku studied his lover's crisp white lieutenant's uniform that day in a different light. The golden buttons, the perfectly knitted orange tie that matched his ember like eyes. Izuku then stared at Denki's happy smile and listened to Ochaco's bubbly laughter. And finally, he took in the picture of all the U.A officers happy together—without him.

And it was a reminder to Izuku that the people in front of him had been happy before he worked with them, and now even after he left. They were happy.

That's when it hit him like a freight-train. Izuku realized what the hollowness in his core was.

He didn't have a single one of his own, personal dreams fulfilled and he was left feeling empty.

Later that evening when Katsuki came back to the apartment, Izuku was covered head to toe in paint as he tried to put away the empty feeling by reassuring himself that he would get a job again and that it would all be okay.

But when the time came for job hunting, the Shizuoka City police positions closed tight. Not even a single breeze of air could get through. He tried every department that wasn't U.A but was turned away repeatedly for an entire month.

"I'm sorry, Midoriya. This station isn't hiring either," one male officer told him at the end of his journey in May. The look in the man's brown eyes was regretful, and the guy clearly recognized who Izuku was from all the internal buzz. "With the reform plan getting finalized, there's not going to be any new hiring in any department—forensics, private investigations, all of it. It's all shut down for a really long time."

Izuku remembered how he fidgeted. "How long is _really long_?"

The man sighed and had looked over his shoulder to check for others listening. He leaned in carefully and motioned for Izuku to do the same. When they were in close distance of each other the man informed Izuku of information that shattered his fragile heart.

"I heard The Commissioner say that it's going to be nearly a year. With all the recently exposed crooked cops and politicians, they don't want to risk letting someone in right now and they _really_ can't give favoritism at the moment. There's a lot of shifting of positions going around, so when they reopen there's going to be a back flood of applications and the new training process is going to be three times as intense."

Izuku's heart sank to the floor.

"A _year_?" Izuku parroted in a desperate manner. "A year for a _maybe_? I-Is there really not going to be any other openings?"

"Yeah, it's tough. That's what my friend whose secretary for the Commissioner says." The man gave a sympathetic smile. "But at least in the meantime, I heard you're back together with Lieutenant Bakugou. Word through the grapevine is that he's going to get bumped up to Captain soon. He can take care of you until new detective positions open back up, right?"

Izuku gave a surprised smile but it intensely clashed with another feeling inside of his chest.

"R-Right. He can...take care of me."

He was overjoyed to hear that Katsuki was being considered for a Captain's position—it's what his lover had always wanted. What Katsuki strove towards for years non-stop and why he worked over time constantly. He was so happy for the man he loved because that was Katsuki's dream.

But hearing that his own future would be on pause for a year or more made Izuku become uneasy. He suddenly felt like he was attached to a sail on a boat that he no longer was steering and there was no anchor to cease his drifting.

He thought about his mother, father and all the dreams he had dedicated to them to keep their memory alive.

The police-work, the artistry. Getting back to his childhood home and reopening his mother's shop. It all seemed to be slipping away from him and he felt hopeless. He didn't want their passing to be chalked up to nothing. Not after their lives were collateral in his and Touya's mess and now that the only belongings he had of his only family was burned down to ashes somewhere.

Izuku had nothing.

And now there felt like there was nothing he could do but smile through the pain.

Izuku went back to the apartment that afternoon and the numb feeling stemming from his stomach took root and spread all over until he cried silently to himself. It was as if there was a large section of himself missing when he came to the conclusion his dreams would never be fully realized in the end.

He had everything snatched away from by Touya and the Shigarakis and now he was left feeling barren.

Purposeless.

After all that had happened, the void eating away at Izuku made the sadness in his core run rampant. He thought about how much he had sacrificed over and over again. Yet still, he somehow wound up with nothing to remember his parents by.

No notebooks from his father. No paintings from his mother. No childhood home. No flower shop and now—no detective's job.

He finally realized why his stomach hurt so much in a bitter manner. He connected the dots that it was because that's exactly where Touya took aim to end his life. The gunshot wounds and burns spanning across his flesh were sour reminders that he had nearly died without accomplishing anything he had set out to do. Now, Izuku feared that he may die again soon and it set an anxious rhythm inside of his chest. He realized there was no telling what could happen after such a close brush with the other side.

He had been given too many passes by fate and he doubted that she would give him another.

Everything around him was suddenly too fragile.

Watery green eyes stared at the empty luxury loft that lacked the one person he wanted to see. It was then that the echo of tiny paws ran towards him. His puppy's bark filled the home and Izuku smiled sadly and peaked around the corner as Akira ran up to his feet. She wagged her tail happily at him and it made Izuku laugh slightly while he wiped away his tears.

"I guess it'll be me and you for a year...or more." He couldn't hide the disappointment as he bent down to pick up the tiny Shiba Inu. The sullen man sauntered into the kitchen to prepare dinner for when Katsuki came back. "But your papa is going to be a Captain soon," he whispered. "At least one of us will have our dreams."

For the next month and a half, Izuku tried to adjust.

He tacked on a happy facade with the brightest smile in the world which was fueled solely by his love for Katsuki.

Every day he tried to pick up a new hobby to couple with painting in order to keep himself busy. He tested out 3D origami, extreme baking, and Katsuki even paid for a handful of random dance classes. Each new hobby left him feeling emptier than the last when Izuku realized painting alone could not fill the hole that was in his heart.

Each afternoon, Izuku went out for groceries and took Akira on her scheduled walk. He would take a good long hard look around him at Shizuoka City every time he did this. He noted how the lifestyle of the busy city folks was always something he tried to fit in with for survival while running from the Shigarakis—but now he was no longer running.

He tried to go to the limited parks that were overflowing with people, or the beaches that were jammed. The citizens accidentally stepped on his toes and bumped his shoulder impolitely without saying 'excuse me' all the time.

Izuku tried making new friends with no fruition at the gym or in the store. With all his failed attempts to form a life outside of his lover and friends at U.A, he was left with nothing to do until the weekends time and time again. So, Izuku was stuck at home. Painting by himself and playing with Akira.

Which brought him all the way to one particular night in the middle of hot June.

He was currently lying in bed side by side with Katsuki watching a movie as his lover studied a new case's files. The nighttime of the city blanketed over them as Katsuki had several fans going in the intense summer heat. Izuku smiled at the handsome blond who had his black glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. Every now and then, Katsuki scrunched up his face when he read a new detail in the red colored folder that seemed to puzzle him.

Izuku smiled thinking about the possible secret promotion Katsuki would be getting soon. He deserved it.

While staring at the blond's handsomely sharp profile, Katsuki's red eyes flickered over to him and a sly smirk slid onto his face.

"Do you want to read over the file with me?" The deep voice of his lover proposed and Izuku frowned in confusion. Katsuki emphasized his question by holding up the dense file again and Izuku tilted his head.

"Are you sure?" Izuku questioned but couldn't deny the inkling of happiness that sparked at the thought.

"Of course. I don't mind at all," Katsuki chuckled. "I could use a fresh set of eyes on this and you always did have a way of putting things together in a manner no one else on the team could. You're fucking talented."

The smile on Izuku's freckled features stretched wide and he snuggled in closer to the elder man. "Alrighty, if you _insist_, Lieutenant."

Izuku perked up and couldn't help the joyful feeling of having a case file in his hands again. They looked through the papers and pictures together and Katsuki fed intricate details to Izuku.

It wasn't until the time crawled into the depths of night, did Izuku realize how much he missed doing this. He came to a conclusion that Katsuki should follow up on a witness testimony that may have been false and the Lieutenant gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek at the end.

"Great job as always, nerd," Katsuki whispered and Izuku could feel a familiar warmth spread all over him. "I miss having you at the station. It's not the same."

"Yeah," Izuku said distantly. "I miss being at the station too."

Katsuki huffed and looked at Izuku with a mixed expression. Izuku observed as his lover leaned back and stared at all the scattered papers on top of the red bed sheets.

"...If you want, I can start bringing home all my files and we can work on them together," Katsuki suggested with a sad smile. "I know a year is a long time to wait for uncertainty. I wish there was more me or Toshinori could do but I want you to feel like you're still very much the bright detective you are."

Izuku stared at the case sprawled out in front of him and a droplet of glum trickled into the happy mood. He realized what made him feel complete, but the circumstances were barring him from what he truly wanted.

He trialed his gaze up to Katsuki's devoted expression.

"Okay." Izuku gave a taut smile. "I would actually love that. Thank you, Kacchan."

By the time the next morning came, there was a different feeling in the air. Izuku watched from under the comforter as his lover got dressed for work. He smiled endearingly as he watched the blond fiddle with his golden cufflinks and picked out a green tie.

But the numbness inside of Izuku only grew when he eyed the two large burns on Katsuki's bare muscular back as he put on his shirt.

When his lover was out of the door after breakfast, Izuku let his shoulders sag in private. He stayed rooted at the dining table and gazed at the dirty dishes he would clean in a melancholy manner. Izuku shifted to put Akira in his lap as he scrolled down social media on his phone lazily.

He reopened his Instagram account for the first time in a long time and the vibrant image he was immediately graced with was a smiling picture of Itsuka.

His heart startled with surprise because he hadn't spoken to her since he left Yaizu nearly a year ago in hopes of keeping her safe. But there on the screen, her long ginger hair was flowing in the breeze with a handmade flower crown adding to her beauty. Izuku studied the crown and felt something inside of him twist when he realized that's what they used to do all the time. In the background was a beautiful, familiar summer green setting and she was twirling around in a sparkling egg-shell white dress.

A smile twitched on the lonely man's face. He read the location pinned to the picture.

_Yaizu_.

Izuku's face twisted in raw emotions as he looked around the empty luxury loft. He stared at all the happy photographs on the wall with decorated frames and then finally down to Akira in her tiny red bandana around her neck.

"Want to take a field trip today?" He asked his puppy sadly and she only wagged her tail in agreeance. "I think I need to go visit a couple people today."

. . .

Katsuki sighed after the long day finally came to a close directly on the dot of 5:00pm. He was thankful as all hell to be done with the day after being worked to the bone by Toshinori.

His Captain was giving him an influx in cases for some reason and asking his opinion on absolutely _everything_. The blue eyes of his superior were watching him carefully these last handful of months. Katsuki assumed Toshinori wanted to make sure he wasn't going to screw up with his emotions like he had all those years ago, but something was different.

Every time Toshinori got his advice on a new case or possible administrative decision, the older blond would give a hearty laugh and slap him hard enough on the back to accelerate his early age back problems.

The behavior was welcomed because Katsuki wanted nothing more than to appease the man he looked up to for so long. But at the moment, his thoughts were focused on getting back home to Izuku.

"See you all later, I'm going to head home early," he called out to the floor full of his squad as he walked past his best friend. Kirishima gave him a bright wave and Katsuki let a sarcastic smirk grace his sharp features. "Don't stay in the office too late you bunch of extras."

"Oh wow, that's fucking _rich_ coming from your stiff ass!" Kirishima called out over the room full of laughter. "Tell the green bean we said hello and that we miss him!"

"Will do, shitty hair." Katsuki gave a two-fingered salute before he threw on his motorcycle jacket and fastened his brown satchel to his body.

He left the station early with a mild pep in his stride thinking about seeing the happy expression on Izuku's face to go over another case with him.

The last few months, Katsuki noted the fading expression of light in the other man's green eyes and it left him feeling nearly desperate on what to do. He knew Izuku was doubling his therapy sessions and trying to purge his emotions about what had happened, but it seemed as if Izuku was stuck. And as in stuck, Katsuki meant literally. It seemed like being cooped up in the apartment was taking a toll on Izuku but there wasn't much that could be done.

Izuku expressed that he didn't enjoy walking around shady ass Shizuoka City and personally, Katsuki didn't blame him. It was part of the reason Katsuki rarely went out and he kept his nose stuck in his work for the most part.

There wasn't much here that he truly thought Izuku would enjoy outside of him and work.

The entire ride back home on Ground Zero made Katsuki realize that if he could give Izuku the inclination of helping him work on cases, then maybe Izuku could be happy again—or at least hold him over the next year.

Which was a whole other damn issue. A very _very_ shitty issue. On one hand, Katsuki was more than thankful that there was headway on finally revamping the bullshit system and plucking all the people who helped Enji's corruption spread. On the other hand, he was saddened that it took an accelerant like destructive ass Touya to get the job done.

And now Izuku was emotionally suffering from being out of work.

When Katsuki got home and twisted his silver key in the lock, he was immediately welcomed with the warm scent of his favorite meal. He took off his shoes and walked into the kitchen curiously to see Izuku had already set the table for dinner.

The spicy aroma of tantanmen filled the air and there was a pile of pastel colored sugary sweets on the table for him. Izuku turned to him and that loving, sweet look was flashed to him. Katsuki smiled at the warmth that coated him when Akira came running towards him. He bent down ready to give her all the love he had in the world.

"Hey you two," Katsuki said with a happy smirk while petting and cooing his puppy. "I thought it was my turn to cook tonight. You beat me to it, dork."

"Heh, I guess I couldn't wait," Izuku replied with a seemingly refreshed smile. "I wanted to make sure you enjoyed dinner tonight."

There was a glowing air around Izuku but there was something else awaiting in his eyes as well. The other man's viridian eyes held an unreadable emotion inside of them that Katsuki couldn't quite place. Katsuki sat his things down as they idly chatted but the more they chatted, he couldn't ignore the increasingly nervous aura encompassing Izuku.

They sat down to eat and gradually Izuku's leg began bouncing. Next he began fidgeting with his hands and his eyes would dance off to the side when Katsuki started discussing what was new with the squad. He wearily watched Izuku push around the noodles in his bowl and noted how his lover was barely eating.

Katsuki's heart rate tripled unsure if he should pry but he swallowed his fears and stared curiously at the green eyed beauty across the table.

"How was your day today? Did you do anything fun?" Katsuki asked.

Izuku's eyes flashed up at him from the brown broth in the bowl and the bouncing of his leg increased.

"I...I went to Yaizu today," Izuku confessed in a tiny voice. Katsuki's heart stopped, fully not anticipating that answer. "I mainly went so I could visit my parents' graves. After what happened I-I needed to and I guess subconsciously I was avoiding it."

Katsuki blinked, unsure of what the right words were.

"That's—" He started and swallowed the dry lump in his throat. He pushed his egg around in his own bowl with his chopsticks when premonition filled his veins. "That's good. I'm glad you went, 'zuku. Are you feeling okay?"

And that's when he saw Izuku's eyes glance down again—a clear sign that, _no_, Izuku was not feeling okay.

"Being there...made me realize something," Izuku murmured and Katsuki didn't fail to notice how he dodged the question entirely. "I think I was avoiding going back because I knew if I went, I wouldn't want to leave...and I was right. Being back in Yaizu made me realize that I'm not supposed to be _here_—in Shizuoka and I never really was ever supposed to. I-I don't belong—"

"What? Of course you belong here—"

"—No, no. Let me finish," Izuku quickly corrected and Katsuki felt his heart start to whisper to him where this was going. "I-I didn't mean it in _that_ way. I meant it in the way you describe that you don't belong in Tokyo. How you knew you weren't supposed to be there...deep down."

A pang inside of Katsuki's ribcage hit him because he knew exactly what Izuku was talking about.

He hated living in Tokyo for more than just the reasons of his family. He didn't like the lifestyle or the bustling, overcrowded streets. He hated the megatrons that taunted him and he disliked all the people who never looked up for a single moment to care about who was next to them.

Shizuoka City was a less intense Tokyo that he could tolerate—but it was still the same type of atmosphere overall.

"W-When I came here, I wanted a new beginning thinking I could outrun my past but instead I only brought it here with me," Izuku said with a sad smile as he reached across the table to place his gentle hand on top of Katsuki's. "I only left Yaizu because I was trying to get away from the Shigarakis. I left my hometown because it was torn away from me by them.

"Then the entire time I've been here—Touya happened. Touya made living here a living hell and every fiber in my being always wanted to go back to see my parents but I _couldn't_. I wasn't allowed to because I was _so_ sure the Shigarakis would kill me."

"But they're gone now," Katsuki filled in when he now could guess where this was going.

He blinked back the tears quickly forming in his eyes because he knew this was coming. He knew Izuku hadn't been happy the last three months and this was very much an option.

"Y-Yeah, they're gone _and_ Touya's gone," Izuku said and tears quickly formed in forest colored eyes. "When I stood in front of my parents' graves today, I realized how much I missed being in my hometown. I walked around, visited old friends I cut contact with for the sake of their safety and did all the things I used to _love_ doing that I could never do here in a city as big as Shizouka. Or Tokyo.

"I even talked to all of my parents' old neighbors and friends," Izuku said with a lighthearted laugh. "They had _so_ many questions for me and they kept pinching my cheeks."

Katsuki chuckled with him and squeezed his hand because the look of happiness was so radiant on Izuku's face talking about Yaizu—like it always was.

"Then I found out the woman who owned the building with my mother's old flower shop and gallery is selling the space. Katsuki...she offered it to me at a lower price because she knows me and then I talked to one of my dad's old police friends."

Katsuki held his breath for the drop that was imminent and braced himself for his heart to shatter.

"They offered me a job as a second class detective," Izuku said through a heartbroken smile and all the tears the green eyed man was holding came pouring down. Katsuki gave a happy smile through his own tears that were rushing down his cheeks. "I-It's a rank higher than I was before. There's finally an expansion of new jobs in the police department in Yaizu after their own reformation a couple years ago."

"It's perfect. That's—" Katsuki smiled weakly before his face crumpled like paper into a devastated expression. "That's...where you belong."

"It is," Izuku wept while he nodded.

Their hands squeezed tighter and Katsuki thought back on all the things he wanted with the man in front of him that the fates just didn't seem to want to allow them to have.

"A-And I can't ask you—I-I can't ask you to give up everything you built here for me. Y-You've achieved so much here in Shizuoka City and you're only going to achieve more. You have a life here that you've spent nearly seven years building. I only showed up eleven months ago and I can't bring myself to ask you to give it all up for me on the spot."

Katsuki closed his eyes and placed his hand over his quivering mouth when he realized that Izuku was right.

Izuku shouldn't stay in Shizuoka City.

He imagined Izuku was like a rose that had been dug up and transplanted into a fruitless soil miles away from where he belonged. His petals had been stolen or burned off by someone and Izuku needed sunlight and proper care to fully shine and regrow—and Shizuoka City wasn't that place.

It was Yaizu.

He knew his lover was wilting, his spirit was being progressively worn down with each passing day. Izuku shouldn't be forced to live in a cage inside of a city that he never wanted to be inside of, or live in a manner he never wanted to. A year was too long for a maybe at happiness and Izuku had sacrificed himself too much already.

Sorrowful scarlet eyes gazed back up at Izuku whose body was shaking. His green curls hung over his face and they casted a deep blue shadow as he sniffled and held on tightly to Katsuki's hands across the table.

"I'm s-so sorry," Izuku apologized and his voice cracked at the end of his apology. "I-I don't know how this conversation was s-supposed to go—" he hiccupped and Katsuki quickly moved to walk around to the other side of the table and kneeled down directly in front of the crying man.

He attentively turned the shaking Izuku to face him and gently interlaced their hands. Everything in Katsuki's heart mourned the idea of Izuku leaving after everything.

The saddened green haired man lifted his head to reveal his tear streaked face. "I'm so s-sorry, K-Kacchan."

"It's okay, don't be sorry," Katsuki said and forced himself to smile when he felt a warm feeling inside of his chest begin to bloom. He could see conflict collide across Izuku's face like his freckled skin was a battleground.

But more importantly he saw something he always wanted for Izuku.

"I'm happy you're putting yourself first finally," Katsuki whispered and leaned down to place a loving kiss on top of Izuku's trembling hands. "I want you to start thinking of yourself, 'zuku...you deserve to after everything. You should go back to Yaizu if it makes you happy."

"B-But I don't want to leave _you_," Izuku begged sadly. "I love you _so_ much. It feels wrong to leave but it also feels wrong to stay and I-I don't know what to do. Plus, y-you've done so much for me."

Katsuki 'tch'd under his breath and shook his head. "I did all of that for you so you can live out your dreams," Katsuki corrected with a signature smirk in an attempt to lift Izuku's spirits. "I didn't do it only so that we can be together like some binding contract. I did it so that you could live your life happily."

To that Izuku gave a painstakingly beautiful smile. It was thankful, mournful but overall it was as complex as the man who walked into his life one fateful night.

The way his fallen star-like freckles bent around his soft features and the shy dimple poked out of his left cheek made Katsuki's heart both soar and sink somehow in the same beat. These were the tiny details about the artist that Katsuki had come to adore. Izuku was as priceless and unique as one of his paintings, with every brush stroke being similar to his unique canvas of a body.

And every scar, burn, freckle and melodic laugh were details that allowed Katsuki to let go of his first, real love so that Izuku could be allowed to flourish.

"It's time for you to go back home, Izuku."

. . .

The next month without Izuku was calm. It was a type of calm that Katsuki had never felt because it was both full yet in the same breath, utterly empty. His heart was full knowing Izuku was back where he belonged. However, the conflicting emotion of emptiness told him something was wrong with the picture in front of him.

He was currently sitting in the break room at the temporary station scrolling down Izuku's Instagram to ease the pull in his heart. He saw the joyful green eyed man post pictures of getting the lease back for his mother's shop and happily be reinstated as a detective. His current favorite photo was a snapshot of Akira wearing Izuku's new Yaizu City Police badge around her neck while surrounded by Izuku's new friendly looking squad.

The look on Izuku's round face was finally bright again and that's when Katsuki knew they made the right decision.

Yet and still—he felt half empty.

He couldn't help but note how Izuku was still wearing his puzzle piece in all the pictures.

"Dude, did you see the official new plans for the new Uchimizu Ave police precinct!?" Denki asked him as he barged into the break room. He was waving around a tiny white and blue pamphlet in his hands as if it was the damn map to Atlantis. "We're going to be living like _kings_! Commissioner Nezu really came through for us!"

Katsuki exhaled roughly through his nostrils and quickly shut his phone.

"Let me have a look," he grumbled, and everyone quickly gathered around as Katsuki was handed the new blueprints. All the officers crowded around with wide, curious eyes as Katsuki spread out the folded piece of paper wide for all to see and everyone's face lit up in astonishment. "_Holy—_"

"—Fucking hell, man!" Kirishima gleefully shouted. He squealed loudly and aggressively shook Mina's shoulders as she clasped her hands together. "This is _insane_! Look at those windows, and that parking lot! No more street parking!"

Katsuki was rendered speechless.

Out of everything he was anticipating—this was not it. The new building had a modern build to it and it was designed in a manner that it was both a precinct and a rest stop for civilians to help bridge the gap between law enforcement and the public. Gold lettering of 'U.A' was designed to hang above the glass doors in the pristine all white design and it looked damn good.

_Past_ good if Katsuki was being honest with himself. This was every workaholic's dream.

"Wow, this is honestly really impressive," Monoma said with a low whistle. The other lieutenant sipped his coffee casually and gave a nod of approval. "I have to admit I'm a little jealous of you, Bakugou."

Katsuki didn't know what to say because he felt—

—Close to nothing.

"Yeah," he whispered confused when his chest didn't swell with pride or flutter with excitement. "This is...great."

Monoma smiled at him, completely ignorant to the raging war that just ignited inside of the puzzled workaholic. He should be fucking ecstatic right now. Jumping up and down and shoving it down his rival's throat. He always dreamed of working in a better designed station given that's where he basically spent the previous four years of his life.

However, the past year was different.

He then realized that there was something the new blueprints didn't have and never would.

"You guys have to admit," Momo started with a graceful air around her. "Despite everything, there's something oddly poetic about how some of the most beautiful things come after everything has been burned down. Like soot is groundwork for new beginnings and life."

Katsuki stayed silent as he let his comrade's words settle in his thoughts.

After several more comments and chatting, everyone started to go back to work with Kirishima, Sero, and Denki continuing to gawk at their new station. The trio went into full blown fanboy mode and talked about all the different new common rooms, computers, and resources that were going to be available.

Katsuki walked off instead of joining in. The lonely blond stationed himself off in the corner and decided to fill up another cup of dark liquid inside of his mug. In that moment while stuck in the deep crevasses of his thoughts, Katsuki didn't notice how Shouto stationed himself next to him in a knowing manner.

"Hey, can I ask you a small question?" Shouto began but Katsuki didn't look up as he mixed his creamer inside of his coffee.

"Of course, ask me whatever," Katsuki said offhandedly not entirely paying attention. His thoughts were too stuck on pretty dark green curls.

"How is Izuku? He seems so busy recently, I can barely reach him."

This time Katsuki paid attention. He finally turned his eyes to Shouto and had no clue on where to even explain that—or if he even wanted to. The pain in his chest tripled.

"I think he's tied up setting up his new art gallery and getting settled in at work. Or at least that's what I see through social media," Katsuki muttered under his breath. He thought about all the happy photos of Izuku posted online and tried to ignore the pining in his heart. "He hasn't really reached out to me too much either. A text here and there and some pictures...but it's limited. I think it's easier for him this way."

"...And how are you feeling about all of this?" Shouto asked while still treading carefully. "You haven't talked much about it either. It's been a month since he left and his birthday is coming up."

"I'm happy that he's happy," Katsuki reinforced because it had to be true.

He _had_ to be happy for Izuku. And if Izuku was better off in Yaizu—then fine. His own needs weren't more important than Izuku's after all the bullshit they were dragged through by self destructive assholes. Examples given: Enji, Touya and even goddamn Mirio.

"I'm actually really relieved he decided to put himself first after everything, y'know?" Katsuki said more so to himself. He straightened his back as he watched his coffee turn from dark brown to a smooth mocha color. "Even if that means being without me. I'm glad that the nerd is thinking about his own needs for once."

"Well, technically Izuku never said _that_," Shouto corrected.

"...What the hell are you talking about?" Katsuki frowned and narrowed his sharp gaze. "You weren't there when he was sobbing in my damn kitchen. I think I remember what he said to me very clearly."

"I know, but I talked to him after. He only said that he couldn't stay in Shizuoka City—not be without you," Shouto calmly explained. "I think he didn't want to propose to you moving with him because of the new position you're about to get. He's still Izuku at the end of the day, caring all about others more than himself."

At this Katsuki paused at the latter half of what his friend said. The blond's mouth hung open slightly and he tilted his head when he couldn't figure out what that meant.

"What new position are you talking about?" Katsuki harshly whispered and his expression became down right baffled.

Shouto's eyes widened by several fractions and Katsuki felt his nostrils flare in irritation. What the _fuck_ was going on—

"Izuku didn't tell you?" Shouto said and quickly scanned all the other nearby officers.

Katsuki shook his head slowly mildly out of worry because what the hell was about to be sprung on him _now_? Everything had finally settled down and he didn't know if his brain could take another surprise after this past year.

The youngest Todoroki leaned in slightly and in a hushed tone whispered, "He had heard a while ago that you're going to be—"

"—Bakugou!" Toshinori's voice boomed into the break room. Both young detectives startled at the authoritative calling of Katsuki's surname and turned around quickly. "If it's a good time, I would like to speak to you in my office about something important."

Shouto and Katsuki exchanged glances.

. . .

Katsuki sat down in the blue chair of Toshinori's temporary office absolutely fucking confused. He stared up at all the awards, certificates and trophies that he knew damn well were lost in old precinct. They sparkled and glimmered as if nothing happened. It was as if someone had somehow protected them from being burned in the fire that happened several months ago.

Just when Katsuki thought he might be hallucinating, his Captain lifted up a very large heavy box from behind his desk. Toshinori gave a grunt as he dropped it on the table with a grin brighter than the damn sun.

"What is this?" Katsuki questioned and wrinkled his brow. The confused lieutenant stood up carefully to peer over inside of the brown box and was even _more_ floored to see more of what was neatly tucked inside.

Familiar gold medallions, awards, pins and pictures were stacked on top of each other, glittering in their promised glory.

"It's the replacements for all your awards from Commissioner Nezu," Toshinori chuckled with a fatherly laughter. "He decided to get all the U.A officers their awards remade after the rescue mission's success and also for helping out in reforming the police department. A large thank you gesture after everything in our precinct was destroyed."

Katsuki reached his hand inside of the box and blinked hard several times because he had utterly forgotten about all of this shit.

He picked up one of the trophies he remembered shining and putting directly on his desk after he received it. He had been so proud of it and wanted everyone to see it when they walked in his office so that they knew what he had accomplished. To know that he was worth something.

But somehow in the midst of the past year—Katsuki had forgotten it's entire existence.

Before the young blond could stop himself, small laughter bubbled from deep down inside of Katsuki's chest as he looked at all the things inside of the brown box. Katsuki tried to stop it but couldn't control his chuckling as he looked down at all the things he used to hold so dearly.

"What's so funny?" Toshinori asked in a perplexed voice. Katsuki cleared his throat and straightened out his face.

"Nothing. I—" The young Lieutenant shook his head quickly and shoved down another chuckle. He gave what used to be his favorite achievement award a look of amusement. "Sorry. I had forgotten how easily replaceable all of this stuff is for a really long time, that's all. It's a little ironic to see it all here again in mint condition."

Then in that moment he realized what would never be replaceable and why he felt half full.

His eyes flickered to the framed picture of all three Midoriyas on Toshinori's desk that the Captain always kept. Izuku's parents were happily smiling holding up a tiny toddler version of Izuku between them. The mini Izuku was grinning brighter than all the stars combined while wearing his father's police hat that was too big for his head.

Katsuki couldn't help but crack a smirk when he could feel the love captured in that moment in time radiate through a single picture.

"By the way, how is...Izuku?" Katsuki said quietly as his eyes gazed over the box full of his accomplishments. "Have you spoken to him at all? He seems rather busy nowadays. Not even Shouto can reach him."

"You haven't spoken to him?" Toshinori pried as he seemed the tiniest bit surprised.

"No. I figured I would give him space to readjust and take a breather to himself." Katsuki shook his head in a dejected manner and he didn't miss how blue eyes flickered down to his wrist that was still displaying his matching charm bracelet.

"Well, he seems to be doing well," Toshinori said with an understanding smile. "I took a trip out to visit Yaizu last weekend and while I was there, it seems like Izuku is blending in really easily into the force in Yaizu again. The art gallery is set to go for its opening next week I believe but...I think he's stretching himself mildly thin."

Katsuki's attention piqued. He shouldn't be worried about Izuku but deep down, he couldn't help it.

"What do you mean?" He asked and Toshinori's eyes assessed him very cautiously.

The large man sat down at his desk and Katsuki took a seat as well. In that moment, Toshinori folded his hands and thoughtfully looked at the family picture of the Midoriyas by his computer.

"He's been working a lot of extra shifts at the station and trying to sell a large chunk of paintings so he can purchase back his childhood home," Toshinori confessed.

The image of Izuku bustling around scraping for cash entered Katsuki's brain and felt himself conflicted.

_...Why didn't he ask me for the money? _Katsuki frowned slightly.

"He's always been very attached to that house which I can't blame him for," Toshinori continued. A blue expression painted over Toshinori's face while looking upon the shining pictures of his old best friends. "His parents had it custom built so it's one of a kind. Inko and Hisashi had bought it when they were pregnant with Izuku and it was supposed to be their gift to him once they finished paying it all off...but things change. Not all dreams are fully realized."

Katsuki felt his heart grow heavy at the harsh reality of Toshinori's words.

"That's actually very sweet about the house, I didn't know that," Katsuki said with a saccharine smile. He tried his best to snap himself out of his worried thoughts because knowing that fiercely determined green haired man, Izuku would get his way. "I'm sure he'll be able to buy it back in no time then with the doubling down on work."

"Well, maybe not." Toshinori grimaced and folded his hands in deep thought. "Unfortunately, there's wind that someone else is interested in the home and may put a down payment on it soon unless Izuku can come up with the money to outbid them."

This time, Katsuki couldn't shake himself from his thoughts.

_He's going to lose his parents' home._

Katsuki's mouth hung open in shock but before he could process it fully, Toshinori drew himself out of his own pensive state.

"But—as much as I love Izuku, he's not what I wanted to talk to you about," his Captain quickly changed the subject. However, Katsuki's brain couldn't move off Izuku—like _always_. "I truthfully called you in here today to offer you something I know you always wanted."

_What he wanted._

Katsuki's eyes glanced between the pile of awards and the happy pictures of the Midoriyas.

"As of next week, I am leaving my position as Captain of the Uchimizu Ave precinct and stepping up to be Chief of Police." Toshinori informed him and Katsuki snapped his eyes up, completely caught off guard. "I originally didn't want to, but the Commissioner told me that he wanted someone he trusted wouldn't fall to corruption. He believes in the future I'll be quick to get rid of any corruption in the position of power to help keep the changes we all are working so hard for."

"That's perfect for you, sir," Katsuki said with a proud smirk. "Congratulations."

"Thank you, son. But, since I am stepping down, I actually was hoping you would take my spot."

"_As Captain_?" Katsuki clarified with wide eyes. The world came to a crashing stop and Katsuki's heart halted.

"Yup! I want you to become the Captain of the Uchimizu Ave precinct and if you choose to accept, I'll have Yaoyorozu become Lieutenant. The Commissioner already signed off approval for the shifting of positions and he believes you're an excellent fit for it and I do too."

Katsuki was rendered speechless as he stared at the two things in front of him again. The pile of golden recognition and loving, green colored eyes.

_What he wanted._

His thoughts began to dive into slow motion as he considered what exactly _did_ he want? Katsuki had been so sure of it in the past. But now, looking upon all the superficial, replaceable trophies he realized how much as a facade it always was.

He had only ever wanted the recognition and love he never received growing up. He wanted to help people in the way his parents never let him help them and he wanted the validation he was deprived of that he was doing good in the world.

All the certificates, titles and metals were all just a single layer of validation in the end for his good deeds.

"You've displayed outstanding bravery, maturity and leadership this past year, especially on the hostage rescue mission. You handled the arson case with the utmost care and even in observing you the last few months, I truly believe you're ready for this level of responsibility. It would make me tremendously proud to see you be Captain of that new precinct."

Everything sped up around him as Katsuki snapped himself back to the present.

Toshinori pulled out a small black box and cracked it open to reveal a unique pin he always dreamed off since he was nineteen. He saw Aizawa with it. He saw Toshinori with it and he saw Enji with it so long ago.

Sitting inside the box against a velvet red interior, were the golden wings of a Shizuoka City police Captain.

And they were being handed directly to him.

"So, what do you say, Bakugou?"

Red eyes flickered off to the side to stare at emerald eyes.

. . .

"You said _no_?" Kirishima yelled into his apartment's living room.

His two married best friends were staring at him in a flabbergasted manner but Shouto was gazing upon him in a curious manner. The four of them were currently stationed around chatting over dinner. News of his possible promotion was fully let loose and everyone had anticipated that he was going to take it.

However, they all flipped out when Katsuki walked out without his golden wings.

"I told him I didn't want it, or at least not right now," Katsuki explained casually and flopped down on his couch while he searched on his phone looking for something very specific. "They'll bring in another person just as qualified when I officially reject the offer next month and Momo will be Lieutenant."

"But _why_ did you reject it?" Mina whispered worriedly. "I thought being Captain was what you always wanted? I thought it was your dream?"

"I thought it was my dream too," Katsuki admitted. He leaned back lazily as he stared up at all the portraits of him and Izuku he hadn't had the heart to take down yet. "I'm not too sure I want to continue laying roots here. I love you guys and I love everything about U.A—but there's something missing here for me that I always ignored. It always felt so damn _cold_ to me but I settled on it because I was like, 'hey at least it's not fucking Tokyo'."

He looked at the picture of him and Izuku on New Years together and it all clicked together in his heart.

"But now I finally see it. Shizuoka City never felt like home to me."

"Are you going to move back to Tokyo with your family then?" Kirishima questioned with a slight pout on his face.

Katsuki shook his head. "Naw, Tokyo never felt home either."

"What has felt like home to you then?" Shouto finally asked. Scarlet eyes trailed over to his friend and sitting inside was a knowing look and small knowing smile. Shouto knew but Katsuki said it anyway.

"Izuku," Katsuki confessed and a smirk spread across his face. "Izuku has always felt like home."

"That's so romantic," Mina whispered and clutched her hand above her heart. "So that's it? You're going to chase him all the way to Yaizu? What about work and all of that?"

"I asked Toshinori to make a few calls and we found out there's a Lieutenant's position available in Yaizu." Katsuki's smirk started to spread wider as colorful dreams of the future began to trickle in. "And it's at a different station than the one Izuku is at. All the puzzle pieces fit. They fit _really_ well. It's as if there's stars aligning somewhere."

"I think you know what you have to do then," Shouto commented with a warm expression.

"Yeah, I think you do," Kirishima said with a deep sigh and then turned around to look at all around them. "You know, your grumpy ass _did_ always hate this apartment."

They all laughed in unison and Katsuki's smirk transformed into a bright grin when he finally found what he was looking for on his phone.

"Yeah...I really fucking did, huh?"

He studied a tiny blue 'For Sale' sign on a particular house in Yaizu.

* * *

**Thank you so much for reading! I hope you are enjoying the ride as we officially wind down. There are two more chapters left and it is making me feel very bittersweet to see this project come to a close within the next month or so.**

**Please let me know how you feel and I look forward to reading your reviews!**


	30. Rekindle

Hello! Welcome to the second to last installment of this fic! We're officially going from choocoo train of angst to the rowboat of love 💗

First off, everyone of course give it up for the best beta in the world! Luna is amazing and her feedback is as priceless as she is and I am always so happy that we found our way to each other. Our friendship means a lot to me and it's really great a story like this and Kacchan brought us together :))

Now let us get started!

**Warnings: Adult scenes and themes. Tooth rotting fluff. Himbo energy.**

_Song: Die Hard - Marc E Bassy _

* * *

**Chapter 30 - Rekindle**

.

.

.

Katsuki crossed Izuku's mind every day since he departed for Yaizu.

His alluring smirk and soft golden hair appeared inside of Izuku's mind anytime he was idle for too long. It all felt like an airy passing daydream that Izuku would try to reach out and grasp. However, when he would pull his fist back, Izuku opened his empty palm and was reminded he no longer had Katsuki.

The decision to part ways was one of the most difficult things Izuku ever had to face, but it made sense deep down. They rationalized a long distance relationship, however the prospect of it being permanently long distance was too painful after living together for so long—for their entire relationship really. Therefore the two men agreed to end on good terms and not sour what they had. They went their separate ways and promised to keep in touch and hold onto their friendship

And Izuku tried.

For an entire month Izuku found himself composing text after text to Katsuki, only to realize he loved him too strongly to act as if they were friends. Sometimes he would type 'I love you' quicker than he could think at the end of a message. Then he would slowly press delete until it was wiped clean. Or sometimes he would catch himself rushing off to tell Katsuki about his great day at work, but the tired pull in the other's voice was evident. There was indisputable longing and hearing Katsuki try to pretend to be happy for him was hard.

What made it unbearable though, was how Izuku felt his heart be pulled into that damning gravity every time the name 'Lieutenant Kacchan' appeared on his screen. And Izuku didn't have the heart to change Katsuki's name.

Not yet.

So in the process of trying to shake the feeling of Katsuki's embers, Izuku felt like he had to wean himself away from Katsuki's light. Izuku kept contact to a minimum as he dived into work and rebuilt his life in Yaizu. Where he belonged.

The summer winds and comfort of the sun reassured Izuku that he was back home and it only reinforced the young detective's decision to move away. He knew deep in his heart he hadn't made a mistake. Spending time away from everything about Shizuoka City reminded Izuku of who he was and what he loved about life to begin with. He had nearly forgotten all of this while caught up in the firestorm of Shizuoka City.

Painting, running his mother's gallery, and working on cases. These were all the components that were necessary to his happiness. Izuku had everything he adored back in his life. Things that he could never have in Shizuoka City but this time there was no imminent threat of the Shigarakis. There was no glancing over his shoulder afraid of a stalker. No fear of another fire that may consume him.

No more Touya.

It was all gone, and he was back home.

Izuku felt like he had finally had all the pieces to his heart reassembled. There were cracks in between them, but he sealed the gaps with gold paint and molded himself to fit a shape that he was happy with. And at the end of the day, that's what truly mattered: that he was happy with who he was. He could feel all the puzzle pieces falling into place.

Well, all except one.

The thought of the house he grew up in crossed Izuku's mind.

It was now the evening before his gallery opening and also his 24th birthday. He was dressed in an expressive short sleeved emerald shirt Itsuka had picked out for him. To match, he tried his best to couple it with flowy high waisted khaki color pants that neatly tied in a bow in the front and brown sandals. He fiddled pensively with the shortness of his sleeves as his eyes raked over the exposed skin of his left arm.

It was the first short sleeve shirt in four years he had bought and the first time ever his burned arm was fully on display.

Izuku had invited everyone in his life he could think of to celebrate the official new beginning. He happily invited all his new co-workers who were warm and welcoming to him. Itsuka and all her bubbly joy. Mirio after proper apologies were spoken and understanding was found. Izuku even extended the invitation to all the officers at Uchimizu Ave and the 1B precincts.

Part of him was nervous to see all his past team members, but also extremely excited.

He briefly thought about pretty red eyes but quickly he shook his head. He needed to stay _far_ away from that part of his mind. _Friends_. They were friends.

Izuku repeated this mantra to himself as he walked his way from his small apartment to the art gallery in downtown Yaizu. The stroll between his new place of residence and the gallery always passed by a particular narrow sidewalk he found bittersweet to take. He could go around, there was a quicker way. But Izuku took this path every chance he had to make sure the small blue 'For Sale' sign was there until he could put down the down payment for his childhood home.

However, when he passed by the small home he grew up in this day, that sign of reassurance was no longer there. Instead a large red 'SOLD' sign was being stuck into the ground by the landlord as Izuku walked towards the black fence.

Everything froze in place.

Izuku's mouth hung open and his heart fell out of his chest to shatter on the ground.

"E-Excuse me!" He called out loudly. The frantic freckled man quickly paced himself all the way down the sidewalk as everything in his eyes started crumbling faster than he could comprehend. "Mr. Tanaka! _Wait_!"

The landlord lifted his gaze once the sign was stuck deep into the front lawn. Izuku stared in horror as if it was the final nail in the coffin of his dream being sealed away forever.

"S-Someone bought the house?" Izuku panicked. The grey-haired man gave him a deep look of sympathy before standing upright in the yard. "I thought bidding wasn't done until the end of August."

"I'm so sorry, Izuku," Mr. Tanaka said in a low voice. His honey brown eyes were drowning in understanding as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "I tried my best to tell the young man about the bidding process, but he offered me double the listing price on the spot last week. Paid in _full_. I couldn't turn down that offer with all the medical expenses I need to pay for my wife."

"Double the listing price?" Izuku whispered in disbelief. He blinked several times to push back the tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "It's sold? _Completely_?"

"Yes, it's no longer my property," Mr. Tanaka confirmed woefully. "I'm so sorry, Izuku. Maybe in the future you can get a duplicate house made or possibly move on. I know your parents wanted this house for you but sometimes things don't work out that way."

Izuku's freckled features twisted in pain as he thought the dream of buying back his childhood home being just that—a dream. Green eyes bittersweetly studied the small home in front of them. He took in the newly restored yellow paint on the house, the wooden porch and the lush green yard filled with newly potted vibrant flowers. Izuku noted how all the weeds from the previous day had been plucked and there was a radiant glow around the house.

Then he pictured his mother and father dancing on the front lawn like they used to. Izuku felt his heart break into tiny shards.

"D-Do you know who it was?" Izuku asked quietly.

The orphan bitterly laid his sights on the red tulips lining the front yard.

"I can't give out that type of personal information, I'm sorry, kiddo. But if it's any consolation the guy was a really nice young man. A little pushy and frowned a lot, but he said this was the perfect house to make sure his loved one felt at home. Then he even bought all the paint, plucked all the weeds and fixed up the yards. All by himself."

The jealousy in Izuku's heart wrestled with his hurt as he imagined another family inside doing all the things he wanted. The tears in his eyes clouded his vision completely.

"Well, he was right," Izuku said through a forced smile. "It is the right house to feel at home."

"It'll be okay, Izuku. I'll see you at the gallery opening later tonight? I think it's great you're reopening your mother's business."

Izuku nodded emptily as he quickly tried to rebalance himself. "Right, of course. I'll see you there."

_The gallery._ He had his show to focus on and he could cry about losing his childhood home later in private.

The heartbroken freckled man gave a fragile smile to the now ex-landlord. They said their goodbyes and Izuku could have sworn someone had secretly come by and attached two large cement bricks to his ankles as he trudged his way to the gallery.

A single tear escaped from his eyes as he thought about the irony of finding out on his birthday about his—or, er, _no_ _longer_ his childhood home was bought from underneath him. He tried to wrap his head around what kind of strange man pays _double_ for a house on the spot? It frustrated Izuku because he was _so_ certain he had scouted out the only competing buyers.

But it seemed like fate still had a couple of tricks up her sleeve and she was going to twist the knife up until the bitter end. Izuku pushed back the tidal wave of disappointment the closer he arrived at the gallery.

As he walked closer, he saw his new art gallery. It was simple with flowers sprouting all over in the front of the shop. On the glass front door was a sign that read 'Inko's Flowers' in pretty pastel green Kanji surrounded by painted roses.

It was perfectly how Izuku always imagined it. Small, private, and full of the flowers his mother used to grow. He spent years daydreaming about this day and now it had finally arrived.

Izuku smiled to himself as he unlocked the door and he decided to be grateful in the moment for the victories he had, and not his losses.

. . .

"Someone bought the house!?" Itsuka's astonished voice yelled as she helped him set up the last painting for the show. Her blue eyes were wide with disbelief as Izuku pressed his lips in a thin line. "How did that happen so quickly?"

"Some rich guy paid double the price," Izuku grumbled. "Probably is going to knock it down and build a larger house in place of it. Cover up the garden in the back with more house."

"Are you going to introduce yourself to him? Maybe if you explain how your parents originally designed it there may be some wiggle room to buy it from him."

Izuku sighed as he hung the last painting. He took a large step back and tilted his head to admire his own work with both happiness and sadness in his heart.

"I don't know," Izuku confessed quietly. "It would feel kind of sad to see who the buyer was but maybe later, or maybe not at all. It all depends, Itsuka."

The ginger woman gave a sympathetic expression as she made her way over to her pensive best friend. She smiled brightly and clasped her hands on his shoulders lovingly before leaning in to look at his work as well.

"Well, that's a later problem," she said with a large grin and deflected the topic. "Only positive vibes right now! You're the big twenty-four today and we need to make sure it's _properly_ celebrated after you ditched town directly after you turned twenty-three."

Izuku gave a light chuckle. "Twenty-four is not a big deal. The hallmark is twenty-five and after that the next is thirty."

"Oh hush! Every day of life you have is a big deal as far as I'm concerned," She giggled and turned him around to face her bubbly expression. Izuku felt warmth start to fill into his heart at the light in her eyes. "But, right now, I am admittedly intrigued about how I get to meet all the famous U.A officers you told me so much about! I can't believe you had such a big adventure in a year and met such great people."

She leaned in towards him with a mischievous smile and glint in her eyes. "And I particularly would love to meet this _Bakugou_."

"Oh, he's great, you'll love him," Izuku said as if the words were second nature.

He started to make his rounds to double check all his paintings were secure to the wall. The conditioned pull on his heart tugged hard at the mention of Katsuki but he tried his best to drown it. Friends. He had to think of Katsuki as a _friend, _goddamnit.

"Please, how can you be so sure?" Itsuka challenged in a bored voice. "What if I turn out to hate him or just don't think he's interesting?"

Izuku stopped and whirled around, completely surprised to hear the judgmental tone. "Because everyone likes him," the freckled man quickly defended.

Gradually, without an ounce of warning, Izuku's thoughts started to swarm around the image of Katsuki until all the colors collided to make a vibrant visual of the blond man in his imagination.

"I-I mean at first most people see his handsome looks," Izuku said with a shrug and his eyes glanced down. "He has these cheekbones that are so sharp and angular like his jaw line—it's really striking but then there's his eyes. They're red but not _quite_ red. They're an off red. When they catch the light, they hold it and next thing you know it looks like they're glowing a bit—like fire."

"Oh really? So he's all good looks and nothing else? Not really selling me here, Izuku."

"N-No!" Izuku stammered. He quickly twirled around flustered and nervously twiddled with his fingers. "Of course not! He's really smart, brave, and super excellent at workplace delegation—but he has a really foul mouth to be truthful so when he's giving out assignments you can never tell if he's passionate or just angry. B-But he's really amazing. He's witty, caring and always makes sure people feel safe. He loves to have his nose in some puzzle or book, and he has these reading glasses...and his button nose always scrunches up when he's...concentrated."

The end of Izuku's ramble trailed off into a quiet whisper when the smirk on his friend's face grew wider with each praise. Green eyes narrowed as Itsuka began giggling lightly with a knowing look in her blue eyes.

"...You did that on purpose," Izuku grumbled when a deep blush set into his face.

"I did," Itsuka said through a snicker. "You're _so_ deep in it."

"Not helping, Itsuka!" Izuku huffed and spun on his heels in the other direction. He began walking towards the front for the food to set up on the tables. "I'm supposed to be falling _out_ of love with him. Not rambling on about how great I think he is."

Which, he could do all day without much effort if he was being honest with himself.

"Sorry. It's only because I have never seen you this happy, Izuku! It's so wonderful," she explained with a warm smile and followed him. "Throughout college or even when you worked at your dad's station you didn't smile this much. This is the most I've _ever_ seen you smile. I'm sorry if I keep teasing you, I'll ease up."

"Thank you, Itsuka. I just would rather tonight not be awkward."

Izuku bent down by the waist to grab the case of bottled water as the thoughts inside of his head rattled. Itsuka wasn't wrong, in fact, she had hit the nail right on the head. Meeting Katsuki in the bar that night marked the first step on his path to true healing and recovery. The handsome blond had an undeniably positive effect on his life in more than one way.

A large effect being that if he hadn't ever met Katsuki, only the deities above knew how his kidnapping would've gone. Izuku had thought it over and realized that one way or another, whether he was in Yaizu or Shizuoka City, Touya had planned to come back for him. Without the intervention of Katsuki, Touya would've kidnapped him and no one would have heard from him ever again.

Izuku considered moving to Shizuoka City as divine fate after that.

The green-eyed man looked around at all the paintings in a sad manner when he could very clearly feel a part of him still missing.

And it wasn't his childhood house.

"I-I'm going to set up the food table," Izuku quickly said as he walked past his ginger friend.

Itsuka paused at the sullen mood that had captured her best friend. She watched him walk to the back, past all his paintings to the long wooden table and quietly set up for the guests. The young woman pursed her lips slightly and tilted her head.

. . .

When it came time for the show Izuku was happy with everything he had set up. There was a wide variety of foods on the table ranging from colorful desserts to warm hors d'oeuvres.

All the oil paintings he had hung were displayed exactly the way he wanted to on the white walls. Each was a different stark memory from the past year that he held dear and thought hopefully people would understand the theme. He looked at all of them nervously, hoping that the show would go well as Itsuka fixed his hair for him one last time in a fuss.

Orange dawn was painted in the sky as people started to pour in and Izuku welcomed them all with his award-winning smile. Each individual wished him a happy birthday and gave him either a small gift or inquired about buying a painting. Laughter and awe were all around at the gallery opening as people were enjoying talking with Izuku about his work.

Mirio came by with a gift and Izuku was happy that they had found some level of understanding between them as his friend brought a date. The guy was a little taller than him with a shy demeanor and Izuku briefly recognized him from one of Mirio's partners at the law firm, Amajiki Tamaki. Izuku smiled brightly because they looked great together and the two childhood friends took a traditional picture together to mark their shared birthday.

By the time all the U.A officers began to pour in, there was a healthy sized crowd packed inside the art gallery. All the colorful people of Yaizu were raving over the re-opening of Izuku's mother's shop. Many told Izuku how blessed he was to be someone who was the embodiment of both his parents and Izuku felt himself smile because he finally had achieved what he set out to.

"It's so lovely you renamed it Inko's Flowers, Izuku," Mina complimented while standing side by side with Kirishima. Their eyes held love and pride inside of them. "This is perfect. I never knew her, but I'm sure she would have loved this. Your father too. They would be so proud of you."

Izuku felt his heart swell with love.

But as the evening stretched on and more people poured in, Izuku couldn't help but notice the lack of one specific person. Shouto came. Toshinori came. Iida and Ochaco came bustling inside with overjoyed smiles. Even Sero and Denki arrived and brought all their silly humor with them. Everyone from U.A seemed to have embarked to Yaizu together.

All except Katsuki.

Izuku's green eyes kept flickering to the door for a handful of hours as he laughed and talked in conversation with Itsuka and Ochaco.

_Maybe he thought it might be better to stay away. _Izuku thought quietly to himself. He studied the dark red liquid in his wine glass and thought of the paint and sip he had gone to with Katsuki. He imagined his smile and his heart did an unwanted flip. Izuku sighed slightly when he realized it may be too soon. He still had feelings for Katsuki, and it was possible the move was taking its toll on the blond ex-lover.

_I guess I don't blame him. We're in a weird spot. _His eyes glanced down to the ground when Ochaco and Itsuka began talking about a topic that went in one of his ears and out of the other.

Just as his thoughts began to tint blue, the sound of the chime attached to the door rang out loud and clear. Izuku's head whirled around to the door with Itsuka's and the nervous fluttering inside of Izuku's chest stopped.

His heart skipped more than several beats at the visual that flooded his sights. Coming through the glass doors was Katsuki, completely dressed up without a hair out of place. His blond spikes were smoothly tapered with a fresh undercut and the expensive gold watch on his wrist sparkled. Izuku lifted his eyebrows surprised to see the man wearing the dressy black and white striped shirt he had picked out for him so long ago tucked neatly into black jeans.

Then sharp red eyes cut in his direction and then the most striking smirk Izuku had ever seen stretched across Katsuki's angular features. It was almost as if there was a secret hiding behind the handsome man's features.

"Ah, Bakugou finally showed up," Ochaco said through a giggle. "I was beginning to wonder when he would arrive. Always the fashionably late one."

At this Itsuka nearly choked on her wine. She whirled around to stare at Izuku with wide eyes full of disbelief.

"Wait—that _Adonis_ is the man who fearlessly ran into a burning building for you?" Itsuka harshly whispered as Katsuki began making his way over through the dense crowd. "Izuku—_holy shit._ I see why you said you tried to screw him the second you saw him, he's perfect. You have amazing aim, green eyes."

But Izuku was too mesmerized by the shimmering light in Katsuki's eyes. The artist fiddled with the wine glass in his hand nervously because he hadn't truly considered what it would be like to see Katsuki in person after nearly being apart for a full month post-separation. It was almost as if the flame inside his chest was rekindling to be stronger rather than dying out like he needed it to.

Izuku could feel the electric charge in their eye contact—but neither man broke the gaze as the distance between them closed in.

_He somehow got even more handsome._

"He was less handsome before this!?" Itsuka questioned beneath her breath. Izuku quickly shook his head and broke eye contact when he realized he had accidentally spoken out loud. "How is that _legal—_"

"Er—ignore me," Izuku nervously laughed as he rubbed behind his neck as the temperature beneath his collar shot up.

By the time Katsuki finally approached their small circle, Izuku could see out of the corner of his eye all of the U.A officers turn their heads. His ex-coworkers began to glance at them with small smiles and Kirishima and Mina started whispering.

"Hey there, freckles," Katsuki's deep voice greeted with a tiny smirk. Red eyes glanced around in a calm manner at all the paintings on the wall and the chattering crowd. "This really turned out to have a damn amazing show. I'm so glad everyone can see this vision of yours finally come true. You worked really hard for this."

Izuku's eyes never left Katsuki's face and a subconscious smile twitched onto his own lips coupled with a blush. "T-Thank you Kacch—I-I mean Katsuki." _Shit. _A blond eyebrow quirked at him and Izuku winced. "S-Sorry...force of habit."

"No need to apologize, Deku." That knowing smirk grew wider and soon the blond man lifted his hand to reveal a small green bag with an orange ribbon. "I actually got you a birthday present if you want to open it now."

Green eyes widened and Izuku heard Ochaco suddenly clear her throat.

"Itsuka, I-I think I see someone upfront interested in buying one of Izuku's paintings!" Ochaco said. Her large brown eyes spared one glance in between the two men before wrapping her arm around Itsuka's shoulders. "I think we should go help them out!"

The ginger women quickly got the hint. "O-Oh yes! I, um, see someone over there looking quite confused. We'll be back, Izu. I'm going to go talk to all the people bidding on your paintings."

Before Izuku could even respond, the two women hurried across the room through the crowd. The baffled artist tried to push down the blush blossoming on his face when he realized what they had done. They left him alone with Katsuki. Izuku returned his eyes to the man in question and the blond held out the gift with a sly smirk.

"You didn't have to get me anything," Izuku muttered shyly. "You being here is enough. I'm really happy you came despite everything. I know it's a little awkward between us right now."

"It's no problem, Deku. I wouldn't miss your art show for anything in the damn world." They exchange quiet looks as Izuku reached for the gift bag with a hint of excitement. He wondered what it could be, and his mind supplied a vision of possible things.

He thought maybe it would be paintbrushes, or something for Akira. But when he peered inside the tiny green bag, sitting inside was a small jewelry box. It was velvet black, no larger than his palm and it made Izuku's heart skip several beats.

Green eyes flicked up to Katsuki's anxiously awaiting face and the blond man flexed his eyebrows in an expecting manner. Izuku hesitantly reached inside and pulled out the box but when he sprung it open, he was blindsided by a sparkling earring.

It was a tiny, aquamarine teardrop that shimmered brightly made of a precious gem.

"It's beautiful," Izuku whispered, stunned. His green eyes looked down at the singular piece of jewelry and quickly put the pieces together that the gift was not a small price tag. "Katsuki, this is too expensive. I can't accept this."

"Sure you can, nerd," Katsuki chuckled and Izuku tried his best to wrap his mind around what was in front of him. "I'm only trying to make good on my promises that's all. I did say I was going to buy you a new one, right?"

"Y-Yeah," Izuku stuttered out. "Thank you so much, Katsuki. It's beautiful."

He blinked once. Then he blinked again as he tried to make sure that growing feeling of warmth inside of his chest wasn't a passing daydream. But the longer he studied the gem that sparkled with what felt like unspoken promises, Izuku realized that it was not one of his many dreams.

The blue gem glimmered inside of the velvet box in a way that made Izuku feel special. Green eyes started to swell rapidly with tears and Izuku tried his best to blink them away. He looked around at all the people inside of his gallery—no—his mother's _and_ his gallery—and felt undeniably loved.

Katsuki smirk then shifted to a caring smile.

"Here, let me put it on you," the elder man proposed when Izuku stayed rooted too long.

Izuku nodded, words lost. He was feeling overwhelmed for reasons he didn't quite understand because it was only a birthday present. He had gotten other presents from other people—but why did this one feel so incredibly different?

Izuku pondered this as his once lover reached forward and took the single earring out of the box. He stepped forward and Izuku was wrapped up inside of the comforting, familiar smell of Katsuki's cologne. It was always crisp, sharp and smelled like a mix of spices and citrus fruits.

It evoked a deep, longing emotion in Izuku—the proximity of their bodies did nothing to help.

Katsuki pushed the earring through Izuku's pierced lobe with a delicate touch. The light weight of the water shaped jewel in Izuku's ear made a small smile twitch onto his face. It was an odd sensation after so long. He hadn't placed anything inside of it since he threw the golden hoop he was once so attached to in the river.

Izuku felt a trickle of self-consciousness but when Katsuki stepped back and examined him as a whole, it vanished. Washed away with all the reassurance the blond always radiated.

"Perfect," Katsuki whispered. The proud blond grinned wide and showed off his white teeth. "You look damn good as always."

"Really?" Izuku asked with an unsure smile. The nervous man crossed his arms out of habit, fully aware of the ember eyes assessing the large, exposed burn of his left arm.

Katsuki nodded. "Breathtaking."

They held each other's gazes and Izuku watched as Katsuki seemed as if he was going to say something. But whatever it was it stayed tethered to the tip of his tongue.

"Hey you two!" Kirishima laughed loudly in a booming voice. Izuku startled lightly out of the trance he didn't realize he was in when the redhead came over. Kirishima was carrying a large grin and glass of wine. The redhead glanced between the two men before he playfully wrapped an arm around Izuku's shoulders. "Everyone here has so many questions for you regarding some of the more abstract paintings. Denki can't really wrap his mind around them, and I think we need your help."

Katsuki let out a bark of laughter and Izuku giggled slightly as they fell into old familiar friendship. The pair of men melted back into the crowd as the night moved on. Izuku explained all the pieces on the wall to the U.A officers as they went around.

He explained the more abstract one Denki was trying to wrap his mind around. It was a medium painting of a red rose with petals burnt at the edges. The beautiful flower was wilted and surrounded by hungry blue fire. Izuku was open and honest about how he felt his relationship with Touya was conveyed through this painting. He described how being with Touya was never meant to be as they were opposing pieces in nature. Izuku was always flammable when in contact with someone like Touya and it ate away at the pieces of himself that he gave away too readily.

Izuku watched how Katsuki made a pained face. Red eyes studied the withered rose long and hard.

The next was an image of Izuku's unconscious body floating in water in a white shirt and black shorts. The dark hues of the deep blue submerging Izuku's figure were broken up with carefully placed dusk orange light rays. The light from the surface shone on his face and the crimson blood leaking out of his body slowly transformed into vibrant colors.

This time, Katsuki spoke.

"That moment really did change things for you, didn't it?" The pensive blond asked.

Izuku nodded as he stared at the hyper-realistic image of himself in his near watery grave. "Yeah, it did. But for good I like to believe, despite how we got there."

"...It changed things for me too."

Izuku cut his eye at the unusual comment, but Katsuki didn't look at him.

The next painting was a clearer picture of the point of view of some drowning under water, but the scene was filled with light. Painted air bubbles filled the canvas and in the back was an unfocused render of a hand reaching out towards the viewer. Izuku didn't explain this one when he realized he was too embarrassed to admit it was the moment right before he closed his eyes underwater. The moment when Katsuki swam down to him after Touya shot him.

Then finally, after going over several other paintings the group arrived at the last one. It was a painting that stuck out in Izuku's memory, one he held dear to himself. It was a clear picture of wind and water intertwining together to wrap around a fully flourished rose that was proudly reaching towards the sky. The wind and water sprayed outwards to litter the surface with colorful paint splatters of light grey and bright blue.

"This one is very stunning," Shouto said through his smile. "I think I finally see the theme. It's a story, right? About the progression the rose had from being burned, its healing process, then finally how it reached a stage where it could finally grow."

Izuku nodded happily and added a private thought in his mind. _With your help._

When the galley finally came to a close, Izuku's heart felt full. He started saying goodbye to people who were exiting out through the door. Toshinori gave him a large bear hug and a proud smile. Mirio and his date quickly left after his father with an equally proud gaze and warm, friendly hug.

As all the U.A officers began to say their goodbyes, Izuku couldn't help but wonder why Katsuki didn't leave with them. He watched as Kirishima and Mina left and spoke in hushed whispers to Katsuki. Then slowly everyone who seemed to have taken the train in together, wandered out.

But Katsuki stayed rooted, walking around separately off to the side studying all the paintings closely.

Then when Itsuka gave him a hug goodbye, Izuku was alone with the pensive handsome blond man. The freckled artist walked over to Katsuki who was staring long and hard at the painting of the flourishing rose.

"What are you doing here so late? You're going to miss your train and end up having to walk all the way back to Shizuoka City," Izuku teased when he walked up from behind Katsuki. The blond chuckled and turned his head towards Izuku with a smirk.

"I actually have Ground Zero parked out front," Katsuki replied. "I was waiting to see if I could give you a lift home. I knew you'd stay until the last person left so you could lock up."

"I actually would love to take you up on that," Izuku replied back fully elated. The birthday high was fully carrying him on his feet to the point Izuku felt as if he was walking on air. The thought of topping his day off with a maybe one last peaceful motorcycle ride with Katsuki was more than appealing.

The pair chatted casually with Izuku giving his new apartment's address. But the freckled man couldn't help but notice how there was a nervous air slowly bubbling around Katsuki.

When they arrived at Ground Zero, there were already two helmets awaiting them and Izuku almost questioned it. He prepared himself to ask if Katsuki had planned to take him back to his apartment but let it go when the blond situated himself on the orange and black bike in an antsy manner.

There was an unsure look in scarlet eyes as Katsuki gazed upon him. "Helmet fastened tightly?"

"Yeah, all safe this time," Izuku said with a smile as he double checked everything was secure.

Izuku got on the back of the bike like it was second nature and he could feel his heart rate triple in speed. He allowed the self-indulgence of riding with Katsuki for what may be the last time. Neither said a word as Izuku locked his arms around Katsuki's waist and leaned his head against his back.

They took off and Izuku found himself to fall into the bliss of being pressed against the elder man again. He sadly thought about all the times he had been on the back of the motorcycle and thoughtfully wished he had more opportunities to in the future—but it didn't seem that way.

Izuku didn't pay any mind to the direction and trusted Katsuki's perfect navigation skills. They weaved in and out through traffic with the blond making sharp turns to elicit a yell of excitement or burst of laughter out of Izuku. Katsuki's deep rumble of laughter would vibrate through their connected bodies and resonate inside of Izuku.

It felt right. It felt right in a way that made Izuku almost feel guilty.

But when the ride came to a halt and Izuku looked up, they were not at his newly rented apartment. Instead he saw a yellow painted house lined with red tulips and the large 'SOLD' sign on it.

Izuku straightened out his back confused. He waited for an explanation but Katsuki wordlessly turned off Ground Zero and took off his helmet.

"What are we doing here?" Izuku questioned slowly as he took his own helmet off.

The greenette tried to make sense of what he was seeing, but when Katsuki got off the bike with a huff it only made Izuku more confused. Green eyes studied the house in front of him bitterly, still mildly upset over the news from earlier in the day.

"I...I have one more birthday gift," Katsuki said in a quiet voice. The blond twirled on his heel towards the house when Izuku got off the motorcycle with a baffled expression. "Well, I actually have another promise to fulfill."

Izuku followed Katsuki to the front of the black gate. He watched intensely as Katsuki took in a deep breath and turned back to face him with vulnerability in his eyes.

Then like a passing dream, Katsuki reached down in his pants pocket to pull out a golden key.

An old, familiar looking golden key that Izuku remembered being attached to his parents' keychains. The world stopped moving and Izuku gaped mildly. His brain slowly put all the pieces together.

He glanced at the house. Then to the keys. Then back to the house. Then finally Izuku stared wide eyed at the nervous expression written across Katsuki's face.

"K-Katsuki—W-Wait. It was _you_?" Izuku stuttered out pointing at the blond in front of him.

Katsuki shrugged and let a wide grin stretched across his face as he began walking inside the black gate. Izuku could do nothing but follow helplessly as he struggled to process what was happening. They stepped through the no longer rusted black gate together and Izuku felt as if he had wandered through a time passage.

He looked at the wooden porch he used to sit on up close and noted the door he would always run in and out of. They stopped right before the porch's steps and Izuku's heart tightened to a point he couldn't tell if he was in pain or relieved.

"_Kacchan_," he whispered, at a loss for anything to say at the gesture of kindness. "You bought it. You bought the house."

Watery green eyes turned to the golden man in front of him and Izuku's eyes finally broke with happy tears. He quickly tried to wipe them away but was unsuccessful when visions of the future he thought had shattered quickly rewound back to their original daydream.

"I also planted both roses and tulips in the garden, just for you," Katsuki confessed. Burning scarlet eyes never left Izuku as the freckled man tried to will away his falling tears. "I didn't know if you like tulips, but the lady at the store told me they symbolize pure love or something like that."

Izuku laughed and let out a shaky sigh. "_Perfect love_. T-They symbolize perfect love and rebirth."

Katsuki was the first to move. He wrapped a careful arm around Izuku's shoulders. He pulled the smaller man in close and led him up the wooden porch. With each step they took together Izuku felt as though he was dreaming and when they finally reached the door, Izuku held his breath. It all seemed too surreal.

Katsuki pushed the golden key in the door and opened up the home that Izuku had been sealed off from for years.

Izuku wandered into the portal first and stared up amazed at the interior. The orphan cried softly and held his hands over his mouth in shock. He gazed at the empty space but all he could see were the memories of the home that was taken from him. The visions of his parents played out in front of him like a silent movie and his already full heart began to overflow.

"It's all still the same…" Izuku whispered, still astonished. The green-eyed man did his best to process it all. The creaking of the floorboards. The fresh coat of paint on the walls and how there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere to be found—Katsuki had cleaned it top to bottom.

His home.

Katsuki had bought his childhood home.

Izuku whirled around and stared in amazement at Katsuki. The blond was looking around as well with a calm expression on his features and Izuku shook his head, still not understanding.

"K-Katsuki, why would you buy this?" Izuku whispered.

His heart wished for one answer deep down. An answer to a question he had been too afraid of asking a month ago in Shizuoka City.

The look in Katsuki's eyes grew deeply affectionate mixed with a variety of emotions. The blond carefully stepped forward with evidence of nervousness in his body language. Red eyes glanced down to the floor and his hands were fiddling behind his back. Izuku recognized it as a vulnerability that Katsuki rarely let anyone have, yet it was displayed fully in front of him with bravery.

"I realized when you moved, that without you nothing felt like home and nothing ever did before you," Katsuki confessed in a steady voice. Red eyes trailed up gradually from the wooden floorboards to stare into the deep abyss of emerald. "You are home to me...and if you let me, I want to feel like home to you too. It doesn't matter what city we're in to me, but I recognize it matters to you and I want to be by your side."

Katsuki reached forward to take Izuku's shaking hand and held it tight. A raw, vulnerable expression was written across both men's faces as Katsuki spoke his next words.

"You're my person, Izuku."

Izuku's eyes clouded with more tears as he heard the words he had only dreamed of. "B-But what about your Captain's position—"

"There will be another," Katsuki quickly cut off. He pulled Izuku in close to him and the gravity between them doubled and Izuku found himself attracted deeper than before. "There will _always_ be another damn award, Captain's position and late-night work shift but there's _never_ going to be another Midoriya Izuku and I'm so fucking sorry it took me a month to see that _this_ was the answer."

The realization at what Katsuki was saying began to sink in as the shock wore off.

A vision of Katsuki inside of the home he loved so dearly flashed in his head. But Izuku always considered it to be his most unattainable dream. He struggled to fathom that he could truly have it—after everything.

"Are you sure?" Izuku questioned breathlessly. He desperately searched Katsuki's eyes for any hint of hesitation—something that told Izuku he was going to wake up at any moment and be alone again like he always was.

But the reassurance of Katsuki's warm hand entangled in his own kept him grounded that this was all real. The love of his life nodded and gave a heartfelt gaze.

"If you don't want me, then I will go back to Shizuoka," Katsuki explained with a serious expression and Izuku felt his heart twist. "I'll get back on my bike tonight, leave, take the Captain's position and we can remain friends. But the house is yours with or without me."

"But w-what about your work?"

"I had Toshinori make some calls. We found a station that's near yours that would _love_ to have The Symbol of Victory working for them as a Lieutenant."

Katsuki gave a cocky grin and Izuku's tear stained face blossomed into a heart touched smile. "Of course, anyone would love to have you."

"_Exactly_," Katsuki said full of excitement like he finally figured out the key to his happiness. "Any precinct anywhere would hire me, and my dumb, goofy ass friends will find a way to visit me no matter where I am. Kirishima and Mina are already planning to come out next weekend with Shouto if I chose to stay. If you want me to stay. I only need to hear you say it because I know you can feel it."

The electric pull on Izuku's skin ignited as Katsuki's voice dipped into a low, provoking tone. Izuku knew what Katsuki was talking about. The spark—the heat—the flame between them that rekindled over and over because no one was ever able to put it out.

Katsuki slowly stepped impossibly closer and the warm breath from the older man mixed in with the scent of spice. "There's always been a gravity between us, and I don't know about you, but I'm not going to fight it—I'm going to follow it through. I'm going to follow it even if it lands me here in Yaizu."

Izuku opened his mouth to agree but the words he wanted to say were caught in the net of his own insecurities. All the reasons why Katsuki shouldn't uproot himself flooded in and Izuku found himself torn.

Katsuki sighed and lifted his free hand to cradle Izuku's freckled cheek. He guided Izuku's watery gaze up towards him and the two destiny bound men gazed deep into each other.

"I know you're going to have trouble saying it," Katsuki said in a hushed voice. "I already figured you're going to have trouble asking me to move in. You don't want to feel as if you're putting your _wants_ and not your _needs_ above everything, but I can see it in your eyes. I can see how much you want this."

Izuku's mind flashed all the vibrant visions of the future with Katsuki in his mind. He saw them reading together in bed again, then the two of them gardening in the backyard and laughing over dinner. His heart pulled full of longing because that was all he ever wanted.

A happy future.

"Be _selfish_, Izuku," Katsuki pushed and leaned down to rest their foreheads against each other. "If you want me here with you, all you have to do is ask me and I'm all yours."

Izuku lifted a hesitant hand to pull Katsuki in closer. He gripped Katsuki's shirt tightly in his shaking fist, begging that this was real. It felt too good to be true after a lifetime of destruction—but the warm Katsuki in front of him pushed Izuku to say the words he didn't dare to say a month ago.

"I want you," Izuku confessed and his chest began heaving.

Katsuki shook his head. "You gotta be more specific than that."

"I want you here—_with me_. I-I want my Kacchan in my home," Izuku dared to say out loud his deepest want against all the fear holding him back. "I want you here with me, Kacchan."

Anxiety gripped his conscience as he felt the two of them dive into the unknown together—but what made him the most afraid was how _good_ it felt to finally speak the words he told himself not to. The shackles around his heart broke free and a weight he had no idea he was carrying detached from his body as he floated all the way up to cloud nine.

"That's more fucking like it." Katsuki grinned like a mad man and leaned in closer until their chests were flushed together. The blond leaned in until their noses brushed and Izuku could hear his own breath hitch at the heated closeness of their lips. "_Say it again_."

"I want you to move in with me," Izuku said with confidence as he cut the last thread of restraint holding himself back. "I want to come home to you—come home _with_ you. Wake up next to you and spend all my weekends beside you. I-I want the happy ending I always daydreamed of and I want it with you."

"_Good_. Because I want to give all of it to you and _more._"

With those words, the final ounce of tension snapped. Izuku gasped as Katsuki pulled him until a kiss that flooded his soul.

Every ounce of love both men held for one another poured into the other as they pressed their lips together. They worked against each other in a deep, passionate kiss and the temperature between them quickly began to rise.

Izuku snapped his hands up and tightly wrapped around Katsuki's shoulders as they crashed into each other. All the building gravity that drew them towards each other was evident and Izuku felt as though they were two twin stars that were always set on a path of collision. Bound to meet in this moment as the peak of everything came fully together.

"I want you so badly," Izuku whispered in a hoarse voice as he broke the needy kiss. "A month was too long—_ah_!" Izuku didn't get another chance to speak as Katsuki fiercely pushed him back into the nearest wall and the burning want inside of deep ember colored eyes completely ignited. "W-Wait there's no furniture—"

Izuku was effectively silenced when Katsuki captured his lips again and caged him against the wall with his arms. Izuku sunk into the kiss as his hands gripped tightly onto Katsuki's shirt and when they broke apart again there was a confident glint inside of his lover's eyes.

"We don't need it," Katsuki said with a wide smirk. "I think I still owe you _one_ more promise. I seem to recall a certain someone saying that they wanted to get fucked up against the wall or something like that, right?"

Izuku grinned widely as he found himself leaning up against Katsuki's body. "R-Right—Kami. Your memory is always so amazing," Izuku breathlessly whispered between kisses. His body's temperature began to slowly climb as his lover's hands grazed over his chest until they finally rested against his restrained member in his pants.

"How many times do you want to cum?" Katsuki asked as he palmed Izuku's growing hard-on.

A whimper escaped past Izuku's lips as he tried to push backwards but found himself trapped. The red eyes in front of him were blazed and hungry as Katsuki's hand groped Izuku's sensitive area and caused his thoughts to quickly cloud.

The green-eyed man tried to get out the words '_As many as you'll let me have'_ but was thoroughly silenced as if Katsuki was a mind reader. Izuku let out a loud needy yelp as the large hand began to heatedly stroke him through his khaki pants and Katsuki's mouth began to lightly suck against his pale neck.

"C'mon, Deku. Tell me how many times you wanna cum in our new house," Katsuki's voice rasped out in a sinful tone and Izuku felt his dick jump at the sentence._ Their house. _He groaned deeply.

"Two times," Izuku commanded through a sigh and rolled his head to the side to give Katsuki more access. Izuku's hands clutched tightly to Katsuki's shirt as he fluttered his eyes closed at Katsuki's generous ministrations. He felt himself swept away under the feeling of the intoxicating tongue sucking and licking at his neck.

"I'll make damn sure of it," Katsuki chuckled and the deep rumbles vibrated against Izuku's sensitive skin. "Turn around for me, 'zuku."

Izuku didn't hesitate as he quickly found himself with his cheek pressed against the wall. He moaned softly in anticipation and tried his damndest to keep it together. Katsuki pressed his hard chest against his back and Izuku nearly felt his knees buckle at the touch when he felt the other grind into his backside unrelenting.

Izuku's breath was stolen as he pushed against the pressure and chased the intoxicating feeling. Everything was hot, intense and overwhelming as he stared around at his wildest dream. Katsuki hissed a low curse in his ear and used his large hands to grip tightly onto his hips and headily pressed his clothed cock in the cleft of Izuku's plush backside.

When the blushing freckled man felt a hand reach around to toy with the small bow his pant's belt was tied into, Izuku couldn't help but bite his lip in anticipation.

"Such a cute bow," Katsuki teased and Izuku could hear a smirk in his voice. Katsuki tugged on it playfully right before he unraveled it completely. "It almost feels like my birthday instead."

His pants became undone slowly as Katsuki slid them down off his body along with his boxers. The action was tentative and caring as the rough hands of his lover graced his skin. Then just as carefully, Katsuki reached around and began slowly unbuttoning Izuku's shirt until the cold air graced his skin. His lover commanded him to lift his arms and Izuku did so with pleasure. The green shirt was tossed carelessly to the side.

It was then that Izuku was completely laid bare in front of Katsuki.

No bandages, no clothes and no more secrets or feelings left in his heart to hide after being unraveled by the man for months. Izuku bit his lip harder and leaned his forehead against the white wall when he felt gentle kisses laid against his shoulder.

Katsuki slowly bent down to his knees, leaving a trail of worshiping kisses, bites, and hickeys down along the way. He didn't stop until Izuku's back was a mixture of his print on the man he loved so he could add to the canvas that was Izuku's uniquely beautiful body.

When finally on his knees, Katsuki came face to face with exactly what he wanted and the hunger inside of him sparked to life. A tiny gasp escaped past Izuku's moistened pink lips when the firm hands of the elder man kneaded into his freckled skin. Katsuki's fingernails dug into the skin until he heard the tiny moan he wanted, and he had Izuku push his muscular ass back in his face.

"Kacchan, _please_," Izuku whined when Katsuki pulled apart his plush globes to reveal the tiny pink puckered entrance.

"There it is," Katsuki grinned wide as he leaned in carefully. He reached into his pants pocket for something and Izuku quickly snapped his head down to see. Green eyes widened in surprise to see Katsuki reveal a tiny can of flavored lube with the man's telltale favorite flavor: strawberry.

"You came prepared?" Izuku teased with a smirk. "A little oddly confident."

"I'm always prepared to have you screaming for me." The eager blond man grinned up at his beautiful partner above him before he snapped the lid off.

Without a single warning, Izuku gasped loudly at the tantalizing feeling of cold substance against his body and Katsuki grinned as he worked two fingers over the tiny hole, massaging in the flavored lube.

The blond man eagerly leaned forward and swirled his tongue around the fluttering entrance awaiting him. Katsuki's eyes fluttered closed as he pushed his tongue across Izuku's tiny hole and drank up the loud cry Izuku gave at the feeling. His lover's body automatically jerked at the action and Izuku felt heat begin to simmer under his skin.

Katsuki groaned deeply as he pushed his tongue in further, lapping and teasing the perky backside with all that he had. He quickly snapped his hands up to grab onto Izuku's hips and hold the now bucking man still but was only half successful.

The satisfying moan the green-eyed man gave shot straight down to Katsuki's own straining crotch when Izuku began to rock his hips backwards and started to ride his tongue out. Katsuki quickly gave in as he ate his lover out with every suck, kiss and wet lap of his tongue he gave. It was a beautiful push and pull as Katsuki's own breath became shallow with Izuku's and guided the smaller man's movements.

"_Hgn_!" Izuku breathed out as he allowed the large hands to twirl his hips onto Katsuki's face. "K-Kacchan, your tongue feels so good. Kami, I missed you so much. I-I don't want to be apart from you that long again."

Katsuki groaned in agreeance with a light nod as the sweet flavor of strawberry danced across his tongue. He continued to kiss and lick Izuku's sweet tasting entrance until he used one hand to reach around and grabbed Izuku's thick cock in his hand.

"Ah!" The younger man startled when Katsuki's calloused hand ran a thumb over the droplet of precum that had gathered at the tip. Katsuki smeared it, loving the wet feeling beneath the pads of his fingers as he worked into stroking Izuku's length graciously.

Like beautiful clock work, Izuku's delicate voice began to climb with each jerk against his cock's sensitive tip. Katsuki vigorously found himself speeding up his hand motions and pushing his face into Izuku's ass more until the whining of his lover grew desperate.

"K-Kacchan, please!" Izuku begged when electricity from both sides of him began to catch in euphoria. His senses were rocked back and forth between the tongue sinking through the slickness of his backside and the warm hand wrapped tightly around his pulsing cock, jerking him off furiously.

Right when Izuku's moans reached the next octave and his legs began to shake, Izuku cried out loud at the feeling as two slickened fingers coated with lube pushed their way past his tight ring. Izuku's hands curled into fist against the wall as he desperately pushed back onto the digits that sunk into him quickly. They fucked against his pleasure button in harmony with every cry and moan.

"You like that, bunny?" Katsuki's deep voice demanded lustfully. "You wanna come all over yourself in our new home for me? I can't _wait_ to fuck you everywhere and make you scream out my name in every room."

The dirty words crawled against his skin and rekindled old fantasies of himself and Katsuki making love all over the house. He saw them entangled on the floor, in the bed, and in the kitchen like they always were in Shizuoka City and it only made his body grow hotter to think they were going to do the same here.

Izuku pushed back and jerked forward in complete rhythm with the hand jerking him off and the fingers that were now fucking relentlessly inside of him. Izuku's shallow breathing became choked up when a small spot of white entered his vision. His legs began to shake with tidal waves of need as he felt Katsuki's slide in against his overly sensitive hole and happily tasted him.

"I-I'm gonna cum," Izuku warned when his legs began to shake more. The pleasure enrapturing him only doubled tenfold when Katsuki stiffened for less than a singular second before ramming in his finger and curling them expertly. "Ah! _F-Fuck_!" Izuku cried out as his knees buckled completely and fell forward fully against the wall but he was held up by Katsuki's strength as the man pushed his face in fully.

Izuku tried to get a plea out so he wouldn't cum against the wall but was left with only the will to cry out Katsuki's name when four pleasure filled pushes against that sweet spot inside of him made his voice crack. His body shook in the elder man's grasp as his vision was washed over completely in white. Katsuki gripped Izuku's cock tight and slowly began to milk him for his seed and all of the moans sitting deep in the back of his throat.

"That's my good little bunny," Katsuki praised. Izuku blushed when he could see the small pull of cum that was inside of Katsuki's hand leak onto the wooden floor—but of course Katsuki didn't let him feel embarrassed for long. "You cum so fucking prettily. So needy for me."

Izuku didn't retort because he wasn't going to argue against facts.

The freckled beauty's mouth hung open in a small 'o' when Katsuki's cum filled hand pulled back and began to apply the thick layer of white cum on top of Izuku's hole. The elder man used his finger to tease Izuku's already well-opened hole with a feral grin at the sight of the white cum mixing against Izuku's delicate area.

Izuku glanced over his shoulder when he felt Katsuki shift and as he laid sights on the man behind him, Izuku saw all that he wanted and more. He saw his future, a man he loved and trusted with his whole being and he saw his heart.

The blonde stripped himself of his shirt and pants quickly, and thus left himself bare as well for Izuku to gaze upon all his new scars.

Izuku turned around to face him and in that fragile moment in time they held eye contact. Somewhere in that precious second Izuku could feel something change between them.

Katsuki stepped forward carefully without breaking eye contact and towered over him. Izuku watched as his lover hooked one arm around his slim waist and hoisted him up properly with the wall as support. Izuku cried out in surprise when his feet no longer touched the ground, but a loving kiss was placed against his temple when his hands grappled around Katsuki's broad shoulders.

"I got you, don't worry," Katsuki reassured and Izuku did as he was told and clung to the being of support in front of him.

Katsuki cursed when Izuku locked him in between his legs entirely and his own cock slid between Izuku's freckled cheeks. The slick feeling of the lube and Izuku's cum mixed together in a sensation that had the elder man groaning already in anticipation for being inside of the tight body in his grasp. Katsuki moved slightly to grab the back of both freckled knees and quickly bent the man he loved in half to spread him wide.

He looked down at their mess as he carefully aligned the dripping head of his large cock to Izuku's small entrance. His own length twitched several times as he pushed against Izuku's tightness and his fingertips dug into the skin of Izuku's knees as he forced him further into the wall.

"You gotta relax for me," Katsuki hushed when Izuku's entrance fluttered several times in anticipation. "I know you're _really_ fucking excited and it's been a minute, but you gotta relax to let me in, okay? Don't you wanna let me in this pretty body?"

Izuku nodded and he sunk further into their colliding gravities. His body went slack in the other's grasp as the strong blond used all his upper body strength to hold them up against the wall. Izuku gripped tightly onto the other as Katsuki let out a low curse and leaned forward into the wall as he began to slide in.

"That's it," Katsuki's deep voice groaned. "Let me in—_f-fuck_. Y-Yeah, just like that."

Izuku leaned forward for a kiss and their mouths locked together in an intimate dance as Katsuki stretched him outside. Izuku moaned into the kiss as he felt his body opened wide for Katsuki and the warm cock inside of him inched its way inside until it was fully seated inside against that part of him that leaked the glowing feeling of rapture. Both men let out shaky gasps at the feeling and Izuku could only describe the sensation as being full—full of Katsuki and full of the moment they were sharing.

The blond began rocking his body to hit that sweet spot deep inside as he bit onto Izuku's plump bottom lip. Izuku held on dearly and let himself be swept away from the motion Katsuki was creating as reedy whimpers and groans slipped off his tongue.

Their synchronized breathy moans gradually filled the house as Katsuki's thrusting became more quickened in pace and needy. Izuku clung on more desperately as the gentle motion transformed into something that was purely Katsuki. It was forceful, caring, but most of all it was _powerful_.

"A-Ah!" Izuku cried out and broke their kiss as he began bouncing against the wall loudly. "J-Just like that, Kacchan!" Izuku encouraged him when the thick cock began thrusting in and out of him.

Katsuki effortlessly pulled out all the love sitting deep inside of him through the motion of their joined bodies. His love spilled out in increments of blinding euphoria, litanies of Katsuki's name and moans that climbed steadily higher in pitch until his voice cracked loudly in a helpless cry.

Katsuki's brow creased deeply and as his own body slowly began to feel the rising temperature. His fingernails sunk into perfect ivory and he fucked upwards into the smaller man with all that he had. He gave Izuku every inch of himself repeatedly and made sure he knocked directly against the other's soft prostate.

"Y-You feel it, right?" Katsuki said in a loud groan as he sensationally grinded his hips upwards. The motion shocked something rapturously deep sitting within Izuku and the freckled man cried out and arched his back beautifully off the wall. The blond gave a large smirk at the visual as he did the same motion and elicited the same addictive cry. "You feel how this time is different?"

Izuku nodded furiously as he was relentlessly fucked against the wall. The sweat gathered on his brow made the curls of bangs begin to stick to his forehead as Katsuki's speed suddenly doubled in pace. His hands gripped tighter around Katsuki's shoulders and wove their way through soft golden locks.

"I-I feel it," Izuku whispered as he brushed their noses together. The pressure in his stomach built with every ounce of love that shot through his core all the way down to his toes. "It's us—I-I feel us—"

"Y-Yeah," Katsuki groaned out and Izuku curled his toes. "I-It's us—me and you—from here on out—_fuck_!"

Katsuki gave a harsh curse as he began to thrust in an uneven rhythm trying to chase the heat building inside of his core. With every cry of his name from Izuku, the temperature under his skin grew and the tightly coiled feeling in his core wound tighter until he felt Izuku begin to shake with him.

The freckled man gave a loud cry as his entire body was quaked with all of his nerve endings being drowned underneath intoxicating pleasure. His vision blew out to white at the same time as Katsuki's and he threw his head back against the wall as he arched fully into the man's arms he was inside of.

Katsuki cried out Izuku's name loudly until the sound bounced off the wall. He buried himself to the hilt inside of his lover when Izuku's body sucked him in tightly—and their cum sprayed on the other. Katsuki emptied himself fully into Izuku and the freckled man released white ribbons of cum between their bodies.

Katsuki's knees slowly wobbled and the pair slid their joined bodies down to the floor as they melted into another heated kiss. Katsuki laid back onto the wooden floor, still fully seated inside of the warm body and without much effort, the pair of lovers lost all awareness of what was around them.

In that moment Izuku could only describe Katsuki—and Katsuki only Izuku as they stayed entangled into the long hours of the night. They tossed around, filling each other and soft moans and cries bounced against the empty walls.

"I love you so much," Izuku whispered desperately when his body was brought back to the brink of another orgasm as they went another round on the floor. "I love you with everything I have." Izuku's vision swirled with colors as waves of ecstasy washed over him and Katsuki smiled down at him as he spilled inside of him again.

"I love you all the same, 'zuku."

. . .

Izuku stared up at the white ceiling in amazement, completely adrift to the feeling of time.

They both lost track of what hour it was as he and Katsuki rolled around on the floorboards. When they thought they were done, they found themselves sucked back into that ever-damning gravity and embarking on another heated session. They found themselves making love endlessly in the pile of blankets Katsuki had been using to sleep inside while renovating the house.

Izuku couldn't even remember what number round they were on when they stopped—and he couldn't recall how many times Katsuki has successfully orchestrated a blinding euphoria filled orgasm out of him. But it was more than the two he had proposed.

It made Izuku feel as if there wasn't another person in the world besides Katsuki.

And now they laid there side by side under the large white comforter with their heads resting against the pillows. Everything still felt like a passing daydream that Izuku never wanted to wake up from—but it was real. It was as real as the gorgeous man next to him holding his scarred hand and whispering a symphony of sweet promises. Together they laid there chuckling and laughing on the high of their bliss.

Izuku's viridian eyes glanced around again.

He looked at the walls, the stairs and the windows that gave way to delicate moonlight. Then finally he stared at the man next to him who was tracing the scars on his hand with his calloused fingertips as if they were a road map. Katsuki's body was glowing under the illuminating moonlight and the soft tint almost made him look divine.

As divine as Izuku felt he was.

"I can't believe this is real," Izuku whispered into the air as if he was afraid someone may hear. "I can't believe we're here."

Iridescent like fire eyes flickered up to him and a radiant grin was bestowed on him. "Oh, you better. It's all yours, 'zuku." Katsuki chuckled as he lifted up their joined hands and gestured around at the house.

Izuku's smile stretched wider.

"No," he corrected as he leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on the top of Katsuki's hand. "It's ours."

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**AN: Next up is the epilogue and it feels so incredibly bittersweet!**

**This story really worked its way into my heart along with all of you lovely readers, especially the commenters who leave such kind messages. Thank you all so much for reading and please let me know what you think below as I go off and cry a bit for the ending of this fic!**


	31. Light

Hello! Welcome to the last chapter of the choocoo train/rollercoaster/love boat :) I hope you enjoy it!

Starting off, thank you to the best beta/editor in the world! Luna perfection walking and please be sure to give her stories a looksie! She changed her username on AO3 to LunaToons because she's cute like that :)

Alrighty :') enjoy the chapter!

**Warnings: This is the softest thing I've ever written.**

_Song: Bunjee Jumping - Naughty Boy_

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**Chapter 31 - Light**

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Izuku stared up at the bright sun that was shining down on them. It was a warm day in Yaizu and a full two years since they moved into their new home together. Katsuki's 30th birthday had passed by with them celebrating in Shizuoka City surrounded by all their friends from U.A and soon after Izuku's 26th arrived. Their family away from home came and celebrated his 26th in their house and Izuku couldn't be happier.

All of his dreams were now filled with graceful light. It was the type of light that was welcoming, warm and comforting. The visual of Katsuki's smile floated in and out of Izuku's head on the daily and there was nothing the young artist could want more out of life.

He was living his dream: he had his happy future with the love of his life. Izuku turned to smile at Katsuki, who was beside him.

It was now a hot summer day in August. The sound of cicadas buzzing filled their ears, the air was crisp with freshly mowed grass and there was a light breeze that carded through Izuku's curls. He was currently situated in the backyard with Katsuki plucking flowers for a new order. They had set up the small gallery shop to be strictly open on weekends.

"Who ordered these again?" Izuku asked as the bright sun beamed down on them. "I didn't see a name in the order book."

They were both currently squatted low in their dirt smudged overalls. Izuku could feel the sweat lining his brow as he picked out the right flowers. They were in the flower filled garden picking out pure white flowers for a bouquet order. Red roses. White tulips. Izuku smiled as he plucked the white lilies that had a tint of yellow in the center and Katsuki focused on the roses.

"I dunno," Katsuki replied. The blond-haired man shrugged as he carefully cut the stem on another rose. "It was just some guy. But I remember him telling me it was a special rush order so we gotta put it together today. I wrote it down somewhere in my police notebook."

"Kacchan, sloppy book-keeping is the downfall of a business," Izuku muttered and playfully shoved his lover. "Make sure you check your notes when we finish this."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever nerd. Keep plucking," Katsuki said through a grin and lightly shoved Izuku back. "I think it must've slipped my mind because I was looking over my notes for the Romero case."

"How is that going by the way? Did you get the guy?"

"So far so good. I already know it was the brother who killed her. I need to file that warrant to search his house and we're golden. I even think I got a hint from the police commissioner of Yaizu that when I close off this case, I _may_ be promoted to Captain of another precinct within a couple of months."

"I heard that too." Izuku smiled and leaned in to place a tender kiss against Katsuki's lips. "I'm so proud of you, Kacchan. You're going to be the best Captain in the city."

Katsuki hummed in agreement into the kiss and suggestively flexed his eyebrows with a sly smirk. "Do you think you can get used to calling me _Captain_ instead of Lieutenant, bunny?" He asked in a low raspy tone and immediately Izuku hit his chest.

"Oh my goodness, of course that's the first thing you think of," Izuku laughed and shook his head. "You're getting a promotion and the first thing you jump to is sex."

"I think we should test run how 'captain' sounds on your tongue later tonight in celebration," Katsuki suggested as he stole another kiss and tried to pull Izuku in close. Izuku huffed and half-heartedly attempted to pull away while being mindful of the flowers in their hands. "I have to see if it turns your fanboy ass on just as much. If not, then I dunno if captain will do—"

"Hey! Watch the flowers," Izuku laughed and swatted Katsuki's grabby hand off from his waist. "I'm going to go check on the salmon, it's been in the oven for about thirty minutes."

"Heh. Okay, nerd. I'll finish putting together the bouquet."

Izuku smiled as he stood up all the way and gave the flowers in his hand to Katsuki. The blond took them carefully and began wrapping them in the delicate silk green ribbon the order had detailed. Izuku turned around on his heel to walk up the stairs of the back porch while he dusted himself off.

When he got inside, he peered over his shoulder to see Katsuki still in the bed of flowers, gathering up all the romantically colored scarlet roses. It was a sight Izuku never would have guessed to be possible if you had asked him three years ago, but here they were. Covered in dirt on the weekends, tending to their shared garden and on the weekdays working in the respective precincts.

The smell of the delicious meal filled the air with a savory aroma. Katsuki had insisted that they cook something out of their usual rotation saying that he had some good news to share. Izuku presumed it to be about the possible Captain's position and it made his heart hum with joy to consider his lover finally climbing up to the goal he had been set on for a long time.

Akira came running towards him and Izuku smiled at their now fully-grown puppy. Her black and brown coat was shining and her tiny tail wagged happily at the sight of him.

"Hey there baby girl," Izuku called through a coo. He smiled as he bent down to pet her but paused when he noticed that the tiny red bandana they usually had wrapped around her neck was now replaced with a white collar. Izuku frowned slightly. Izuku picked her up and cradled her in his arms to get a better look.

"Did Kacchan change your bandana again, baby?" Izuku said slightly disapprovingly as he lifted her fur to see better. "Ugh, I just bought that green one. He's so goddamn stubborn—"

His words ran dry at the sight of two golden rings in place of where Akira's dog tags should have been.

He blinked several times at the sight and slowly took in what he was seeing. They were matching rings with embossed printed roses on them and when Izuku lifted a finger to twirl one, he caught the sight of tiny words engraved on the inside.

_You are my home._

Izuku whirled around stunned and standing there behind him was a nervous looking Katsuki holding the bouquet of flowers wrapped with a green ribbon. The blond flexed a singular brow and slowly a smirk emerged on his sharp features.

"K-Kacchan—" Izuku started but stopped when his breathing became shallow.

His heart felt as if it grew too large for his chest when he realized what the golden rings actually were. What was happening. What they meant for the future and what type of flowers Katsuki was holding. Pure white lilies for love and red roses for passion.

Katsuki chuckled lightly and scratched the back of his head with a shrug. "I told you it was a special order."

"A-Are you sure?" Izuku asked carefully and squeezed Akira slightly. Their puppy lifted her head up to lick his blushing freckled face.

"Surer than I have _ever_ fuckin' been about anything," Katsuki said confidently. "I know a long time ago I promised you that we would protect each other, and there's nothing more I want to do then continue to do that. For the rest of our lives if you'll have me."

Their eyes stayed locked in a silent exchange and Izuku watched Katsuki approach him carefully. His hands clutched the bouquet nervously.

Warm love radiated from the other and Izuku could tell it was pure. Pure as moonlight and as graceful as sunlight. Katsuki came right up to Izuku and stopped slightly short. There was a singular tiny beat of silence that passed before Katsuki dropped down to one knee and Izuku could have sworn his heart flipped straight out of his body.

Izuku nervously sat Akira down when his arms started shaking and he started smiling uncontrollably. The happiness in his body broke past all his seams and Izuku felt joyful tears prickle at his eyes.

Katsuki gave a lopsided smirk and held out the bundle of lilies and red roses for Izuku.

"Midoriya Izuku, will you marry me?"

"_I do_—I-I mean _yes_," Izuku stuttered out and quickly slapped his hand over his mouth when he couldn't stop smiling. A bubble of laughter slipped past his lips and Katsuki grinned so hard he started chuckling as well.

"A little soon for 'I do,' nerd," Katsuki hummed as he lifted up from one knee. "But that's the right idea."

Izuku rushed to hug Katsuki and pulled him down for a kiss they both smiled into. Katsuki wrapped his arms around Izuku's waist tightly as they basked in each other's light.

. . .

_10 months later_

Katsuki wasn't a nervous man. He eased confidence in just about everything he did or said.

But as he fixed the black bowtie and adjusted the red rose pinned to his suit, he thought maybe Izuku was the only person on this whole earth he'd ever felt nervous around. Even now, as they prepared to walk down the aisle on the beach together—he was damn nervous.

They had chosen a private venue in Yaizu that was directly in front of a coastline and decided on a dusk ceremony. The venue had a clear view of the blue ocean and the orange setting sun from above littered the top of the water with dazzling sparkling beads of light that caught the eye in the dim light setting.

Posts with enchanting fairy lights were lined up and down the shoreline and lit up the entire altar. Wooden chairs were set in the sand, and the space between them had pastel colored flowers and white lights lined into the ground to guide the way directly towards the white flower filled altar.

It was a breathtaking scene, even to someone like Katsuki. Izuku had decorated everything perfectly. He would say it was something straight out of a movie, but truly it was a work of Izuku's beautiful imagination. He had first questioned a dusk set beach wedding, but now looking out at it—it was perfect.

Perfect for them.

Katsuki smiled from the crisp white balcony above the sight. He was leaning against the ledge waiting on his soon-to-be husband to walk down together and towards their future. His scarlet eyes stared out at the beach that was full of all their colorful friends and family laughing and enjoying the light breeze in the sun set.

"Are you ready?" Kirishima asked from behind him and placed a friendly hand on his shoulder. Katsuki peeked over to see his best friend smiling gently at him with Mina. "I think your fiancée finally finished up and we're set to start in five minutes."

Katsuki nodded and slowly all his nerves bubbled again. "I'm ready."

He turned around to the doors behind him at the sound of footsteps, but when the visual of Izuku walking through graced him, Katsuki's fluttering heart rested. Soon all his fears washed away with the sound of the tides in the background.

The handsome freckled face was smiling so gently at him and Katsuki melted into his love. Izuku was matching his black and white suit with the same colored bowtie, and his aquamarine earring was glimmering with the setting sun. Settled on top of beautiful curls was a carefully woven flower crown made of pink roses and lilies with green leaves.

Katsuki's eyes flickered down to see a matching crown in Izuku's hands.

"For me?" Katsuki smiled and Izuku nodded softly.

The green-eyed man walked towards him and Katsuki stared in awe as the golden light made Izuku's features seem like they were glowing. His emerald eyes sparkled with love and hope. His silky curls were perfectly in place and his tiny dimple peaked out.

All the gentleness of the person standing before him was highlighted and Katsuki felt like the luckiest person on earth. The tall blond bent at the waist and allowed Izuku to crown him with both affection and the flowers. When he lifted his eyes, he could see a shy telltale sugar coated blush encompassing Izuku's face.

The music in the background began cueing the start of the ceremony and all their friends prepared to take their seats down below. Izuku's eyes never left his and they took their hands and their signal for the walk began.

Katsuki held his breath as they descended down the stairs to the beach below and he could've sworn he was walking on air. Izuku's hand fit just right in his and they held on tightly to each other as they reached the beginning of the isle. Izuku smiled up at him with watery eyes as they walked down it together and Katsuki lifted a gentle hand to wipe them away.

He caught sight of Kirishima, Mina, Miruko, Keigo and even Toshinori with eyes full of the same tears. Monoma gave him a knowing smirk and Mirio kindly nodded at the two of them hand in hand. Iida was busy wiping all the spilling tears from Ochaco's eyes as Itsuka took a rapid-fire set of pictures with her Nikon.

When they reached the end of the altar all the lights sparkling against Izuku's face almost made Katsuki feel as if he didn't deserve a moment so pure.

His fiancée turned to him and they took each other's hands and Katsuki didn't even realize he had let out a single tear until Izuku laughed and quickly brushed it away.

The officiant turned to them with a grin under the light as the music stopped and the crowd went silent.

"We are gathered here today to witness the union of Midoriya Izuku and Bakugou Katsuki," the man said and Katsuki could hear Miruko and Keigo slightly squeal in the background. "We stand here to honor and celebrate the love shared between these two men, as they come together to start their new life, surrounded by their closest family and friends. Both grooms are overjoyed that you are able to join us here today."

Izuku turned to look at Toshinori and Mirio and both his childhood figures smiled softly at him.

"Today Izuku and Katsuki take the first steps on a new journey. It will be a journey that brings adventures, joy, and moments of unconditional love. Marriage brings two people together like nothing else, uniting two people who love each other unconditionally and with endless strength.

"Izuku's and Katsuki's relationship has blossomed into a love that allows them to bring out the best in each other. It is a deep care that knows no boundaries, secrets, and they serve to protect the other with unconditional love and trust. Marriage brings a new level of commitment, and this one is built on one of the strongest foundations I have ever witnessed or heard of."

Katsuki took in a deep breath as he kept his eyes locked on Izuku's and his heart flooded with warmth. The golden sun caressed his face and Katsuki could see Izuku settling into the same eagerness for the future with him.

Soon two twin smiles broke out on both of their faces.

"There are no vows more meaningful and powerful than those which will be shared here today. Your wedding vows are a sacred declaration of your love for each other, the promise of your relationship as a married couple, and the life you want to build together. Izuku, please start us off with the vows."

Izuku smiled and Katsuki noticed how the green-eyed man didn't even reach for the notes tucked neatly in his blazer.

"Kacchan, you are my ocean," Izuku said full of affection as his eyes glimmered with the setting sun. "You are the waves that dance with grace and are confident with every push and pull they do. The depths of your heart and love are something I never thought I would experience in my lifetime—but you have loved me so dearly to last several lifetimes."

Izuku paused and let out a gentle laugh with Katsuki as they intertwined their hands. "I can already feel the warmth of our love in the next three lifetimes. And I have no doubt that if our hearts were to wander, we would find our way to each other over and over again like we always did. We're fated.

"My heart wanted you before I knew it and I always knew from the first moment we met that you were one in a million. I could see your nobility and bravery so clearly burning in your ember eyes and I was always drawn towards them. They pulled me towards you, and I don't know where'd I be without you, Katsuki. Your love saved me in so many ways that I have yet to even tell you. The tiny words of 'I love you' will never be enough for me to describe what I feel. You are my home."

The crowd sighed and awed and Katsuki felt more running tears escape past his lowered defenses.

The blond tilted his head to assess the gentle, caring person in front of him utterly floored by what he was hearing. Izuku never ceased to surprise him and it only strengthened the love he felt in that moment.

"You're my home too, Izuku. But more than that, you are my light," Katsuki started and a smirk slid onto his face. "If there's ever a word to describe the type of warmth and love you introduced into my life, it is just that—pure light. Even all the stars in the night sky combined could not shine as brightly as you do. Nor could they compare to the stardust that is your freckled skin that I worship with every inch of my being. You're as mesmerizingly beautiful as a rose inside and out and more poetic than the mystery of the vast universe."

Katsuki took a large breath in before his eyes glanced downwards at their matching dress shoes.

"When I first met you I...I didn't know how to live. Or love," Katsuki confessed and looked at Izuku vulnerably. "I let the coldness in my world run rampant to the point I forgot how my own heart felt inside of my chest. It was beyond empty and hollow and I had settled into accepting that I would be alone. But then you radiantly walked through the damn door that day and within seconds, had me absolutely head over heels for you before I even knew it. I really didn't stand a chance."

Izuku giggled slightly with everyone else and Katsuki chuckled at the thought of how he was years ago. Jade colored eyes stared at him with the brightened grin in the world and Katsuki could hear the shuttering of the cameras flicker off.

"Your smile thawed my heart and now it's all yours," Katsuki whispered.

"Do you, Midoriya Izuku, take Bakugou Katsuki to be your husband?" The officiant proposed. The smaller hand inside of his own squeezed assuredly.

"I do," Izuku whispered, eyes never leaving his.

"And do you, Bakugou Katsuki, take Midoriya Izuku to be your husband?"

Katsuki gave a love-sick lopsided smirk at the near silly question. "Of course I do."

The officiant smiled between them before raising his voice. "It is now time for you to exchange rings!"

Everyone's attention was grabbed as Itsuka stood up in her blush pink dress with a small woven flower basket. Inside was a plush, red velvet tiny pillow and on top of it were the two golden rings that caught the light of the sun. She walked up to the two men and Izuku gave her a joyful gaze.

"Your rings symbolize the vowed commitment that you make to each other, and the never-ending circle of your love for each other," the officiant said as Izuku and Katsuki reached for one ring each. "May these rings always remind you of the love you have found, and may you forever cherish its rarity."

The two men glanced at each other once and held their breaths as they slid it on each other's hands. The weight of the ring on his finger made Katsuki's heart flutter with all the promises he and Izuku had exchanged and it felt like he and the man in front of him were truly lock and key.

"And with that, I now pronounce you Midoriya Izuku and Midoriya Katsuki."

All the wedding ceremony erupted in roars of cheering and clapping as the two grooms melted into a loving, adoring kiss.

. . .

Katsuki's face felt numb from smiling when the night came to a close. He had danced the night away with the love of his life under the setting sun that blended into the clear night sky when time passed. Everyone had taken pictures, sang karaoke and gave heart filled toasts during the dinner. They cut the cake together and had their first dance. It was more than Katsuki could have ever dreamed of.

But the whole time, Katsuki couldn't peel his eyes away from the man beside him, nor could Izuku do the same.

It was now quiet and the ceremony was winding down with the last event. An event that Katsuki was looking forward to. Izuku had expressed how he wanted everyone to light lanterns on their wedding and have everyone release them into the sky with wishes for the future.

Their entire wedding party was now gathered at the mouth of the ocean and Katsuki and Izuku had taken their shoes off to wade into the water together holding their shared lantern.

It was breathtaking by Katsuki's standards.

The golden luminance emitting from the lantern in their hands gently spilled onto both of their faces and intermingled with their flower crowns. Katsuki couldn't help but note how the moon above shone down to spill what looked like tiny stars into the water surrounding them.

"Before we let off the lanterns, I want to say something," Toshinori said as everyone gathered around. All heads turned towards him and the tall man cleared his throat before looking at Katsuki and Izuku in fondness.

"Izuku's parents were always my best friends. From childhood to college and then into adulthood. Inko and Hisashi were always loving, kind, and devoted in ways I never thought could be matched. But now, as I lay my eyes on the Midoriyas now—I see that I was wrong to think their love couldn't be matched when really it was something that flourished and passed on."

Katsuki turned back to Izuku and gently mouthed 'I love you' and Izuku mouthed back 'I love you too.'

"So cheers. To Midoriya Izuku and Midoriya Katsuki carrying on the tradition of pure love," Toshinori finished and released his lantern into the sky.

One by one, everyone set their lanterns into the sky filling the navy blue sky up with what looked like blinking golden lights. The reflection of the lanterns in the water surrounding the two men encased them in what seemed to be an endless rapture of stars. Izuku stared wide eyed up at the magic above them and Katsuki grinned at the sight.

"Ready for our new adventure?" Katsuki asked and Izuku turned his eyes back to him.

"I'm always ready as long as you're here, Kacchan," Izuku replied.

They raised their hands up together and slowly let go. Both Izuku and Katsuki smiled as they watched their shared light float away into the night sky with a single promise written on it.

"_We will always love and protect each other."_

**FIN.**

* * *

And that's a wrap!

Thank you so so much to everyone for embarking on this 1 year+ journey with me and special thank you to all the serial commenters who helped keep up my motivation with your extremely kind words. Thank you to all the readers, and super talented artists who drew sections from this fic! I'm still in awe by all of your talents 😭

You ALL truly all incredible

I will be taking a break from writing for a while before I pick up Fumblehood again and give myself some break to refresh and enjoy reading fics for a while :) I'll be on twitter (Kyuukakoinu handle name) if you would like to chat!

Please let me know what you think below! I'm a little overwhelmed with emotions right now lol I never thought I would finish this beast of a fic.

Thank you again for reading


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